El Mejor Espresso Toro

El Mejor Espresso is a distinctively dark Nicaraguan that melds the smooth subtleties of delicate aging with the kick of hearty Nicaraguan and Mexican tobaccos. The Mexican maduro wrapper is velvety smooth to the touch, with ample oil. Our panel is always torn between smoking these types and eating them up like candy bars (hey—it’s easy to confuse the two—it’s dark, you have to unwrap it, and it’s box-pressed to boot!). The term Espresso is not intended to describe any sort of artificial flavor infusion, but rather the deep, dark color and subtle notes of black coffee and cocoa that you can expect in the flavor profile. Much like the malted barley in well-made microbrewed beer, tobacco, when treated and cured in the proper fashion, will impart in the finished product a range of robust flavors. Like an authentic stout, there’s no chocolate or coffee involved in the making of this product; the full range of flavors come naturally from the way the tobaccos have been grown and cured. Our panel found this cigar to be exceptionally easy to smoke, providing a gentle draw throughout. The aroma is sweet and carries through to the sweet and spicy finish. A mild-to-medium-bodied smoke, this cigar has the power to hold up to a steak dinner, but alternatively will work mid-day with lunch—Nestor Plasencia has put his genius to work once again to make this versatile, flavorful cigar. Enjoy with a Cuba Libre, a drink with lime, cola, and rum.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.