Las Ramblas (Habano Criollo) - Toro

[AmsterDan]

Brand: Las Ramblas
Size: Toro 6.5" x 50
Origin: Danli, Honduras
Wrapper: Habano Criollo
Binder/Filler: Honduran & Nicaraguan Ligero and Seco

Appearance, Touch and Aroma
Las Ramblas is a fairly new brand through the Ventura Cigar Company and is manufactured at Tabacos de Oriente in Danli, Honduras. It is a handmade cigar and available in just the 6.5" x 50 Toro size. Having said that, they come in three different wrappers; Honduran Connecticut Shade, Habano Criollo and a Maduro. In this review we are looking at the Habano Criollo which promises to be a spicy mid-bold complexity.

The cigar has a beautiful appearance. The Criollo wrapper is Colorado coloured, slightly oily, has tiny to small veins and sports an alright looking band. I'm pleased with the tight and evenly rolled cigar which feels just right. A faint smell of sweet tobacco and hay is present, time to light.



Cut & Light
This Las Ramblas cuts well after which the draw is perfect. Right of the bat there is some spice, rich leather and woody tones. When the cigar warms up I found a musty, yet pleasant sweetness similar to raisins, to join the palate. There is definitely some spice in the draw but not in the finish ... interesting. There is a lot of smoke, the draw is perfect and the complexity is just broad enough to make me wonder what I taste.

In the second part not much changed but I surprisingly found the raisin sweetness to lead the palate followed by cedar wood and leathery tones accompanied by a suited amount of spice. Smoothness has decayed a bit and toasted/bitter tones arose. The finish is quite long and reminds me of a strong coffee.

Third part, 1 hour and 20 minutes in, not much changed.

Conclusion
I believe the goal of this brand is to create that perfect blend in just the one Toro size, very clean and simple in their portfolio which I kind of like! Las Ramblas? Bam, beautiful Toro. What do you like in a smoke: Mild and smooth (Connecticut), spicy bold complexity (Criollo) or a rich deep smoothness (Maduro)? Done.

The Habano Criollo smoking experience was lovely. Burn was straight and even, ash held on for about 1.25" and I didn't worry about any of the cigar's characteristics, fantastic. The Criollo wrapper doesn't seem to favor my personal palate but was interesting enough to make me keen on trying both the Connecticut and Maduro Las Ramblas cigars! The intermediate cigar smoker would appreciate this cigar most, I'm sure.