Today we review the Saint Luis Rey Tabacales from Altadis U.S.A in the Toro size. Saint Luis Rey is a brand with roots in Cuba. However, Max Rohr Imports acquired the trademark in the U.S. In 1996, the Honduran version of Saint Luis Rey debuted. We recently covered how Christian Eiroa worked on the original Saint Luis Rey brand in Honduras. As a result of a series of acquisitions took place. Eventually, the company that became known as Altadis took over the Honduran version of Saint Luis Rey. For the most part, this has been a Honduran brand from Altadis U.S.A.
This background is important because Tabacales is made in the Dominican Republic. While it has been reported that this is not the first Dominican-made Saint Luis Rey cigar, this is the first regular-production Dominican Saint Luis Rey. Tabacales is produced at the Tabacalera de Garcia factory in the Dominican Republic. The name Tabacales refers to tobacco fields.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Tabacales Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
The Tabacales blend is best described as multinational. This is highlighted by a Nicaraguan wrapper over a Cameroon binder. The fillers are a combination of Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers.
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan
- Binder: Cameroon
- Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Tabacalera de Garcia
Vitolas Offered
Tabacales comes in three sizes. Both are available in both 25- and 50-count box options.
- Rothchilde: 54 x 5
- Toro: 54 x 6
- Titan: 60 x 6
Appearance (*)
The wrapper of the Tabacales Toro is what I term a “pink” wrapper. No, this wrapper isn’t pink in color, but it’s Rosado Claro – meaning it has a light reddish shade. There was slight mottling on the surface. The wrapper also had some toothiness. This wrapper didn’t have much oil. There were some prominent veins, and the wrapper seams were minimally visible
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting up the Tabacales Toro, I used a straight cut to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered notes of natural tobacco, earth, and cedar. While this wasn’t a very exotic pre-light draw, what I will say is that is still a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Tabacales Toro and head into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The Tabacales Toro opened up with notes of natural tobacco, cedar, cream, and baker’s spice. Early on, the natural tobacco became the primary note. The natural tobacco’s sweetness had the edge early on. Meanwhile, the cedar, cream, and baker’s spice settled in the background. A slight amount of red pepper also appeared on the retro-hale. Toward the end of the first third, the cream notes morphed into a café au lait note. Toward the end of the first third, the red pepper surfaced in the background on the tongue, and the baker’s spice dissipated.
During the second third of the Tabacales Toro, the cedar notes joined the natural tobacco in the forefront. Meanwhile, the notes of café au lait and red pepper remained secondary. As the cigar moved through this third, the natural tobacco sweetness saw more bitterness emerge alongside the sweetness.
By the final third, the natural tobacco was more bitter than sweet. The cedar component still remained in the forefront. As for the secondary notes, the red pepper had the edge over the café au lait. This is the way the Tabacales Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
The burn of the Tabacales Toro had some jaggedness and a slight amount of meandering on the burn path. This required several touchups. While the touchups did the trick, I needed more touchups than I preferred. The resulting ash was medium gray. This ash leaned toward the looser side and was prone to minor flaking. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.
Draw
The draw to the Tabacales Toro performed well. This draw had a touch of resistance. If you have read my assessments, you will know this is my sweet spot. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
The Tabacales Toro might have a claro wrapper, but that doesn’t mean this cigar is dialed back. This cigar started out with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. The strength increased slightly along the way. The body increased more progressively. While the strength stayed in the medium range, the body moved from medium to full by the second half.
In terms of strength and body, the body maintained the edge throughout this smoking experience.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
Back in 2017, Altadis decided to put light blue bands on the H. Upmann Nicaragua by AJ Fernandez. At the time, I didn’t know how I felt about it, but in the end it grew on me. This time Altadis went to strike lightning twice by doing it with the Saint Luis Rey Tabacales bands. Like the H. Upmann Nicaragua, I was a little unsure of this scenario, but I admit I like it now.
I love paper-wrapped wooden boxes. The blue seems to work well on the Tabacales boxes, as I think it comes off well (disclaimer: I have only seen the 25-count boxes in person, so I’m not sure how this works with the 50-count boxes).
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Tabacales Toro started out with some very good flavors. These flavors held on until the late second half, but once some of the bitters emerged, they threw the cigar’s balance off. For $8.25, I was still impressed with what this cigar delivered. As mentioned, I was surprised by the Tabacales Toro’s boldness. The problem was the timing of this release. Tabacales got released shortly before Tabacalera de Garcia was dealing with the fallout from Chen Zhi, and then the high-profile Saint Luis Rey – Eiroa 30th Anniversary came out. As a result, this release flew under the radar. In the end, this is still a cigar I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, I can see myself buying and smoking this again.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Café Au Lait, Cream, Baker’s Spice, Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium
- Body: Medium (1st 1/2), Medium to Full (Second Half)
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Buy One
Score: 88
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
