Las Villas By the Book Toro (Single Cigar)

• Length: 127mm
• Gauge: 52
• Flavour: Medium to Full
• Wrapper : Mexican San Andres
• Binder : Nicaraguan
• Filler : Nicaraguan
• Origin: Nicaragua
• Humidor Required
• Single Loose Cigar

Las Villas By the Book Toro – Single Cigar

By the Book. That's an interesting name for a cigar. In fifty years behind a tobacconist's counter, I've discovered that doing things by the book is generally an excellent idea, provided the person who wrote the book knew what they were doing in the first place.

The Las Villas By the Book Toro certainly looks as though somebody has given the details considerable thought. There's a dark brown wrapper, an elaborate black and gold band with red accents, a white sleeve covered in the Las Villas signature and a black ribbon neatly wrapped around the foot. The overall effect is rather distinguished, although I imagine the fellow responsible for applying all those little finishing touches has developed remarkably nimble fingers.

Las Villas is associated with cigar maker Guillermo Peña and the tobacco-making traditions of Estelí, Nicaragua. The region has become an important centre of premium cigar production, bringing together tobacco growers, blenders and experienced rollers. Its reputation has been built over decades, and the cigar trade there is now a considerable industry.

What interests me about this particular cigar is its presentation. The main band has a decidedly old-fashioned character, with decorative gold borders and a prominent Las Villas monogram. The white sleeve provides a striking contrast against the darker wrapper, while the black foot ribbon distinguishes it from the red-trimmed Selección Robusto.

The Toro is a format I've always appreciated. It occupies that useful territory between the shorter Robusto and the longer traditional formats, with proportions that have made it a familiar sight in humidors across the world. It's a shape that gives the cigar maker room to work with the blend while retaining a straightforward, comfortable design.

There's also something appealing about the name. Cigar making involves an extraordinary number of small decisions, from selecting and sorting leaves to arranging the filler and applying the wrapper. A skilled roller makes the finished article look effortless, but anyone who has watched the process will know how much experience goes into it.

And that experience matters. A handsome band might persuade somebody to pick up a cigar, but the construction and tobacco determine what they think of it afterwards. I've seen enough elaborate packaging over the years to appreciate the difference.

This single loose Las Villas By the Book Toro offers an opportunity to explore the range individually. Its dark wrapper and distinctive black-and-gold presentation give it an identity of its own among the Las Villas cigars.

I rather hope the name refers to the manufacturer's standards of cigar making, because if somebody ever writes a complete book of rules for tobacconists, it'll need a substantial chapter devoted to customers who ask for something they've forgotten the name of. Usually described as 'that one you sold me last Christmas, in the brown box.'