Agile Cigar Review: MQBA Torpedo by Bombay Tobak

Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the MQBA Torpedo by Bombay Tobak. This is a cigar line we have assessed several times before, most recently back in November 2018 in the Nikka size.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Ecuadorian
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
Factory: Tabacos de Costa Rica
Torpedo: 6 x 52

At the 2018 IPCPR Trade Show, Mel Shah’s Bombay Tobak introduced a new brand known as MQBA. The MQBA project features tobaccos from a single farm. While that is something we have seen before in cigar releases, it is the location of the farm that is most interesting. Bombay Tobak is using the tobaccos from a farm it is leasing in Ventana, Ecuador. This makes the MQBA an Ecuadorian puro – something that is not commonly seen in the cigar industry. Today, we take a look at Bombay Tobak’s MQBA release in the Torpedo size.

The 6 x 52 Torpedo size is one of four sizes of MQBA that were launched. The other three sizes include Nikka (Lonsdale, 6 x 44), Toro (6 x 52), and Diadem (7 x 56). The cigars are available in 24-count wooden boxes or soft packs (four-count packs, except for Diadem which is a three-count pack). The MQBA Nikka was our #5 Cigar of the Year for 2018.

The MQBA Torpedo started out with notes of sweet cream, cedar, and a slight amount of citrus and black pepper. An herbal tea note soon surfaced and became primary by midway around the first third. The herbal tea notes became the central flavor for the duration of the smoking experience. As the cigar experience progressed, the sweetness from the cream transitioned to the herbal tea notes. The cedar notes morphed into more of classic wood notes. These wood notes along with the citrus and cream remained grounded in the background for the remainder of the smoking experience. The last third saw a slight increase of the pepper and cream notes.

In terms of strength and body, the Torpedo had a little more intensity than the Nikka and Diadem sizes. This was a cigar that started out medium-bodied before progressing to medium to full in the second half. This was countered by medium strength.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

As I’ve noted when I first smoked the Diadem size, the all Ecuadorian tobacco of the MQBA is going to deliver a unique smoking experience. Another thing that I like about the MQBA series is how each vitola tells its own story – and each tells a very good one. This is a flavorful cigar from start to finish. If you smoked MQBA before, and wanted just a little more strength and body -the Torpedo size should more than satisfy. Still, it’s not a cigar that’s overpowering and it’s one I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again – and it’s one that garners box worthy consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Herbal Tea, Black Pepper, Cream, Cedar, Citrus
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Excellent