Micallef Black Soft Box-Pressed Toro | Agile Cigar Review

Today, we review the Micallef Black Soft Box-Pressed Toro. The Soft Box-Pressed Toro is an exclusive size for South Florida retailer Smoke Inn. It’s a cigar based on the Micallef Black blend. In 2023, Micallef launched what is now known as the Color Series. The Micallef Black was the first installment in that series, and it came in two parejo sizes – Robusto and Toro. At the time, this was intended to fill a void in the Micallef portfolio, offering a fuller-bodied and stronger cigar. Now, the Soft Box-Pressed Toro offers a new size. Not only is this the first box-pressed in the Color Series, but it is the first box-pressed cigar under the Micallef name to date.

The box-press has a more oval-shaped design. It’s a pressed cigar, but it features rounded edges. While oval-press is not new, the Micallef Black soft-box pressed seemed unique in how flat the top and bottom of this cigar were compared to the rounded edges.

Micallef Black Soft Box-Pressed Toro | Agile Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

The blend features a San Andres Mexican Maduro wrapper, an Ecuadorian Habano binder, and fillers from Nicaragua. Production comes from Micallef’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Soft Box-Pressed Toro measures 6 1/2 x 54.

Wrapper: San Andrés Mexico Maduro
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fabrica de Micallef
Soft Box-Pressed Toro: 6 1/2 x 54

PERFORMANCE

The Black Soft Pressed Toro opened up with notes of earth, cocoa, mineral, chili pepper, and citrus. Early on, the cocoa and citrus notes moved to the forefront. A vegetal note joined the earth, mineral, and pepper notes. Later in the first third, the citrus faded, and the mineral joined the cocoa. The mineral notes increased in intensity, and by the end of the second third, the mineral displaced the cocoa as the primary note. In the final third, the mineral notes remain primary. There was a slight increase in the pepper. Meanwhile, the cocoa, vegetal, and earth notes rounded things out. Most of the citrus was dissipated by the final nub.

Both the strength and the body of the Black Soft Pressed Toro started medium to full and progressed to full in the second half. The strength had a slight edge over the body. The burn was excellent, requiring only minimal touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and line. The draw was slightly more open than I preferred.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Micallef Black Soft Box Pressed Toro scores an admirable 88 points. The issue is that this cigar wasn’t as good as the Micallef Black Toro, which landed at #13 on the 2023 Cigar Coop Countdown. The flavors of both cigars share a similar DNA in terms of their flavor profiles, but the original, rounded Toro had better balance and I felt was more robust. In the end (at press time), the original Toro costs one dollar less than the Soft Box-Pressed version and is a better cigar. Indeed, the Soft Box-Pressed Toro is worth trying a sample and seeing if it’s for you. I’d still go for the original Toro over the Soft Box Pressed one.

Summary

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