Tosa Reserva 22
Friday, September 16, 2011 at 12:30PM 
This week's review is of a new and relatively unknown cigar called Tosa. Mike, the owner of Tosa, recently stopped by the store to talk about his cigars and dropped a few off for me to try. Tosa cigars are made by the Torano's in the Dominican Republic and are made up of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Dominican Olor binder, and a filler made up of Dominican Corojo, Peruvian and Nicaraguan tobaccos. I am smoking the standard robusto size. Tosa's are currently available in quite a few shops in Ohio, as Mike is from Cleveland.
The Tosa has a mottled oily wrapper and an even feel to the roll. It has a slight wet feel to it even though it has been sitting at about 65% humidity for about two months. The prelight aroma is of light barynyard and cedar. The draw is spot on with flavors of cedar and well fermented tobacco. After lighting, the Tosa starts out with a sharp spice and some dank, earthy flavors on the finish. The spice backs off pretty quickly and is replaced with a slightly sweet cinnamon flavor. The burn is starting to run up one side, requiring some touchups. The wrapper started to lift in one spot just a little bit but it looks like I will be able to burn through it without any problems. The crumbly ash dropped at about half an inch. This cigar produces a ton of resting smoke, which I'm guessing is from the very oily wrapper. I also think that the burn issues stem from the wrapper as well. This is definitely a full flavored cigar with plenty of body and a medium amount of strength.
The flavor profile has shifted a bit as I reach the halfway point. The cinnamon spice has changed again to an all spice type flavor with clove and maybe even some anise. There is also an almost menthol finish at this point that leaves a cool sensation on the palate. This mintyness only stuck around for 10 minutes or so. Towards the end the flavors have stayed consistent and tasty, but the burn is still needing frequent touchups.
Overall the Tosa was a solid cigar. My only issue with this cigar was the burn. I think it has something to do with the wrapper and how oily it is. I don't mind having to do the occasional touchup on a cigar but this one required more touchups than I would prefer. The flavor profile is unique and I like the price point of around $7 for the Robusto. For those of you looking for a solid medium strength cigar with plenty of flavor, this one will be right up your alley.