Today, we are reviewing the Kristoff Veinte Twentieth Anniversary cigar in the Toro size. Anniversary cigars are quite common in the cigar industry; some are released as limited editions, while others become part of the core line offerings. The year 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of owner Glen Case’s entry into the cigar industry. Until now, there hasn’t been an anniversary cigar in Kristoff’s lineup, but the Veinte has taken on that role. It is a regular production cigar within the Kristoff brand. The name “Veinte” means “twenty” in Spanish.

In 2004, Case left the world of corporate finance and decided to enter the cigar business. He first entered the industry as an independent cigar broker with his wife. It only took him six months to make the transition to cigar maker. He would team up with the Charles Fairmorn (now Tabacalera Von Eicken) factory in the Dominican Republic. He is still with this factory today and has produced all of his cigars there except the Galerones series (which he made at PDR).

Without further ado, I’d like to break down the Kristoff Veinte Toro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Kristoff Veinte Twentieth Anniversary Toro – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Veinte Cigar follows the recipe template of incorporating tobacco from many regions. Blend-wise, the Veinte Anniversary consists of a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper over an Indonesian binder and a combination of Nicaraguan and Pennsylvania fillers.

Wrapper: Brazilian Arapiraca
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Nicaraguan, Pennsylvania
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera Von Eicken S.R.L.

Vitolas Offered

The Kristoff Veinte is offered in four sizes. Each comes in 20-count boxes.

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 1/2 x 54
6 x 60: 6 x 60
Perfecto: 6 x 60

Appearance (*)

The Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper of the Veinte Toro had a dark roasted espresso bean color. While it’s a dark color, I could still see a bit of mottling on the surface. The surface of the wrapper had a slight coating of oil on it. There were some visible veins, and the dark color hid most wrapper seams. The cigar is finished with a swirled bun cap.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Instead of pulling the bun cap off the Veinte Toro, a straight cut was used to remove the bun and the cap simultaneously. From that point, it was on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw was simple – dominated by rich mocha notes and a touch of cedar. The mocha was a classic fusion of coffee and chocolate notes. While it was a simple pre-light draw, it was an excellent one. At this point, it was time to toast up the Veinte Toro and head into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Veinte Toro opened up with more notes of mocha and cedar. The mocha note had an intense dark chocolate component with touches of coffee in it. Notes of citrus and mixed spices emerged. The mixed pepper was a combination of black pepper and Asian spices. The spices were also present on the retro-hale, but the black pepper dominated this. During the first third, citrus notes joined the mocha in the forefront. The cedar and spices remained in the background.

By the start of the second third of the Veinte Toro, the mocha split into distinct coffee and chocolate notes. The coffee remained at the forefront with the citrus notes. The chocolate settled in the background with the cedar and spices. Around the midway point, the citrus diminished, and the spices increased in intensity.

The final third saw the coffee notes remain in the forefront. The spices crept up into the forefront. Meanwhile, the chocolate and cedar notes rounded out the flavor profile. This is the way the Veinte Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn of the Veinte Toro performed excellently. The cigar maintained a straight burn path and straight burn path with minimal touch-ups. This was an ash that was on the firm side. The ash had a silver-gray color to it. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The Veinte Toro draw was on the open side. This was not a loose draw, but normally, I prefer a draw that has a little more resistance. While the draw was open, no adverse effects resulted from the draw.

Strength and Body

The Veinte Toro started with medium-strength and medium-bodied flavors. Along the way, there was a gradual and linear increase in the intensity of the strength of the body. By the second half, the strength and body moved into the medium to full range of their respective spectrums.

Regarding strength versus body with the Veinte Toro, both attributes balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

Back in 2023, owner Glen Case announced he was overhauling the packaging and bands of his portfolio. The loose tobacco and rustic elegance that Kristoff has been associated with for two decades is being phased out. A more sleek, modern look has replaced them. The company is currently revamping its lines, but the Kristoff Veinte uses the new packaging style from Kristoff.

Packaging of the Kristoff Veinte Twentieth Anniversary (Perfecto shown)

The charcoal and silver colors on the bands and the box look quite nice. The bands still take up a lot of real estate on the cigar, but I like how Kristoff used two bands so you can leave one on during the latter part of the smoke. I generally like leaving a band on a cigar for as long as possible.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

While this did not factor into the score, I like it when a company makes an Anniversary Cigar with the factory that got it to where it is. Kudos to Kristoff for sticking with Tabacalera Von Eicken for the Veinte. I also liked how Kristoff stuck to its bread and butter – unique multinational blends. While Case proved he could blend a great puro with Tres Compadres, I’m still happy the Veinte is a multinational blend.

Initially, I felt somewhat concerned when I reviewed the blend components of the Veinte—specifically, the Brazilian Arapiraca and Indonesian tobacco used for the wrapper and binder. Once again, Case delivers the Midas touch, providing an excellent, rich, and robust blend. Kristoff has been on a roll the past few years and add the Veinte as another winner. In general, my first inclination was to recommend this to an experienced cigar enthusiast, but there is no reason why a novice can’t enjoy it. This is a cigar I would smoke again, and it garners box-worthy consideration when purchasing. Coming in at 90 points, this cigar earns the Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Earth, Berry, Cream, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good