Welcome back, my friends! The last cigar I reviewed was the Ventura Psyko Seven Robusto. The review garnered good results. Not too surprising, considering the Psyko Seven Cigar line received accolades from both Cigar & Spirits and Cigar Aficionado, where it scored an A- for both magazines: not bad at all. This time, I’ll be taking on the Psyko Seven Toro in order to see how it compares to its Robusto counterpart. Will the Toro live up to the Robusto’s standards? Will it perhaps even surpass them?

Form and Substance

• Vitola: Toro
• Wrapper: Mexican San Adreas
• Binder: Mexican Sumatra
• Filler: Ecuadorian Hybrid Seed, Nicaraguan Ligero, Peruvian Pelo de Oro Vera, Honduran Holancha Seco, Dominican Hybrid, Pennsylvania Ligero
• Dimensions: 6” x 48’
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Aesthetics, Construction and Feel

The Toro’s first impression differentiates little from that of the Robusto: the wrapper is quite rugged and veiny, but it is, again, so well constructed that the wrapper's seems are invisible to the unstrained eye. The Toro’s wrapper also possesses a similar degree of resilience as the Robusto’s suffering no damage or unraveling after cutting. The body is nice and cushiony, and the familiar sourdough bread cold odor is ever-present. Yep, the craftsmanship is definitely still there!

Smoke and Flavor

Like the Robusto, the draw is well-balanced from the very first puff: not too tight, not too loose. The core flavors and trends are the same as well, with the light toasty flavor dominating the first puffs before maturing into sour wood. However, the similarities to the Robusto largely end with the core flavors. The Toro has a noticeably smoother draw than the Robusto; its smoke clouds are consistently thick, requiring little maintenance puffing, and the draw also wets the palate. The burn is noticeably less even on the Toro, and the ash is more flaky as well.

The draw begins to even out around the start of the second third. The sour wood again begins to mature into sour oak. Due to the ash being noticeably more flaky on the Toro, I decide to discard it more frequently than with the Robusto, ensuring no accidents. A hint of cream sneaks its way into the mix, tempering the sour oak and helping make the draw all the smoother. The cream is soon joined by essence of sugar in the background, further tempering the sour oak and enriching the overall smoke.

The final third is where the sour oak turns into bitter oak, making the cream and the sugar’s input all the more essential to the smoke’s balance. Towards the middle, the cream eases in from the background and comes closer to the forefront, though never quite reaching it until the very end of the smoke, reigning in the bitter oak just in time to make the finish as balanced as it can be.

The Final Verdict

The Psyko Seven Toro is noticeably different from its Robusto counterpart: its burn is less consistent and prone to canoeing and its ash is less durable. Yet, its draw is also more smooth and its flavor profile is also noticeably smoother and less harsh, even though it isn’t quite as diverse. All in all, pound for pound, the Toro stands toe to toe with its Robusto counterpart, equals with different strengths. The question to ask is: “What do you value the most? If you prefer a more stable and balanced flavor and you’re okay with a less consistent burn, the Toro is the definitely the Psyko for you.

Final Grade:

Tips for a Perfect Smoke Experience

• Thanks to its comparatively sweeter flavor profile and smoother draw, you can afford to use less caution when approaching the Toro. Just get a nice cup of coffee and you’re all set to go!

History tells us that people willingly turn to all kinds of interesting substances and objects to cure all kinds of physiological, emotional and psychological ills. Some work better than others, and the Ventura Cigar Company seeks to provide the cure that beats ‘em all. Introducing the Psyko Seven Maduro, the cigar made explicitly for one purpose: to “medicate your mind.” Let’s see if the doctor’s orders do the trick…

Form and Substance

• Vitola: Robusto
• Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
• Binder: Mexican Sumatra
• Filler: Ecuadorian Hybrid Seed, Nicaraguan Ligero, Peruvian Pelo de Oro Vera, Honduran Holancha Seco, Dominican Hybrid, Pennsylvania Ligero (Phew!)
• Dimensions: 5.5” x 50’
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Aesthetics, Construction and Feel

Right off the bat, the Psyko Maduro catches the eye; yes, even after the large, genuinely clever medication label is removed. The wrapper is visibly rugged before it is even touched, with leaf stems and veins protruding rather prominently, cleverly distracting the smoker from the brilliance of the craftsmanship. The wrapper is so well put together that the seems are almost non-existent to the unstrained eye. Moreover, the wrapper suffers no damage or unraveling as it is cut with a dull punch cutter. This durable little robusto gives off a distinctive sour cold odor that takes me back to the first time I tried sourdough bread in San Fransisco. And to wrap it all up, the stick’s body is nice and cushiony, capable of being squeezed easily with no harm done to it.

Smoke and Flavor

The Psyko gets a head start in the race on the heels of a well-balanced draw and a nice, toasty flavor on the first third: free of any of the initial harshness or overpowering strength that maduros are occasionally susceptible to. The burn is nearly perfect, with only the most subtle anomalies in the evenness. The flavor begins to develop from light and toasty to sour and woody, recalling the sourdough bread found in the cold odor. While regular puffing is required to keep the smoke clouds thick, the grayish, dotted ash produced from the puffing holds its form resiliently despite bending noticeably.

