LH Nicolás Toro

Today, we look at the LH Nicolás in the Toro size. It is hard to believe, but it is nearly a decade since Nicholas Syris introduced his Lavida Habana (LH) brand into the U.S. market. As many know, the original Lavida Habana cigars were distributed to lounges in the Middle East and were developed to capture the characteristics of a Cuban Cigar. Over the past ten years, Syris has expanded his portfolio. If you have followed Syris and his blends, most of them have utilized wrappers from Ecuador. One type of wrapper Syris had not introduced into his portfolio has been San Andres. That would change with the LH Nicolás – the cigar we assess today.

If you look at LH’s portfolio, there are two pillars. There is the LH pillar and the Nick pillar. The Nick pillar traces back to 2017 when Syris collaborated with “Island Jim” Robinson to release the “Nick & Jim.” “Nick & Jim” proved to be a hit. Soon, Syris began getting requests from customers for other sizes and blends, and that led to the launch of the Nick brand. The Nicolás is an extension of the Nick pillar. This was a response to the request for Syris to release a San Andres cigar.

Without further ado, let’s break down the LH Nicolás Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

LH Nicolás Toro – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to the San Andres Mexican wrapper, the LH Nicolás Toro features a five-country multi-national brand. As with all LH Cigars, production comes from Costa Rica at the Tabacos de Costa Rica factory.

Wrapper: San Andres Mexican
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Brazilian, Dominican, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
Factory: Tabacos de Costa Rica

Vitolas Offered

The Nicolás comes in two sizes. Each size comes in 20-count bundles or boxes. Both cigars are produced in limited quantities.

Robusto: 52 x 5
Toro: 54 x 6

Appearance

The Mexican San Andres wrapper of the Nicolás Toro was dark roasted espresso bean in color. It was smooth in texture and did not have much oil on the surface. There were some visible seams and some visible veins. The Nicolás also had a covered footer.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Nicolás Toro. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of earth, dark chocolate, and a slight amount of cedar. Overall, this was an excellent pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast put the footer of the Nicolás Toro and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Nicolás Toro picked up where the pre-light draw left off, as there still were notes of earth, dark chocolate, and cedar. In addition, some mixed fruit sweetness surfaced. As the cigar moved through the first third, the earth and dark chocolate notes took the edge. The cedar settled into the background and was joined by some black pepper notes. Meanwhile, the retro-hale produced an additional layer of cedar and pepper.

As the Nicolás Toro moved into the second third, the earth notes gradually took control as the primary note. The dark chocolate and fruit sweetness continued to nicely balance out the earthy notes. Concurrently, both the pepper and cedar gradually increased on the tongue.

By the final third, the earth notes remained primary. In the background, the pepper and cedar were more prominent. At the same time, notes of dark chocolate and fruit rounded out the flavor profile. This is how the Nicolás Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Nicolás Toro burned well initially. However, as I reached the middle part of each sample, I had to touch it up more frequently to keep the burn line straight. The touch-ups did help, and by the final third of each sample, the burn required fewer touch-ups. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper color and was on the firmer side. The burn rate and temperature were both ideal.

Burn of the Nicolás Toro

Draw

The draw of the Nicolás Toro had a touch of resistance to it. Normally, this is a preference of mine, but one of the samples had a draw that was more snug than I prefer. It never reached a point where the cigar was plugged. The other sample smoked for this review did not have this problem.

Strength and Body

The Nicolás Toro started out with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. During the smoking experience, both the strength and body increased in intensity. At the same time, both attributes remained in the medium range of their respective spectrum ranges. The strength and body also balanced each other, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

The cigars under LH Cigars’ Nick pillar are known for their typewriter-font-styled bands. The origins of these bands go back to the original Nick and Jim cigar. The bands work nicely and exhibit a very nice charm. In particular, I liked how the Nicolás band contrasted. With the dark Mexican wrapper on the cigar.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Syris has consistently delivered an excellent Maduro blend. Back in 2016, the LH Maduro Lancero landed on the Cigar Coop Countdown. When I heard the Nicolás would be a San Andres-wrapped cigar, I was pretty confident this cigar would deliver – and it certainly did. The Nicolás Toro excels in the most important category – a flavor. I mainly found the first third to be the most enjoyable. This is a cigar I would easily recommend to either the novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again and buy multiples for my humidor. Coming in at 90 points, the LH Nicolás Toro earns a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.

Summary

Essential Flavors: Earth, Dark Chocolate, Fruit, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good