Dalay Nicaragua Review — Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro by Luciano Cigars

Today, we review the Dalay Nicaragua in the Gran Toro size. Luciano Cigars introduced this cigar at the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. When owner and founder Luciano Meirelles restructured his company in 2022, part of what he did was to build a series of strategic partnerships. Each of the partnerships would have its own unique characteristics. One of the bigger partnerships Luciano Cigars would form would be with a company called Dalay Zigarren.

Dalay Zigarren was founded in 1998 by industry veteran Salih Dalay. The company serves as an importer, exporter, and distributor in the German market. Dalay Zigarren is not a new partnership for Luciano Cigars, as the company has been distributing Luciano Cigars in the German market for several years. In 2023, the partnership expanded, with Luciano taking on distribution for Dalay products in the U.S. market. On top of that, Luciano Cigars would also produce cigars for Dalay Zigarren. The Dalay Nicaragua represents the first of the new products produced by Luciano in partnership with Dalay Zigarren.

Dalay Zigarren has primarily worked with the Zauberberg factory in the Dominican Republic. With Dalay Nicaragua produced at the Luciano Cigars’ factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, the name of the cigar makes sense.

Let’s examine the Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro without further ado and see what this cigar offers.

Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro by Luciano Cigars – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

An Ecuadorian Corojo ’98 wrapper highlights the Dalay Nicaragua. Ecuadorian Corojo ’98 is also part of a double binder that includes Brazilian Arapiraca. The fillers contain tobacco from four different regions of Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo ’98
Binder: Brazilian Arapiraca / Ecuadorian Corojo ’98
Filler: Nicaraguan (Pueblo Nuevo, Jalapa, Estelí, and Massatepe)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Luciano Cigars Factory

Vitolas Offered

The Dalay Nicaragua comes in four sizes. Each size comes in 20-count boxes.

Corona Gorda: 5 1/2 x 46
Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 52
Gran Toro: 6 1/2 x 56

Appearance

The Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro’s Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper had a strong rosado shade. There was a very slight amount of oil on the wrapper’s surface. Upon closer examination, some mottling was present. The wrapper’s surface had some veins, and the wrapper seams were also visible.

Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro by Luciano Cigars – Close-Up

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut was used to remove the Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro cap. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of natural tobacco with cedar and citrus notes. In general, this wasn’t the most thrilling pre-light experience draw. Since the pre-light draw is not factored into the numeric merit score or value rating, there was no loss of points here. At this point, it was time to toast up the Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro and head into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro opened with notes of natural tobacco, wood, orange rind, and mixed pepper. Early on, the natural tobacco notes emerged as the primary note. The natural tobacco had a combination of sweetness and bitterness, with the sweetness having the edge. The orange rind, wood, and mixed pepper settled in the background. Joining these background notes were nut notes. The orange rind was the most prominent of the secondary notes. Meanwhile, on the retro-hale was a combination of cedar and pepper.

As the Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro moved through the second third, natural tobacco remained the primary note. During this phase, the bitterness of the natural tobacco slowly became more prominent. Concurrently, the orange rind and toast notes diminished. By the second half, the nut notes had wholly dissipated.

By the final third, the natural tobacco was dominated by bitter notes, and the toast notes were gone. This left the orange rind, pepper, and wood to round out the flavor profile. The balance of the flavor profile was skewed more toward the bitter side. As the smoking experience of the Dalay Nicaragua Toro came to a close, the resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro’s burn performance scored well. This was one of the better-burning large ring gauge cigars I’ve had in some time. The cigar maintained a straight burn path and had a straight burn line from start to finish. This cigar did not require many touch-ups. The resulting ash was salty and peppery, skewed toward the looser side.

Meanwhile, the burn temperature was ideal, and the burn rate was a bit rapid. I smoked each of the cigars in under 90 minutes.

Draw

The draw of the Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro was quite open. Usually, I prefer a little resistance. In the end, I could infer that the open draw led to a quicker smoking time. Other than a more rapid smoking time, there weren’t any other adverse effects.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength, the Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro is not a powerhouse. This is a cigar that started out mild to medium in strength. By the final third, the strength progressed into medium territory. Meanwhile, the flavors started out medium-bodied. There wasn’t much of a change in the intensity level of the body.

When one looks at strength versus body, the body maintained the edge throughout the smoking experience.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

On the positive side, I like the maroon, gold, and white color scheme with the band and the box. The design is quite contemporary—more contemporary than I like. Still, I can see this design appealing to a young audience.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Dalay Nicaragua Gran Toro was a tale of two cigars. I liked the first half of this cigar, as the sweetness and bitters had a nice balance. Things changed past the midway point; the cigar was less balanced, and the flavors were more toward the bitter side. Ultimately, I suggest sampling this cigar before making a purchase decision. I will say there was enough going on with the Gran Toro size for me to try the other sizes in this line.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Orange Rind, Toast, Nut, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium (1st 2/3), Medium (Remainder)
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good