Laititude Zero Toro
Nearly six weeks at 68f/68rh
soft flame light
From CI:
Latitude Zero takes its name from Ecuador, an homage to their supplier Oliva Tobacco Company’s major growing area and the origin of the gorgeous wrapper leaf gracing their new premium brand. A R13E grade (Angel’s Cut) Habano Ecuador wrapper from 2011 that’s easily the finest I’ve ever seen. Inside, a bold cocktail of vintage 2010, Nicaraguan long-fillers all from a farm in Esteli dubbed ‘The Jewel.’ This combination promotes a powerful, heady smoke. . .
Powerful is definitely an apt description of this cigar. The nicotine level was a complete surprise. The body was mild growing to medium-full. The flavors were very full and stayed front and center.
The flavors were very pleasant. It started off with sweet tobacco, apple, oak, and premium tobacco. The creaminess came in quickly and kept everything smooth. Pepper and spice played a nice supporting roll.
I would be remiss not to focus on the tobacco at this point. Oliva Tobacco claims this is from the top 1% of their crop. It is a claim that I find no reason to dispute. The flavor was earthy but balanced and enjoyable. It was far from boring or plain. This flavor alone is a treat all it's own. Comforting and tasty are the best words to describe the profile.
The flavors are rolling in and out on waves. There is a mixture of earth, oak, apple, sweetness, tobacco, and pepper. Multiple flavors are always there. Some drop out and others amplify. They roll and tumble and like two well trained MMA fighters grappling for the gold. The retrohale is smooth on one puff and stings with pepper the next.
The profile calms down. Earth, oak, sweetness, tobacco, and apple are rolling along at a pretty consistent level. The stick is pleasing and easy to relax with. This would pair well with a good tea on a spring afternoon. I find myself just wanting a large leather chair to recline in and wile away the afternoon.
I finally decided to just kick my feet up and relax. The flavor is getting complex. The oak sometimes switches to a pine taste. Otherwise it is a little hard to pick out the individual flavors. Yet, the delicious tobacco keeps playing a starring role. It refuses to hide behind the other flavors for long.
The nicotine is really starting to pick up. It is definitely helping with the relaxing sensation.
Leather comes in to the profile and many of the flavors slide back. The flavors aren't really muted, but just turned back from ten to about 6.5. The nicotine ramps up and I find it hard to close my eyes. The world starts to tilt every time I do. The stick makes you want to close your eyes and relax. Then it kicks you in the ass for not staying alert to enjoy the finish coating your tongue.
We've got caramel apples! The flavor of caramel finally appears and coats the apple flavor. Oak sometimes turns to evergreen forest and comes back again. That beautiful tobacco is still playing a star role. Leather and earth combine with spice and black pair. The flavors pair off. A couple of minutes later they all come rolling forward on a wave and smash into the beach with a big ball of complexity. The nicotine is still sliding up and the body is edging across the spectrum. It is passing yellow and crossing into a deep orange.
The cigar keeps rolling along with a nice complexity. Flavors occasionally pair off and shoot to the fore. Then they slide back into the profile. The pepper is stronger than at any other point, but it doesn't kill the profile or dominate the softer flavors. By the time I finish up the whole world is dancing a crazy jig. I ate a large corned beef and ham sandwich before starting the stick. So, it wasn't a lack of food that got me.
This is a stick that is worth every bit of the $3 to $4 it will cost you on that bidding site. However, it isn't something that wowed me. The complexity and consistency through most of the stick got kind of boring. In a Robusto this would be a much more entertaining stick. A Rothschild or Petit Robusto would be perfect.
The only real complaint is the construction. The seam was kind of loose. It kept trying to pull the wrapper away from the binder and required many touch ups to keep things under control. The construction required a steady 45 to 50 second smoke rate to keep things productive. If you waited the usual 60 -70 seconds between puffs the fire would start to die down. It wasn't bad enough to be a deal breaker, but it did get a bit annoying.
I don't see myself hunting these down again, but I wouldn't turn one away if it was offered. I would probably take it with a smile.
Edit to add:
I figured out the nicotine issue. I was retrohaling more often than usual. With most sticks I only retro about three or four times. With the Latitude Zero it was more like three or four times in the first third. The smoke was very smooth and made retrohaling pleasant, most of the time.
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It was medium-full for me as well; to me this was a decent stick, but not $9 decent...know what I mean?
