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After a nearly decade-long absence from the market, the 601 Black from Espinosa Cigars will be back on sale this summer. Billed as a full-bodied, Connecticut-wrapped cigar, the 601 Black is being released as a single size Toro.
“We noticed, that in the last few years, there has been a trend towards stronger, fuller-bodied Connecticut wrapped cigars,” said brand owner Erik Espinosa. “We believe it is the perfect time to re-release this classic blend and introduce it to a new generation of smokers who never got a chance to try it.”
Rolled at Espinosa’s La Zona factory in Nicaragua, the 6 inch by 50 ring gauge Toro is made with an Ecuador Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan filler. They’re packaged in 10-count boxes and are slated to retail for $10 per cigar.
Protocol Eliot Ness Arriving This Month
The initial batch of the Protocol Eliot Ness has begun arriving on retail shelves, with the full release tentatively scheduled to happen next week.
The cigars are the second entry in Protocol’s Lawmen Series that honors notable figures in the history of law enforcement. The series debuted in the summer of 2019 with the Sir Robert Peel, who is the founder of modern British policing, and amongst many other things, the founder of Metropolitan Police Service and its famous headquarters, Scotland Yard.
Like the Sir Robert Peel, the Eliot Ness is being released in two varietals, both of which are Nicaraguan puros. The Protocol Eliot Ness Natural uses a Nicaraguan habano wrapper over a dual binder of Estelí-grown habano tobacco, while the fillers are Nicaraguan criollo. The maduro version uses a Nicaraguan broadleaf wrapper, the same Estelí-grown habano binder, and corojo fillers from Estelí and Jalapa. Both blends were developed with the help
86.5
These ratings indicate a high level of quality throughout the cigar market, as 109 of the 267 cigars we rated (41 percent) scored 90 points or higher. And 66 cigars scored 91 points or higher, earning our accolade of Humidor Selection. Every major cigar-producing country contributed cigars to that list, though 30 of the cigars in this segment hail from Nicaragua. Currently, Nicaragua exports more premium cigars to the U.S. than any other country, and its proliferation of high ratings speaks to both the high quality of tobacco on the agricultural end as well as meticulous cigar production on the industrial side.
If you’re looking for a 90 pointer, you’re more likely to find it from Cuba than any other country. We rated 24 Cuban cigars this year, and 16 of them (66.7 percent) scored 90 points or higher, a larger percentage of 90s than any other major cigar-producing country. (Though 80 percent of the Mexican cigars rated this year scored more than 90 points, we only tested f
Release Date: November 2020
Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3
Cameroon is not the prettiest-looking wrapper. In fact, I often think
the uglier the Cameroon wrapper, the better cigar will be. That being said, this is a pretty rendition of Cameroon. It’s maybe not as pretty as an Ashton Heritage Puro Sol, but it’s better-looking than most Cameroon wrappers. There’s a bit of discoloration and spotting towards the top of two cigars, but otherwise, it’s about all you could hope for in terms of “good-looking Cameroon wrapper.” The aroma from the wrapper is relatively sweet with a bit of cocoa, slight pepper, some roasted flavors and ketchup. It’s medium-plus and lacks any of the funk that I sometimes get from Cameroon. The foot is even sweeter thanks to an artificial sweetness and some vanilla. There’s also bit of granola and a touch of some sort of chemical sensation. It’s a bit stronger, though maybe not quite medium-full. The cold draw is similar to the foot wi