The Kristoff torpedo looks very different from other cigars. It  ends in a wrapped package-look at the foot with pig tail that you screw off to reveal a ready made punch for smoking. Pre-lit, the stick has a beautiful deep tobacco & molasses smell.  Available in four sizes: Torpedo (6 1/8×52), Churchill (7×48), Robusto (5.5×54), and the Matador (6.5×56),  the Kristoff Maduro cigars contain a well-aged blend of Dominican Olor and Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobaccos, encased in a dark, Brazilian Maduro wrapper. 

 

The first 1/3 was hard to draw so I sliced  off the punch hole, but  it didn't seem to help. I puffed & re-lit the cigar thinking that the lack of smoke was because i didnt light it properly. Finally, the draw got better after an inch of ash appeared. 

 

 

The cigar lists as a medium to full  cigar, but I felt that the cigar was overwhelmingly full for at least half of the smoke.  Upon lighting the Maduro you'll notice a strong earthy taste with notes of leather with a gritty dirt taste. If you enjoy a strong earthy flavor, you won't be disappointed here. However, this isn't my favorite profile. 

 

Thankfully, I kept smoking because halfway through the profile changed to medium, smoothed out and a nutty, coffee flavor emerged making the second half of the stick thoroughly enjoyable. As I smoked a little further, notes of dark sweetness emerged making me think of molasses, which better complimented the underlying earth that was present throughout the experience. 

 

In addition to the flavor profile shifting, the smoke changed to producing billowing gray smoke. The stick finished with more leather and coffee holding its profile all the way to the end. 

 

If I could have cut the cigar in half it would have become one of my favorite cigars -- but, I've been told by more experienced smokers I can't do that. And, I don't think anyone should. I smoked a second Kristoff Maduro the next day to see if my taste buds were off or if that dirty gritty taste was still there -- and it wasn't as prominant as the first time.  

 

A robust cigar this certainly is ... And in the end I enjoyed the way the cigar played with my tastebuds giving me an opportunity to expand my palate while easing in different flavors. Would I smoke this again ... Yes, but I think I might need a drink with this stick. 

 

 

Wishing you long ashes -- The Robusto Cigar Babe

 

http://robustocigarbabe.blogspot.com

 

Twitter: @RobustoBabe