Doña Lydia Toro

Cigar ReviewNicaraguan CigarDona LydiaToro

19 Dec

Written By Ray Prodanov

📌 Brand: Doña Lydia
📌 Line: Toro
📌 Size: Toro (6" × 52)
📌 Weight: 18.9 g
📌 Age: 5 years
📌 Origin: Nicaragua

Tasting Notes

Cedar – Clean, bright core
Toasted Nut – Soft sweetness underneath
Earth – Mild grounding note
White Pepper – Light retrohale spice

First Impressions

The Doña Lydia Toro features a smooth, medium-brown wrapper with a soft sheen. Pre-light aromas of cedar, nuts, and hay give a fun profile idea. Cold draw feels ideal, offering cedar and a mild sweetness.

Smoking Experience

First Third – Cedar and toasted nuts lead with a soft pepper edge. Burn is even and draw is smooth.
Second Third – Earth and nutty tones strengthen, but a wrapper crack develops, causing some waviness. Touch-ups keep it controlled.
Final Third – Pepper sharpens slightly and the crack forces a relight, flattening some complexity. Flavors remain pleasant but disrupted.

Pairings

Alcohol – Janneau VSOP Armagnac - Aromatic stone fruit, vanilla, and gentle oak add elegance and warmth, enhancing the cigar’s cedar-nut profile without overwhelming it.
Tea – Malawi Black Tea - Smooth, slightly fruity, and bright, ideal for lifting the earthiness and balancing the pepper in the final third.

Music Pairing

“The World Is Yours” – Nas
Smooth beats and thoughtful delivery fit the steady, reflective tempo of the final third.

Final Thoughts

The Doña Lydia Toro delivers a pleasant, cedar-forward profile with toasted sweetness and mild spice. Construction was good early but wrapper cracking and a required relight held the cigar back from full expression.

Final Score: 7/10
Why not a 10?
Wrapper crack and a relight interrupted flavor consistency and reduced overall balance.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.