Today, we are reviewing the Toro-sized Sarzedas from J.C. Newman Cigar Company. J.C. Newman takes great pride in its history, which includes several brands developed over the years. One of these brands is Sarzedas. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Sarzedas dates back to 1900, when it was originally marketed as The Aromatic Cigar. Although the brand eventually became dormant, J.C. Newman acquired ownership of it.
A few years ago, Drew Newman decided he wanted to bring Sarzedas back, but he said the challenge was coming up with a blend that could hold up to the brand’s legacy. The blend to be developed was created by Rich Dolak, who serves at J.C. Newman’s cigar-making.
At the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, Sarzedas made its debut. While the company showcased the cigar and its packaging, it kept many of the details under wraps until it shipped. Given that Sarzedas was still being branded as The Aromatic Cigar, there was a good chance this would be a sweet-tip cigar. It turns out this would exactly be the case.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Sarzedas Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
J.C. Newman hasn’t gotten very specific about the blend that makes up the Sarzedas. We know it’s an Ecuadorian Shade wrapper. The remainder of the blend consists of Nicaraguan binder and filler. Production comes from J.C. Newman’s PENSA factory located in Estelí, Nicaragua.
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Shade
- Binder/Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: J.C. Newman PENSA
Vitolas Available
Sarzedas is a regular production cigar that is available in four sizes. Each size comes in a 20-count box.
- Robusto: 4 3/4 x 52
- Corona: 5 1/2 x 43
- Toro: 6 x 50
- Churchill: 7 x 48
Appearance (*)
The best way to describe the Sarzedas Toro’s wrapper is that it was a darker Connecticut Shade wrapper. This was darker than most Shade-grown Connecticut seed wrappers, but lighter than a typical natural wrapper on a cigar. There was much in the way of oils on this cigar. The wrapper was mostly smooth. There were some visible veins. In addition, some thin wrapper seams were visible.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting the Sarzedas Toro, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was successfully detached, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. To no surprise, this was a very sweet pre-light draw. What I will say is that whatever was used to sweeten this cap did not have as strong an artificial sweet flavor as other aromatic sweet-tip cigars. Of the three samples I smoked, two were quite sweet. The third sample was definitely more dialed back.
Tasting Notes
The start of the Sarzedas Toro delivered notes of sugar, earth, and a very slight amount of mild pepper (more like pepper flakes). The sweetness was high very early on, with sugar notes immediately moving to the forefront. While there was a slight diminution in the residual sweetness from the cap, the sugar notes remained. Meanwhile, the earth and the slight amount of pepper settled in the background. As the cigar moved through the early part of the first third, some raisin notes surfaced in the background – providing a small, but additional layer of sweetness. The retrohale was mild, with earthy, raisin, and a touch of pepper notes.
The second third of the Sarzedas Toro was similar to the first third. The sugar sweetness was primary, but some bitterness was mixed in from the earth. Meanwhile, in the background, the earth, raisin, and a tiny amount of mild pepper brought up the rear. The combination of sugar sweetness and raisin notes kept this cigar sweet.
The final third saw the earth join the sugary notes in the forefront. The earth notes had more bitterness than at any point of the smoking experience. In the background, notes of raisin and mild pepper were still present. This is the way the Sarzedas Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly lukewarm in temperature and soft to the touch.
Burn
Construction-wise, the Sarzedas Toro performs solidly. This is a cigar that needs minimal touchups to maintain a straight burn path and burn line. If you do touchup this cigar, it needs to be handled carefully as this wrapper will easily scorch. The resulting ash wasn’t overly tight, but neither loose nor flaky. This ash was mostly light gray in color, but had some dark spots. As for the burn rate, it was ideal. The burn temperature was ideal until the nub, where it got a little warm. That was an indicator that it was time to wrap up the cigar experience.
Draw
If you have read my assessments, you will know I like a touch of resistance. With the Sarzedas Toro, that is what I got – making it ideal in my book.
Strength and Body
This is definitely a milder, lighter cigar. The strength was mild for most of the cigar experience. By the last third, the strength crept into the mild-to-medium range. Meanwhile, the flavors started mild to medium-bodied. These did progress slightly in intensity, moving into the medium range in the final third.
In terms of strength versus body, the body definitely held the edge from start to finish.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
The box from Sarzedas definitely had a retro vibe. The logo on the box and on the inner vista definitely looked retro. I did like the red, yellow, black, and white color scheme. On the band, the gold trim gave it a slightly more contemporary vibe while still keeping a good retro feel. The retro shelf-talker in the box added a nice touch. Overall, this was a nice presentation by J.C. Newman.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
In my assessments, we do not have special scoring criteria for cigars that are sweetened, enhanced, or infused. Typically, these types of cigars score lower because the sweetening (or any enhancement) reduces complexity. Sarzedas is not a complex cigar. The first third of this cigar was light and pleasant. While some of the bitters this cigar produced helped maintain the balance, they didn’t enhance the overall flavor profile. While this cigar comes in at 85 points, I do think this is an approachable cigar for a novice. It also comes in at under $10.00, making it a value in today’s market for a premium handmade cigar. Still, I would recommend trying this cigar first and seeing what you think.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Sugar, Earth, Raisin, Pepper
- Burn: Excellent
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Low
- Strength: Mild (1st 2/3), Mild to Medium (Remainder)
- Body: Mild (1st 2/3), Mild to Medium (Remainder)
- Finish: Good
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 85
REFERENCES
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