The second third witnesses the ash bending at too high a degree for comfort. Normally I am one to push the ash to its absolute limits, oftentimes at the expense whichever unfortunate shirt and pair of pants or shorts I happen to have on at the moment, but the sharpness of the angle has me inclined to make an exception, so I cleanly nick the ash off without incident. The flavor continues to become more defined, with the sour wood maturing into sour oak. The sour oak is complemented by a fresh essence of spice, which sneaks in and lightly graces the tongue. The draw improves as well, becoming smoother and creamier as the second third progresses.

The final third sees the sour oak strengthen into bitter oak, making the flavor more concentrated and intense. A slight hint of sugar moves in and tempers the swelling bitter oak with a nice, sweetening sensation. Additionally, the long-absent toasty essence returns to further temper the bitter oak. The ash holds its form, and this time, it doesn’t bend nearly as severely; leaving me to enjoy the remainder of the cigar in peace. The Psyko Seven ends with a nice, dark, toasty finish.

The Final Verdict

Ventura have outdone themselves with the Psyko Seven. The craftsmanship is spot on, with results including, but not limited to, a consistently good draw, a diverse flavor profile, no canoeing problems, and an hour and a half well spent all in all. The relative bitterness inherent in the flavor may make it hard for some smokers to accept, but the effort and time invested into this stick ultimately speak for themselves.

Final Grade: A-

Tips for a Perfect Smoke Experience

• This maduro is a relatively hard hitter. While it may be smooth on the draw, the flavor can take you by surprise, so save it for a cookout, when you have a nice, juicy burger in one hand and a Corona in the other to back you up.

Ventura is a subsidiary of Kretek International Group Inc., a 3-decade-old tobacco company that dealt mainly in supplying tobacco products to convenience stores. Kretek eventually acquired Philips & King, a century-old premium cigar distributor, and merged it with Djarum, their own cigar brand name, to form Ventura cigars. The following cigar up for review, the Project 805, is a source of immense pride for the Ventura Cigar company due to its use of unusual blending techniques and its results (ie, the Andullo tobacco), which make it, in Ventura’s own words, “…the cigar they [the tobacco establishment] tried to keep from you… the disruption they tried to suppress, yet here it is, in your hands – you are now part of the disruption.” Let’s see if this disruption is worth being a part of…

Form and Substance

• Vitola: Toro
• Wrapper: Corojo Shade
• Binder: Dominican Olor
• Filler: Dominican Blend + Andullo (Southern Dominican tobacco fermented and blended by tying the leaves together with rope into thick, condensed 6-ft high, 5-in diameter bars and rotating them in a tobacco barn at regular intervals)
• Dimensions: 6’ x 50”
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Aesthetics, Construction and Feel

Right from the get-go, the Project 805 presents itself as a no-nonsense stogie that means business. The wrapper isn’t the prettiest to look at: the main veins of its leaf are more than prominent. However, this relatively common occurrence is swiftly cancelled out by its texture. The wrapper has a certain peach fuzz on it that gives its texture a pleasant ruggedness.

One ambiguous anomaly is how incredibly tightly packed the cigar is. There is little to no cushion effect and no breathing room on the body, as there is in most cigars. This guarantees that you can make a cut without worrying about messing up the cap and that there will be no soft spots and therefore highly reduced odds of canoeing, but tightly packed tobacco is also a possible sign of a difficult draw. All in all, the Project 805 isn’t necessarily pretty, but it’s very well made.

Smoke and Flavor

As the first puffs are puffed, the tightly packed tobacco’s omen proves true; the draw is a bit too tight for comfort. However, the smoke clouds are surprisingly thick, so at least one can see the fruits of his laborious puffing. The flavor is initially very light during the first third. Toasty cedar is the dominant flavor. As clear as the flavor is, though, I find the first few puffs to be almost bland. Fortunately, the further along I get, the richer the flavor gets; by the time the first third is cleared, the flavor has matured from light cedar to a medium-rich oak.

The ash provides tangible insight into the craftsmanship; it holds form well into the final third before conveniently falling off and spreading all over my white dress shirt (my own fault), all the while having absolutely no flakes and barely bending.

The second third is when the flavor really starts to get complex. The oak is accentuated by a familiar bitter note, and the thick, charcoal texture of the draw increases, though the draw itself remains tight. The bitter oak is joined by an undertone of coffee on the tail end of the second third, excellently setting the stage for the grand finale.

The final third is where all the loose ends are brilliantly tied up. A spicy undertone moves in to replace the bitter flavor that had laced the oak; the burn, having run the risk of canoeing multiple times, evens out entirely and remains so through the end; a creamy and salty butter note makes its way to the forefront, keeping the oak balanced on the back burner; then, the butter and the coffee undertone meet, producing a deep, rich flavor that puffs quite smoothly. The butter/coffee combo is a knockout flavor that leaves you begging for more when the smoke comes to its inevitable conclusion.

The Final Verdict

The Project 805 got off to a bit of a rough start; its draw was tight, its flavor walked the line of blandness, and its thick smoke clouds needed regular puffing to maintain the slow burn. However, Project 805 ultimately proved itself by making a comeback on the second third, slowly but surely bringing all the disparate pieces together for a spectacular final third. The Project 805 is the kind of cigar that only gets better the more you smoke it; the key is having the patience to smoke through all two hours of it and appreciating the eventful journey to completion along the way.

Final Grade: B +

Tips for a Perfect Smoke Experience

• This cigar, by virtue of its tightly packed body, takes about 2 hours to smoke. The tight draw means you have to puff hard throughout. All these factors make for a cigar that can take a lot out of you, so have something cold and refreshing, like a Cuba Libre, on your person to keep yourself in the game.