Montecristo Espada Guard Toro 6/2/19

 Appearance
A light brown colored wrapper with a couple of small thin veins. The seams are tightly wrapped and difficult to find. There is a nice oily sheen on the cigar.
The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots.
The 3 bands took a bit of work to remove.

Aroma
Cedar, sweetness and spice on the wrapper. Cedar, dried red fruit and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw
Cedar, dried red fruit, brown sugar, mild raisin & red licorice and cinnamon spice.

1st
The initial draws bring notes of cedar, light brown sugar and cinnamon spice. The draw is a tick snug. The burn is slightly erratic. The ash is light gray and stacked. Medium roast coffee notes join the profile. Strength is medium. The ash held firm and straight until removal.

2nd
Smoke production is at the low end of medium range. The profile is well balanced. The use of Plasencia tobacco adds much flavor to a normally boring brand IMO. The cigar is also made at Plasencia in Esteli, Nicaragua. Creamy cashew notes join the profile. At the midway point of the cigar the draw opens up. A pinch(cooking term) of black pepper joins the cinnamon spice. The finish is long with notes of cedar, light brown sugar, coffee, creamy cashews and a black pepper/warm cinnamon spice combo.

Final/3rd
Smoke production is at the medium range. Strength moves to medium+. The burn has fully self corrected. The complex, well balanced and flavorful profile continues right to the nub.

Overall
The Montecristo Espada Guard Toro provides a very enjoyable smoking experience. A complex, well balanced and flavorful profile with a good draw and mildly erratic burn.
A Big Thank You to brother Will @mclaurin69 for the gift which was part of a .