Espinosa 601 Black Toro

📌 Brand: Espinosa
📌 Line: 601 Black
📌 Size: Toro (6" × 50)
📌 Weight: 15 g
📌 Age: 4 years
📌 Origin: Nicaragua

Tasting Notes

• Cedar – Soft woody backbone

• Earth – Mild and dusty, lacking depth

• Pepper – Present but uneven

• Bitter Char – Harshness from repeated relights

First Impressions

The 601 Black Toro shows a medium-brown Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper with slight sheen but feels loosely rolled in spots. Pre-light aroma offers cedar and dry earth. Cold draw is airy and underfilled in sections, suggesting burn difficulty ahead.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Cedar and earth appear faintly. Burn begins to warp towards the end .

• Second Third – Pepper tries to develop but the cigar struggles to stay lit. Relights required, flavor turns thin and bitter.

• Final Third – Smoke becomes harsh, charred, and flat. Draw feels hot and empty, construction issues dominate the experience.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Amaro Montenegro , herbal sweetness to compensate for the cigar’s bitterness and lack of balance.

• Tea – Lapsang Souchong (China), subtle smokiness to add depth where the cigar failed to deliver.

Music Pairing

“Key to the Highway” – Eric Clapton & B.B. King

Smooth flow to contrast the rough performance.

Final Thoughts

The Espinosa 601 Black Toro struggles with combustion from the start. Multiple relights, uneven burn, and thinning flavor kept it from expressing any real character. A disappointing experience given Espinosa’s usual blending consistency.

Final Score: 4/10
Why not a 10?
Relights, poor construction, and harsh, flattened flavor left little redeeming enjoyment.

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