Stallone Zaino Broadleaf Gordo by Stallone Cigars

It is no secret I am a fan of Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco. However, unfortunately, I don’t feel like it is always best represented in certain cigars in the market. I know that is subjective and maybe a vague statement, but I have smoked a host of Connecticut Broadleaf sticks that I feel are at war with the natural flavor of the leaf. Some blends try to be overly peppery or muted in flavor. I wonder, why turn to those avenues when you have a beautiful leaf like Broadleaf? Connecticut Broadleaf in the present day is somewhat scarce or expensive, adding to the many obstacles companies have with production. But when a decent blend is released, and the blender leans into the savory, creamy sweetness coupled with Nicaraguan tobacco, it simply pops. A great example of this is found in the Stallone Zaino Broadleaf. The Strength on most Stallone cigars is amped up for certain, but Tony Barrios always balances it with flavor.

“When it comes to blending,” Tony says, “It is all about the aging, you know, aging the tobacco before the rolling. And it is also about fermentation. If it is fermented good and aged good, the tobacco is good. If you try to skip or cut corners? The tobacco suffers.” This statement is represented in his blending. The Strength you encounter from the Stallone Broadleaf is consistent throughout. However, it is coupled with creamy, dark cocoa notes that are very palatable. Upon the creation of his Nicaraguan Broadleaf limited called the Clydesdale, Tony had a reason he blended it in a sixty gauge. “There is too much Ligero in the filler. If you pair down the gauge, it would be too strong. By having a sixty gauge, there are other fillers, and it tames the strength down.” I find this principle true in the Zaino Connecticut Broadleaf as well. I detect more strength on the toro vitola than the six by sixty. Offhand, I would have suspected the opposite, but I find more sweetness and more cocoa in the balance of spice and oak than in the smaller sizes.

Among the various cigars on the market, and in my own opinion, I think the Stallone Zaino Broadleaf is one of the better representations of Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco and has special aspects to offer in its different sizes. Released in Gordo, Toro, and Robusto, the Zaino is rich, powerful, and bold but very palatable in flavor. It’s a mean-looking cigar that has a sweet and creamy side to it. But in the end, isn’t that what Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco is?