Howdy! 

Welcome back to my blog. If you have read my previous articles on BespokeUnit before, you would know that I have written hundreds (probably) of cigars reviews. We worked with a really great sponsor who sent me giant packages of puros to sample and review. Now that I’m an indie blogger, I’m going to review cigars slightly differently. 

Firstly, all the cigars I write about will be self funded, my cash has been spent on these stogies and I’m going to include prices in all articles. Secondly, BespokeUnit developed a review matrix that really leaned towards objective and reviewable data. I’m not going to do anything like that. For me, cigars are a way to relax and focus on breathing. So expect a chiller, perhaps less methodical approach to cigars. With that said, this first stogie is one that is near and dear to my heart.

• Kristoff Corojo Limitada 
• Matador – 6.5 x 55 (like a toro, GET IT?)
• Wrapper – Nicaraguan Corojo Habano
• Binder – Nicaraguan Habano
• Filler – Nicaraguan and Dominican Habano
• Rolled in Dominican Republic
• 10pk for $46.22 – Bought from CigarPage

When I first got into cigars, I remember buying a sampler bag of their cigars called the “Kristoff Bold Spice Sampler”. These packs were everywhere back in the day, even at gas stations in Miami, and for like 30 bucks, you had four vastly different blends. They came in a humid-a-bag package, while convent for beginners without a humidor I find that these tended to over-humidify the cigars. This blend was my favorite of the bunch and started my lifelong love of Corojo leaf.

While it is argued, Corojo was the one of the original leaves grown in Cuba and eventually smuggled out. While Habano wrappers have now defined the flavor profile of Cuban cigars, Corojo has a uniquely spicy flavor, ranging from a Dr Pepper to Tabasco depending on the blend.

In general, Corojo isn’t grown as widely as Connecticut or even Habano wrappers. Typically only grown in Nicaragua, or Honduras. Most brands don’t even have any blends featuring this leaf. 

Removing the cellophane, the wrapper smells earthy, like mulch. Maybe that’s the corojo’s reddish hue influencing me. 

Side note: see this pigtail on the cap? That’s a signature detail of Kristoff. If you don’t have a cutter, you can actually twist this nip off and smoke with the almost perfect punch hole left behind. Every Kristoff cigar goes through draw testing, which is a mechanical lung that makes sure every individual cigar doesn’t have any kinks or is rolled too tightly. Personally, I still prefer a flat cut across, but this does work in a pinch. Pun intended.

With that out of the way, the cold draw tastes like cookie dough with a little bit of cinnamon at the tip of my pallet.

Even though this cigar is rolled in Dominican Republic, the Nicaraguan leaf announces itself with a sharp black pepper kick right on light up. 

Come to think of it, it’s funny to think how this is almost a 100% Nicaraguan blend, but rolled in Dominican Republic. They grow tons of tobacco in DR, no corojo. Kristoff is a pretty crazy cigar brand in that regard.

After a half of inch of smoking, the corojo starts to shine with a warm Cayenne pepper warmth. In a way, it feels like drinking a Chai latte, the spice warms up your cheeks. You may notice that I have a wavy burn line in these pictures, it’s a cold and kind of windy day in the northwest, these things happen. Personally I don’t think it’s a sin.

The retrohale, which is a tasting technique of sending a very small amount of smoke out through your nose, has a savory masa note. Imagine corn tortillas, or even corn flakes.

Approaching the second third of this blend, flavor notes of white pepper starts appearing. White pepper has a unique funkiness to it, as opposed to sharp black pepper. The cigar still has warm cayenne warmth, especially present in the back of the pallet. 

Typically, cigars are really flavorful towards the first third and last third of the stick. This is typically due to the way the tips of leaves are laid while rolling. 

Last third has tons of spice but finishes remarkably smooth. There are nuttier notes present, it reminds me of candied pecans, spiced with cayenne pepper. I expected the strength of this cigar to be pretty sparky at the end, but I would say out of 10, the Corojo Limita started at a 6 and graced down into a 4.

I personally think Corojo likes being paired with sweeter drinks, I have paired this with Courvoisier Cognac VS. Together, the spicy and sweet reminds me of southern ice tea, minus the cavity inducing sweetness.

You may be thinking, “Carlos, I know you’re a fancy boi, but drinking Cognac?” I only really got into it after finding these giant snifters at my local thrift store for a dollar each, and this bottle wasn’t too too expensive. Some people know all the fine details of blending and terroir, I do not. It’s great to give my pallet a rest from rum or whisky, and this kinda taste like sour gummy bears.

I do love Kristoff cigars, they have really adventurous blends and they also do really unique sizing. A typical toro is 6 x 50, this matador does 6.5 x 55. You’ll find this generous sizing across all their vitolas. I wish I could find more of this blend, especially in the lancero size. 

Cappy C recommends buying the Kristoff Corojo Limitada by the box.