.Today’s cigar is landing at retailers around the nation and is the Azan Burgundy Toro; which is a size that retailers wanted to see from the company which had embraced small traditional cuban sizes prior to Jack Torano joining the team last year.
According to Roberto Duran, maker of Azan Burgundy “Each cigar is hand-rolled by experienced rollers, who only specialize in a particular size. The cigars are then carefully checked for quality and age in our “escaparate” (our climate controlled cedar room) for months until they’ve aged long enough to bring out the excellent taste for you to enjoy.”
Cigar Review: Azan Burgundy
Size: 5 7/8 x 52 (Toro)
Wrapper: Ecuador Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
The Look: Featuring a nearly flawless reddish-brown Corojo wrapper from Ecuador the Azan Burgundy is rolled seamlessly. The burgundy, white and gold Azan band lets us know the brand was established in Cuba circa 1928. Despite the foot looking a big under-filled the cigar is firm to the touch, with a nice weight to it.
The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar reminds me of Rice Krispies before you add the milk with a touch earth. The aroma off the foot is sweet with hints of molasses.
As we smoke the first third of the cigar there is some cinnamon notes with a touch of graham over a canvas of earth. As the cigar progresses it becomes even more flavorful. As the first third comes to a close the cinnamon notes become more defined with a continued sweetness that becomes chewy.
In the second third of the cigar some wood notes begin to develop on the palate, through the nose and on the aroma of the cigar along with some subtle pepper notes. As the cigar begins to transition into the last third of the stick, a floral note begins to emerge.
The sweetness returns front and center with notes of sugar, honey and cream. Some of the cinnamon from the first third lingers in the background a little bit of pepper through the nose that compliments and never overpowers the sweetness of the cigar.
The Burn: The marble colored ash on the Toro is a bit weak like the other sizes, but it hangs on for 25% of the smoke at a time. The thin combustion line is slightly jagged but it burns evenly throughout the cigar never needing to be touched up. The draw was close to perfection and the cigar never needed to be relit.
The Finish: Other cigar companies should be worried about Roberto Duran cigar releasing a Toro that sells for less than $4.50 with this much flavor. One can only hope the FDA won’t set a $10.00 minimum on premium cigars, because this is by far the greatest deal in the business.
Score: 92
Price: $5.19 each or $89.99 a box of 20
Azan Burgundy
Azan Burgundy Foot
Azan Burgundy Burn
