Tabacos Quintero -- ToroJan 24 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Check out the Honduran made Quintero Toro. This brand is being closed-out and is available at a great price.
Did you know -- that Altadis, a European concern and the world's largest marketer of cigars, owns a 50% interest in Habanos, the cigar monopoly established in Cuba when Fidel Castro assumed power and nationalized all cigar factories? This is a curious bit of trivia that perhaps explains why there are two different Quintero cigars on the world markets today: the famous Cuban Quintero brand -- founded in the mid 1920's in Cienfuegos, Cuba, by Augustin Quintero and his brothers -- and a parallel Honduran Quintero brand developed a few years ago (1998) by the giant Spanish tobacco company, Tabacalera S.A. A Toro cigar is nothing more than a thicker version of a Lonsdale cigar. These are straight-bodied cigars having a closed (capped) end and are usually about 6-1/2 inches in length (like a Lonsdale), but usually about 10% larger in diameter. Quintero Toro -------------------------------------------------- The Quintero Toro is hand made in Danli, Honduras. This cigar was produced by the Hollco-Rohr Premium Cigar Division of Havatampa, Inc., of Tampa, Florida. This particular firm was a unit of Tabacalera de España (founded 1636), which one one of the largest cigar retailers in Europe. All these companies are now a component of Altadis -- the world's largest producers of cigars. (Works kind of like this: two giant tobacco companies in Europe, Tabacalera de España (Spain) and Seita (France) combined to form Altadis. Two American units controlling a huge portfolio of brands in the U.S.A., the Caribbean and Central America -- Havatampa, Inc. and Consolidated Cigar -- were also merged into Altadis and this piece of the puzzle is known as Altadis U.S.A., Inc. Other Tabacalera de España (now, Altadis) brands include: Romeo y Julieta St.Luis Rey St.Luis Rey Reserva Especial Vega Fina That said, the quasi-sad news is this: The cigar boom of the 1990's has resulted in huge growth in the cigar industry and the introduction of many brands. Now that the boom is over, the industry is consolidating rapidly, with many companies merging in order to compete and more effectively and market their marquee brands against their competitors' products. As part of all this rigmarole, the Honduran Quintero brand has become a victim of Corporate mergers and has been -- according to J.R. Cigars: "relegated to closeout status prematurely." The Quintero Toro measures 6½-inches in length and has a ring gauge of 49 (49/64ths of an inch in diameter). This is a particular size that I really enjoy, having good length and a little more heft, tobacco and thickness than a Lonsdale-sized cigar (ring gauge of about 44). This cigar is made with a natural-brown colored Indonesian wrapper, a Honduran binder, and a filler blend made from tobaccos from Columbia, Mexico, and Nicaragua. The cigar is very well made and was properly packed. It did start the burn a little unevenly-- on two different occasions that I smoked this brand -- but the burn did even out after 1/3rd of the smoke. The ash cylinder was solid and the flavor of this cigar leaned towards the leafy & vegetal spectrum with some complex earth and spice tones. This was a pretty good stick, although there were spots where I found this cigar to burn hot and fast (under 50 minutes). Price and Availability -------------------------------------------------- The Quintero Toro was marketed with a suggested retail price of $68.75 per box of 25 cigars ($2.75 each). J.R. Cigars is offering this Toro for $38.80 per box ($1.55 each). Item Code: "QUT." That's a great price. I purchased this cigar -- and some Vega Fina Toro cigars -- as part of a four-pack sampler (Item Code: QVF4P). Four Toro cigars, normally retailing for $12, on sale for only $5. So... at $1.25 per cigar, I got one heck of a deal. Recommendations -------------------------------------------------- I smoked this cigar yesterday afternoon with a glass of the 1999 Seigneurs de Bergerac Rouge. The wine tasted better one day after the bottle was opened. Cheap red table wines always pair well with a big cigar. The Quintero Toro was a pretty good cigar, and a recommended buy, if you can find it for only $1.25 apiece. And here's a trick for getting this cigar for an even cheaper price: J.R. is offering a deal where -- if you buy three packs of the Vega Fina and Quintero Toros, a total of 12 cigars -- you get another pack of four cigars for free! That's 16 Toro-sized cigars for only $15 -- under $1 apiece! Verdict: 3¾-stars. Recommended. At only $1 apiece, this is a very nice, hand made Honduran cigar that is a safe bet. Buy it while you can.  |
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