Cigar Geeks Geek Critique
72
Cigar Geeks Rating
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Welcome to another Member sponsored Geek Critique generously sponsored by our member nirab (Brian). The cigar provided for this round is the Stolen Throne Argos Toro.
The Argos came about in a different manner than the rest of the Stolen Throne lines. It was born as a Winston's Humidor exclusive with its proceeds going toward animal rescue organizations. If you like it extra spicy, you'll love this cigar! This cigar is only available in 11 shops across the country, and nirab's shop The Cigar Vault is blessed to be one of them.
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This cigar was enjoyed with Woodford Reserve Double Oak
Pre-Light: 9 Points of 10 Possible
Pre-light, the cigar seemed to be nicely constructed, with a few veins in the wrapper. The wrapper was very smooth and had a bit of a satin look to it. The cap was well constructed and cut perfectly. The pinch test revealed that the cigar was super solid, with just a little give in it. Other Stolen Throne cigars have this same quality to the construction and this one was just the same. The cigar had aromas of earth and cedar with a slight bit of peppery-spice and a bit of sweetness as well.
Lighting and Burn: 5 Points of 15 Possible
Lighting the cigar was very easy, especially with the semi-closed foot, which is a hallmark of Stolen Throne sticks. There were some significant burn issues starting at the second 3rd mark of the cigar. It started to tunnel severely and even started burning through the wrapper about a half inch from the burn line which then caused a canoeing effect. This was very disappointing as this has never occurred to me during any other Stolen Throne smoke that I have had. The smoke volume was light but delivered a ton of flavor, as expected. The ash did hold up very well, despite the burn issues and was a dark gray color.
Construction: 25 Points of 30 Possible
The pre-light draw was ample and indicated that there would be no problems throughout the smoke. Consistency being key and performing just like the pre-light draw, the draw during the burn was nice, and provided a perfect amount smoke, even though there were major issues with the burn profile. The wrapper was well constructed, with some veins and a smooth, velvety texture to it. Also, the wrapper was wound extremely consistent and was a uniform dark color all the way around the cigar.
Flavor and Aroma: 33 Points of 45 Possible
The strength of the cigar was a solid medium. The flavors were just a dead miss which was super disappointing. It could have been the stick that I reviewed but it was just dominated by a strong, acrid flavor and was very floral (think grandma's perfume almost). There was a period in the smoke that I thought of dumping it which was just super disappointing as the anticipation for this stick was really high. Surely, the major burn issue didn't help the flavor profile at all, as that can have an effect on the flavors that come through. There was a moment where, after the canoeing issue had subsided, that some fantastic flavors of ancho chilis and white pepper came through, but that waned and it was back to the flower shop.
Summary
A big thank you to Brian (Nirab) for selecting me for this review and the folks over at Stolen Throne for providing the cigars. Not one to pull punches, this one just was a miss for me. I do have a second one of these that I am going to try tonight, so I am hoping that I can update the review with better news. It is unfortunate and this one was probably an outlier in all of the cigars that I have smoke from Stolen Throne, but this one is a hard pass for me.
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