Today, we review the Inner Circle from Cavalier Genève Cigars in the Toro Size. Over the past few years, Cavalier Genève has undergone many changes. Cavalier has opened its own factory and taken over its own distribution. In addition, Brian Motola has joined Sébastien Decoppet at Cavalier Genève as a partner. Finally, the Cavalier portfolio has undergone expansion. In 2022, the company launched its second brand. Until then, Cavalier’s portfolio was focused around its eponymous name. That would all change with the addition of Inner Circle.

The name Inner Circle pays homage to the people who have been on board with Cavalier Genève since the beginning. Inner Circle also has an all-new look compared to the eponymous Cavalier brand. This line does not feature Cavalier’s signature 24k gold diamond on the wrapper.

The eponymous Inner Circle is the first line under the Inner Circle line. In 2023, another line, Domain Rouge, was introduced under Inner Circle. In addition, the company has added a third brand, Delincuentes.

For now, let’s turn our attention to the Inner Circle Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Inner Circle Toro by Cavalier Genève – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

Inner Circle’s blend comprises a Habano wrapper and binder and Pennsylvania, Piloto Cubano, Broadleaf, and Habano fillers. It was produced at Cavalier’s FCT factory in Danlí, Honduras.

Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Habano
Filer: Pennsylvania, Piloto Cubano, Broadleaf, Habano
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: Fabrica Centroamericana de Tabaco SA (FCT)

Vitolas Offered

Inner Circle was launched in four sizes. Each is presented in 24-count cabinet boxes.

Petit Robusto: 4 1/2 x 50
Robusto Grande: 5 x 54
Toro: 6 x 52
Figurado: 6 x 52

Appearance (*)

The Inner Circle Toro’s Habano wrapper is what I would categorize as Colorado Claro. It had a light reddish hue. The wrapper had some mottling, but there wasn’t much in the way of oils on the surface. In addition, there were some visible veins and wrapper seams.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before lighting up the Inner Circle Toro, the cap was removed using a straight cut. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered wood, floral, nut, and natural tobacco notes. Even with the floral notes (which I don’t normally like), the pre-light draw experience was satisfactory. At this point, it was time to toast up the Inner Circle Toro and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Inner Circle Toro opened up with fruit, wood, earth, floral, natural tobacco, and nut notes. It didn’t take long for both the fruit and earth notes to emerge as the primary notes. The fruit had a slight edge during the first third of the cigar experience. Meanwhile, the wood, floral, and nut notes settled into the background.

The combination of fruit and earth still were the primary notes as the second third of the Inner Circle Toro began. The earth notes became more prominent as the cigar progressed through the second third. The background notes remained the wood and nut notes. By the midway point, the floral notes had dissipated. Meanwhile, some mixed pepper emerged on the tongue and joined the wood in the retro-hale. Meanwhile, notes of wood, natural tobacco, and nuts remained in the background. Once past the midway point, the fruit notes joined the other notes in the background.

By the final third, the wood notes joined the earth notes in the forefront. The fruit, nut, natural tobacco, and pepper notes rounded out these notes. As the Inner Circle Toro came to a close, the cigar finished with a soft, cool nub.

Burn

While the burn line occasionally exhibited a slight jaggedness, the Inner Circle Toro had little trouble maintaining a straight burn path. Any touch-ups needed were mostly cosmetic. The resulting ash was light gray, skewed toward the firmer side, and flaked slightly. The burn temperature was ideal, while the burn rate was a little fast. The Inner Circle Toro averaged 78 minutes per smoke.

Draw

The draw to the Inner Circle was quite open. I’ll infer this resulted in the faster burn, but it did not produce any combustion-related issues. Still, this was a cigar that needed to be puffed in a controlled manner to prevent it from getting too warm while being smoked.

Strength and Body

The Inner Circle Toro started out with mild to medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. As the cigar experience progressed, both attributes slightly increased in intensity. While there was more strength and body at the end of the cigar, the Inner Circle Toro remained mild to medium in strength and medium in body.

The body maintained the edge throughout the smoking experience regarding strength versus body.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

One thing that I think is very important when a company establishes a new brand is to separate it from the existing brands. Cavalier Genève did this exceptionally well with the Inner Circle. The blue, gold, and white bands are stunning on this cigar and exhibit both classic and contemporary qualities.

There is a large decal that wraps the cabinet-style box. This also acts as an additional sealant to the box. What I like about it is that it gives the box some color.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

While there was a slight floral component during the first half of the Inner Circle Toro, the good news is there was plenty in the way of other flavors that mitigated that note from becoming overpowering. In the end, the Inner Circle Toro excelled in the category that mattered most – flavor. The flavors delivered are unique, and it makes this cigar far from something that is “cookie cutter.” On top of that, there was enough complexity to keep me interested. The draw was slightly more open than I preferred, but I could get past that. In the end, the Inner Circle Toro is a cigar I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. It’s a cigar that I would buy and smoke again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Wood, Fruit, Nut, Natural Tobacco, Floral, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Good
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good