Liga Zebra Toro Cigar from American Viking Cigars, and Cigars Daily

Wrapper • Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade & Nicaraguan Maduro. Binder • Honduran. Filler • Honduran & Dominican. 6×50 Toro

The only barber Pole in the OGT humidor- there is a reason for this; many barber poles are prone to burn awful or are flavorless. This one, however, normally has a better burning, better smoke, better taste. I shouldn’t give away too much, but needless to say, this is not the first time I have smoked this puppy, I mean Zebra. Let’s get into it…

1st/3rd First thing to state, this is a closed foot. This means, if you want, you can skip the toasting process and just burn wrapper leaf until the stick is lit. The dry draw is sweet, earthy, and faint cocoa. At light up, this cigar is creamy and sweet with hints of white pepper and cedar. The cedar crawls forward with the next few puffs. The burn is even, the wrapper beautiful, and the smoke is silky.

2nd/3rd Cream. Banana nut bread. Spicy Cedar. This cigar is nothing if not flavorful. The burn continues to be a sharp line intersecting the Maduro and Connecticut leaves. The ash is a bright, snowy white. The draw is open, no plugs. The deeper I delve into this toro the creaminess and nut bread element becomes more prominent.

3rd/3rd The flavors have ramped up, the strength as well. Some of the earthiness has come to the forefront. The burn continues to be even, and the ash has just fallen off. Overall the nut bread and cedar remained constant.

Conclusion. Rating finished at an 89 78 base rate • Duration 2 • Burn 3 • Draw 3 • Flavor 3 Pairing suggestion – Bourbon or Rye is probably what I would suggest. The pepper and cherry sweetness of bourbon would probably complement the cedar. If you go with a Rye, I’d say sweeter rye would add to the creamy element.