SoHo Cigars Sol de Oro Review

On November 10th, 2014, Circa Tabac officially re-opened as SoHo Cigar Bar. Located on 32 Watts Street, Circa Tabac was, and to this day remains, one of New York’s oldest surviving cigar lounges. It has been fully renovated with a brand new interior reminiscent of Prohibition-era Speakeasies. In addition to a new lounge, SoHo Cigar Bar has also released a new house blend named SoHo Cigars. The knew line proudly features cigars hand-crafted in the Big Apple. Today, we’ll taking the Sol de Oro (Spanish for “Golden Sun”) torpedo for a test drive…

Form and Substance

Vitola: Torpedo
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Dimensions: 4 3/4’ x 49”

Aesthetics, Construction and Feel

One thing is certain: this cigar has New York written all over it in terms of appearances. The label proudly displays the brand name in brilliantly bold Art Deco calligraphy; the Cameroon wrapper is unashamedly course and rugged; the body is packed to the brim with tobacco, to the point where the wrapper has a few small openings in it. That’s usually a bad sign. However, the tight packing also means no noticeable soft spots. The aesthetics of the Sol make for an overall promising first impression.

Smoke and Flavor

With that, we’re off to the races, and the Sol de Oro takes the lead on the heels of a solid head start. The draw is fantastic, with an almost perfect balance of looseness and resistance on it. As the first quarter is cleared, the draw constricts slightly, eventually loosening up as the stick approaches its end. The ash attests to the near-flawless construction, solidly holding onto the stick and slow to flaking. The Sol sometimes edges on canoeing, but it always rights itself fairly quickly, as every great cigar does. Every smoke cloud is massive, yet the burn is nice and slow, ensuring the smoke is both long and enjoyable.

The flavor is a delightful mystery. I spent the entire smoke trying to figure out exactly which notes I was tasting; I ultimately ended up relying on educated guesses based on all of my smoking experiences over the years to answer the question. Throughout the entirety of the smoke, I tasted a flavor that reminded me of graham crackers: dry, natural, slightly sweet, and satisfyingly brittle. This was supplemented in the second third by a touch of cinnamon. Then, between the second and final third, the cinnamon faded out, being slowly but surely replaced by a rich essence of caramel, which help to make the overall smoke richer and more chewy. Near the nub, the caramel largely faded into the background as the graham cracker note became ever more prominent. In short, the Sol de Oro consistently delivers a richly natural burst of flavor that drys the palate and soothes the soul with every puff.

The Final Verdict

I found this particular stogy to be a most impressive first of sorts. Unlike the other cigars I’ve reviewed for this site, the Sol’s flavor contained an unusual graham cracker-like flavor. This is a brand new territory for me that, while quite unusual, ended up working frightfully well. A flavor profile of this kind can be rare to come by and should never be passed up when it presents itself. Aside from the occasional unevenness of the burn (which was minimal at best) and the stinging spice at the nub, the Sol de Oro is an all-around excellent cigar that lends much honor and credibility to the cigar lounge for which it’s named.

Final Grade: A

Tips for a Perfect Smoke Experience
This cigar contains dominican tobacco, which is well known for drying the palate. The Sol in particular can sneak up on you if you’re not careful. Never subject your palate to dehydration. If you have the Sol in one hand, have a relatively sweet drink in the other. Espresso with a bit of sugar in particular, as always, does the job best.