Todos Las Dias Double Wide Belicoso

There are some cigars that stand out in the industry that just by looking at them invoke the name of a cigar. Cigars like the LFD Chisel, Fuente Anejo Shark, and the Joya de Nicaragua Gran Consul. I mention the latter cigar because the first time Steve Saka handed me a Todos Las Dias it was in a size he dubbed a double-wide belicoso, there was a familiarity about it.

I recently got to ask Steve Saka after a taping of The Cigar Authority about the size telling him it looked familiar and he was very forthcoming about it being the same shape as the Gran Consul from Joya de Nicaragua. He went on that he was surprised the company let him use the same molds that are synonymous with JdN when making this cigar.

The name Todos Las Dias is a Saka-ism. For years he went around believing the phrase was this instead of Todos Los Dias which means All the Days. In a press release he stated, “Todos Las Dias is my personal Spanglish translation meaning “All the Days.” The workers at Joya de Nicaraguan often cringe at my casual butchering of their mother tongue, but in my opinion cigars are far more than a grammar lesson to abide, they are the physical manifestation of a feeling and of an experience. TLD embodies the classic bold flavors that represent the heart of their soil’s peppery tobaccos and the labor of their always working hands. For me, this spicy Nicaraguan puro reflects no pretentious airs or any of that “notes of pencil lead with a hint of fennel” nonsense. It is an honest, hardworking cigar intended to be smoked by men who know what it means to be a cigar smoker and never give a damn about what others think.”

Cigar: Todos Las Dias
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown (Cuban Seed)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli, Jalapa)
Length: 4.75″
Ring Gauge: 60
Size: Double Wide Belicoso aka Gran Consul

The Look: Packaged in 10 count cedar boxes the double-wide belicoso has a dual band utilizing colors of silver and black. The primary band denotes TDL in a diamond while the foot denotes Todos Las Dias. The dark wrapper of the cigar has some subtle tooth to it, a nice amount of oil and a few noteworthy veins. In the hand the stick is heavy, well packed and has a velvet like feel to it.

The Notes: The cold draw and aroma off the foot of the cigar is exactly the same, and that’s not a bad thing when it reminds you of beef jerky. Complete with notes of Worcestershire sauce. Once the cigar is toasted and lit the first note is that of cayenne pepper, especially the aroma of the smoke. For those curious I cut my belicoso to about a 46 ring gauge.

As we smoke the first third the cayenne pepper slowly pulls back to reveal a core note of leather that is especially prevalent on the finish of the cigar which is already lengthy. As we near the end of the first third some notes of coffee and dark chocolate begin to emerge with the focus becoming the latter by the time we transition into the next third.

The second third sees notes of dark chocolate grab hold of the palate which a spice on the nose that is reminiscent of wasabi and the finish of the cigar remains leathery. As the cigar crossed the half way point the wasabi transitions back to cayenne pepper and the finish of the cigar develops a cedar component that begins to surpass the leather.

As we finish out the TDL from Steve Saka’s Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, the cigar remains spicy with notes of cayenne and paprika, but there is also a subtle bitter dark chocolate. It’s enjoyable with a long finish that has some nuttiness, leather and cedar.

The Finish: I don’t know if it is the size that is playing a mind game with me, but back in the day in the height of its popularity I smoked a lot of Joya de Nicaragua Antano Gran Consul sticks and there is a familiarity to this cigar along the lines of that cigar. Is it my favorite Saka stick no, but it is definitely my favorite size in the release. It’s strong with a lot of flavors going on and I’ll be curious to smoke it again in 6 months after it gets some more age.

Score: 91
Price: $12.59 / $112.99