Monday, March 23, 2026

HDA Cigars (Hermanos de Armas) Cigars Cataclysm Toro in Review

BRAND: HDA
BLEND: Cataclysm

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Toro (654)
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium-full
SPICE: 3.5/5

NOTES:
French Hot Chocolate | Savory (the herb) | Hickory Bark

Hot chocolate not from powder but via the more decadent manner of melting solid chocolate. Summer Savory, think between oregano and thyme. Hickory bark is rather self-explanatory, and damp. An Italian Coffee Cream desert, a coffee mousse of sorts. Interesting. Sating.

Could use a tick more tension to structure; does sit a bit softly though not flatly. Burns a hair quick, pinches a hair under-stufft. Evenly-packed. Excellent quite-open draw. Black walnut comes in at half-ish to lend some tightening astringency. Rather a unique note or two, and black pepper.

Honey Graham and a deeper marshmallow creaminess lends to a s'mores nod. Hickory toasts and I'm left at a campfire possibly somewhere in Europe. I can tell it's not Eastern Europe, however, on account I do not hear my ancestral Yiddish. Quite haute while also provincial, this. 

TASTE: A-
DRAW: A-
BURN: B+
BUILD: A-

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79

::: very :::