El Baton (J.C. Newman) Double Toro Review
JonathanE
Posts: 401 ✭
I found myself in need of a properly humidified cigar yesterday
night after things got a little out of hand in my humidor. It is nearly impossible to keep the
conditions right with 115 °F highs, lows in the mid 80s, humidity in the 70%
range and the impossibility of sleeping without the AC running.
Now, I dont know if youre smart on weather stuff but when you take 80 °F air with 70% humidity and drop the temp down past the dew point, to the humidor 60s, you experience a phenomenon called, rain. (Ok, its really just condensation dripping on you from the ceiling.)
I have a dehumidifier but it filled up and automatically shut off over night so I was afraid to smoke anything from my humidor as it was trending soggy, hence my emergency trip to the Base Exchange to find a worthwhile cigar for a nice, evening smoke.
When I walk into a cigar store, if I dont already have something specific in mind, you can bet that Ill come out with something dark and fat. That is, I like strong, full bodied cigars with complex flavors. Yesterday, the first cigar I saw that fit the bill was an El Baton Double Toro which is distributed by the J.C. Newman cigar company.
Here are a few quick facts about the J.C. Newman Cigar Company from Wikipedia:
J. C. Newman Cigar Company
Oldest family-owned premium cigar maker in the United States
Dominican Republic cigars · Cuesta-Rey · Diamond Crown · Diamond Crown Maximus · Diamond Crown Julius Caeser · La Unica · Rigoletto Honduran cigars · Don Jose · Trader Jacks Nicaraguan cigars · El Baton · Brick House · Alcazar · Quorum United States cigars · Rigoletto
(The Newmans also distribute the Arturo Fuente blends but none of the brands above are Fuente cigars.)
The El Baton line is a Nicaraguan puro with a dark, corojo wrapper that gives it, in my opinion, an unrivaled look and feel. The magic of the corojo seed seems to turn out some of the highest quality wrappers, whether youre talking a Nicaraguan crop, a true, vintage Cuban corojo or a wrapper grown anywhere else in the central American region. I love the stuff and, from the looks of it, the torcedore who rolled the cigar did too.
I only drink water when I rate a cigar to be sure that my pallet is not manipulated by a flavor that didnt come from the smoke. In this case I wonder if there was something in the water because after I lit up and settled in, I started to taste things that I didnt expect. I tasted sweetness, black tea, tapioca and apricot with a leathery finish!
Suspecting insanity, I cleansed my pallet, took another slow puff, considered the long finish and the flavor was the same! The smoke was cool and drew easily thanks to a thick, strong ash; voluminous and flavorful with an excellent bouquet. The complexity in taste and aroma remained throughout the life of the smoke even as it took on the right amount of spiciness towards the end.
I was expecting to overpay for a mid-quality, every day smoke when I bought this El Baton Double Toro but, now, Im scoring it an 87 and recommending that you try one too.
JDE
Now, I dont know if youre smart on weather stuff but when you take 80 °F air with 70% humidity and drop the temp down past the dew point, to the humidor 60s, you experience a phenomenon called, rain. (Ok, its really just condensation dripping on you from the ceiling.)
I have a dehumidifier but it filled up and automatically shut off over night so I was afraid to smoke anything from my humidor as it was trending soggy, hence my emergency trip to the Base Exchange to find a worthwhile cigar for a nice, evening smoke.
When I walk into a cigar store, if I dont already have something specific in mind, you can bet that Ill come out with something dark and fat. That is, I like strong, full bodied cigars with complex flavors. Yesterday, the first cigar I saw that fit the bill was an El Baton Double Toro which is distributed by the J.C. Newman cigar company.
Here are a few quick facts about the J.C. Newman Cigar Company from Wikipedia:
J. C. Newman Cigar Company
Oldest family-owned premium cigar maker in the United States
Dominican Republic cigars · Cuesta-Rey · Diamond Crown · Diamond Crown Maximus · Diamond Crown Julius Caeser · La Unica · Rigoletto Honduran cigars · Don Jose · Trader Jacks Nicaraguan cigars · El Baton · Brick House · Alcazar · Quorum United States cigars · Rigoletto
(The Newmans also distribute the Arturo Fuente blends but none of the brands above are Fuente cigars.)
The El Baton line is a Nicaraguan puro with a dark, corojo wrapper that gives it, in my opinion, an unrivaled look and feel. The magic of the corojo seed seems to turn out some of the highest quality wrappers, whether youre talking a Nicaraguan crop, a true, vintage Cuban corojo or a wrapper grown anywhere else in the central American region. I love the stuff and, from the looks of it, the torcedore who rolled the cigar did too.
I only drink water when I rate a cigar to be sure that my pallet is not manipulated by a flavor that didnt come from the smoke. In this case I wonder if there was something in the water because after I lit up and settled in, I started to taste things that I didnt expect. I tasted sweetness, black tea, tapioca and apricot with a leathery finish!
Suspecting insanity, I cleansed my pallet, took another slow puff, considered the long finish and the flavor was the same! The smoke was cool and drew easily thanks to a thick, strong ash; voluminous and flavorful with an excellent bouquet. The complexity in taste and aroma remained throughout the life of the smoke even as it took on the right amount of spiciness towards the end.
I was expecting to overpay for a mid-quality, every day smoke when I bought this El Baton Double Toro but, now, Im scoring it an 87 and recommending that you try one too.
JDE
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