Today, we review the Gran Habano Corojo No 7 in the Toro size. We first heard about the Corojo No. 7 project at the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Although the cigar wasn’t on display at PCA 2023, we got a sneak peek at its packaging, which featured striking green leather cases. The cigar is noteworthy not just for its packaging but also for its use of rare tobaccos, including a particularly special variety. As a result, the Corojo No. 7 is a limited-edition project. A year later, at PCA 2024, we had a closer look at the cigar, and by the summer of 2024, the Corojo No. 7 began appearing in stores.

Gran Habano Cigars is the company owned by the father-son team of Guilliermo and George Rico. The Rico family’s involvement can be traced back to 1920 when Guillermo’s grandfather started growing tobacco. Today, the Rico family owns and operates the G.R. Tabacaleras Unidas SA located in Danlí, Honduras, with a U.S.-based distribution operation in Miami, Florida.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Corojo No. 7 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Gran Habano Corojo No. 7 Toro | Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Gran Habano No .7 is a Nicaraguan puro – namely, it uses 100% of the tobaccos grown in Nicaragua. In addition to the special hybrid wrapper used, the remainder of the blend uses Corojo tobaccos grown in Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Hybrid (Nicaraguan)
Binder: Corojo, Nicaragua
Filler: Corojo, Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: G.R. Tabacaleras Unidas S.A.

Vitolas Offered

As mentioned, the Corojo No. 7 Toro was introduced in ten-count leather cases. Recently, the company has announced that it is adding five-count soft packs. This past year at PCA, two new sizes of Corojo No. 7 were introduced, specifically the Robusto and Corona.

Toro: 6 x 54
Robusto: 5 x 52
Corona: 7 x 46

When the Toro was released, Gran Habano said production had been capped at 16,000 cigars (1,600 leather cases) per year.

Appearance (*)

The Hybrid wrapper of the Corojo No. 7 Toro had a medium roast coffee bean colored wrapper. There was some mottling on the surface of the wrapper, as well as a light coating of oil on the wrapper. There were some visible veins on the wrapper’s surface. The darker color of this wrapper did a nice job of minimizing the wrapper seams that were in view.

Gran Habano Corojo No 7 Toro (Paper sleeve removed)

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before lighting up the Corojo No. 7 Toro, the paper sleeve and ribbon were removed from the cigar. From that point, a straight cut was used to clip the cap, and the pre-light draw ritual began. The cold draw delivered flavors of baker’s spice and fruit that were reminiscent of baked apple. There were also some notes of cedar mixed in. Overall, this was an excellent pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Corojo No. 7 Toro and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Corojo No. 7 Toro opened up with notes of classic wood, fruit, earth, cocoa, and black pepper. Early on, the wood notes moved to the forefront. The fruit, earth, cocoa, and pepper settled in the background. The fruit and cocoa contributed quite a bit and were the closer secondary notes. Meanwhile, there was an extra layer of black pepper on the retro-hale.

The second third of the Corojo No 7 Toro saw the wood notes remain grounded in the forefront, but now some cedar notes mixed in with that. The overall sweetness diminished as the fruit notes diminished. The cocoa notes got bittersweet and by the second half transitioned to natural tobacco.

The final third saw the natural tobacco join the wood notes in the forefront, accompanied by more pronounced pepper notes. Meanwhile, earth and fruit notes rounded out the flavor profile. This is how the Corojo No. 7 Toro came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

There were four samples smoked for the assessment of the Corojo No. 7 Toro. On each sample, the burn required frequent touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. On each sample, this happened in the second or third part of the smoking experience more than in the other parts. Although the touch-ups kept the burn in check, I found myself needing more of them than I would have liked. The ash ended up having a salt-and-pepper appearance. It wasn’t the most solid ash, but it also wasn’t loose or flaky. On the bright side, both the burn rate and temperature stayed right where they should be.

Draw

Three of the four samples of the Corojo No. 7 Toro had an open, but not loose, draw. Usually, I prefer my draw to have a little more in the way of resistance (much like the fourth sample). In the end, this was more of a personal preference thing, and the open draw really didn’t impact the performance.

Strength and Body

The Corojo No. 7 started out with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. Both the strength and body had a nominal increase in intensity along the way, but in the end, both attributes still didn’t exceed the “medium” range of the spectrum.

In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained the edge throughout the smoking experience of the Corojo No. 7.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

I was quite impressed with the packaging of this cigar by Gran Habano. First of all, I appreciated the use of the emerald green color, which contrasted beautifully with the hybrid wrapper. The bands feature the modern design that was introduced with the Gran Habano 20th Aniversario release. There is a paper sleeve and ribbon on the cigar. Sometimes when removing the paper sleeve, it will take the secondary band off as well. As for the leather case, it’s simply awesome. I’m not sure how it will hold up to long-term cigar humidification, but it’s a great short-term option.

Gran Habano Corojo No 7 – Open leather case

I also liked how the cigars were bundled and packed in the leather case. This definitely will protect them better.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Gran Habano Corojo No. 7 delivered an enjoyable smoking experience. Although I’m not familiar with all the specifics of the wrapper, I can confidently say that it really enhances the flavor experience. Gran Habano seems to be a brand that falls under the radar, and there was definitely enough going on here to make this cigar worth picking up. It’s a cigar that I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast, and as for myself, I’d buy and smoke it again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Wood, Cocoa, Natural Tobacco, Earth, Fruit, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good