Initial Thoughts:
Some cigars you choose; others, you don't. Today I'm smoking the Esteban Carreras Unforgiven Toro Grande, a cigar given to me by a friend. However, unlike some cigars I've been given, this Unforgiven was, well, given, by a friend who doesn't know a lot about cigars.
Oh well, time for an adventure. The Esteban Carreras Unforgiven Toro Grande is an okay looking cigar, but it doesn't look “premium.” There's a little bit of extra glue carelessly forgotten around the label and end cap.
After cutting the end, I got a good draw, though the cold draw flavors made me think that this cigar hadn't aged long enough. Once I lit the cigar, I got hints of angel food cake-like sweetness.
CigarScore:
Brand: Esteban Carreras
Line: Unforgiven
Size: 6 x 52
Cut: Guillotine
Light: Torch
Price: $9.20
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Smoke Time: 65 minutes
Through the middle of the cigar, the burn was mostly good, the draw was mostly good, but the flavors… well, I wasn't enjoying them. Everything about this cigar feels rushed.
Final Thoughts:
A decent burn and a great draw do not a perfect cigar make. Cigars that you look forward to and ones to which you keep returning require something more – awesome flavors. There were flavors of underaged and harsh tobacco along with flavors of ammonia. I just didn't like this cigar.
Due to bad flavors and what I felt was a rushed product, the Esteban Carreras Unforgiven Toro Grande earns a CigarScore 2.
