MBombay Mora Toro (2026 Release/2019 Vintage) | Cigar Review

Today we review the MBombay Mora in the Toro size. This review covers the 2026 release of the Mora, which features a blend that was rolled back in 2019. As a brand, the Mora is a line in MBombay’s portfolio that dates back to 2014.

Mel Shah, a retailer from Palm Springs, Florida, founded MBombay Cigars. About ten years ago, the brand began a national push in the U.S. From 2020 to 2024, the brand went dormant, but late in 2024, MBombay relaunched. As part of the relaunch, the company focused on several previously released lines, with a focus on a subset of vitolas. The relaunched lines included Kesara, Gaaja, Gaaja Maduro, MQBA Mayura, M. Estelí, and Mora. The Mora line was revamped. This included changing the wrapper from Dominican Corojo to Mexican San Andres. The number of vitolas was streamlined from eight sizes to two, and the vitolas themselves were changed from parejo to box-pressed.

Finally, another big change was that Mora would now focus on the release vintage. The Mora cigars were rolled in 2019 and aged for over six years.

Now, let’s turn our attention to the 2026 Mora Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table:

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The blend features a Mexican Andrés wrapper over an Ecuadorian binder. The fillers are from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Pennsylvania. Production comes out of Tabacos de Costa Rica in Puriscal, Costa Rica. As mentioned, the cigars for this release were rolled in 2019 and have been aged since.

• Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
• Binder: Ecuador
• Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras & Pennsylvania
• Country of Origin: Costa Rica
• Factory: Tabacos de Costa Rica (Rolled 2019)

Vitolas Offered

The cigars are being released in two formats: Toro and Robusto. Each comes in ten-count boxes, with total production of 2,764 boxes for the Toro and 2,768 boxes for the Robusto.

• Toro: 6 1/2  x 54 (Total Production: 2,764 boxes)
• Robusto: 5 x 54 (Total Production: 2,768 boxes)

Appearance (*)

The San Andres wrapper of the Mora Toro had an appearance similar to a chocolate bar. The surface had a light sheen of oil. Despite the wrapper’s dark color, a little mottling was visible on the surface. There were very few visible veins. Some wrapper seams were still visible. As for the box-press shape, it was more brick-shaped, with a sharper cut (as opposed to the Cuban-style soft press).

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut removed the cap of the Mora Toro. Once the cap was removed, it was time to begin the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of dusty earth and cocoa. Overall, I found this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Mora Toro and see what the smoking phase had in store.

Tasting Notes

The Mora Toro opened up with notes of mocha and earth. If you have read my reviews before, you will know I use the term mocha to describe a fusion of coffee and chocolate. The mocha notes quickly went to the forefront. Meanwhile, the earth settled in the background, joined by notes of mineral and citrus. Concurrently, a layer of mixed pepper appeared on the retrohale.

The second third of the Mora Toro saw the mocha transform into a black-coffee note. This note remained primary throughout the second third. Around the midway point, the mineral notes joined the coffee. Citrus and earth notes remained in the background, and mixed pepper notes emerged there as well. As the cigar moved into the second third, the mixed pepper notes grew more intense.

By the final third, the mixed pepper increased enough to join the coffee and mineral notes in the forefront. Meanwhile, the citrus and earth notes continued to round out the flavor profile from the background. This is the way the Mora Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

Overall, the Mora Toro burned well. The burn line occasionally jagged, but it never veered off track, and few touchups were needed. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firm side. It was mostly a silver-gray ash with a few dark streaks. This ash was on the firm side. As for burn rate and burn temperature, both stayed within ideal ranges.

Draw

The draw of Mora Toro also performed excellently. It had a touch of resistance, which is ideal in my book. Sometimes a box-pressed vitola can have too open a draw for my liking, but that wasn’t the case here. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

The Mora Toro started out with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. Both attributes showed a slight increase in intensity, but in the end, strength and body remained in the medium range of their respective spectrums. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

While I miss some of the old canisters the original MBombay Mora came in, I have no complaints about the packaging. I like the bright orange, vibrant slide-top boxes with the MBombay peacock logo. I’m also pleased with the modified MBombay mosaic band with a slight purple tint.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating