Onyx Reserve Toro Cigar-A Strong Maduro from the Dominican Republic

I used to count Onyx Reserve's as one of my favorite cigars, due to their sweet taste, and consistency in regards to quality. Its with regret that I have to say that perhaps due to changing taste, or that they just aren't as good as they used to be, that I cannot in proper conscience recommend this cigar. The Onyx Reserve Toro is certainly a beautiful looking cigar. That cannot be denied as its shiny dark wrapper, makes it stand out from those who've also had a little extra time drying under the sun. The band looks aristocratic, and by appearance alone, its hard to believe that this cigar is reasonably priced. Yet sometimes the cover of a book looks enticing, yet the chapters inside fail to deliver.

This is a "big man's cigar" at a 6x50 size. Its almost a "Churchill," and if it had an extra inch of length, it would be considered in that class. Cutting it is a bit difficult, and I was shocked that my guillotine cutter(two blade) had some issues with it. Getting a straight cut was a challenge, and I wasn't too enthusiastic about the loose clippings of tobacco. After some work, I was able to get it in its proper form, and thankfully lighting it was very simple. I had it fired up in under thirty seconds, and was puffing away in no time.

The white ash contrasting against the black wrapper is exquisite. Yet what makes this cigar a failure, aside from its cutting issues, is the taste. It has a strange metallic flavor to it, that is something I don't want from any stogie. This odd flavor didn't go away until almost finished, and it got in the way of the coffee and chocolate notes, that were actually pretty tasty. There was a slight dash of honey and sugar, but this cigar was a lot more boring than comparably priced maduro smokes. Sure it was sweet, but it just lacked what I'd consider to be anything extraordinary.

It is full bodied, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The first few puffs were surprisingly strong, especially for a Dominican, even though it did mellow out a bit. A lot of this could be attributed to the fast burn rate and excessive smoke volume, that I was a bit befuddled by. Usually too much smoke volume isn't an issue, but with this one it caused me to cough a few times. Due to this the cigar was finished in under forty five minutes, which could be considered record time for a stick of this size. That's unfortunate considering its basically watching your hard earned money go up in smoke, even though the metallic taste didn't leave me shedding any tears.

There was a bit of an aftertaste with this as well. I wish that I could say I was still impressed with this cigar, but have to say "stay away." Its just not what it used to be, which was a fine product, at a price that everyone could afford. This cigar is a terrible value at $5 each, and you won't be catching me with one of these again, even if free. The quality and taste associated with this brand, are going to turn away a lot of potential customers, unless they immediately reverse course to bring back the fine notes it was known for. A total disappointment, there is no drink you can pair with it either, and its best left alone in a store humidor.