Gispert Intenso Toro (6 x 50)

Video review HERE.

(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)

Over the past few years, we have seen Altadis U.S.A. incorporate themes such as collaborations, making cigars in Nicaragua, and resurrecting dormant brands. Recently a new release has arrived at retailers from Altadis U.S.A. that incorporates all three of these elements – the Gispert Intenso.

For starters, the Gispert Intenso is a collaboration between A.J. Fernandez and Altadis’ Grupo de Maestros. The Grupo de Maestros team represents some of Altadis’ most skilled cigar makers and have been involved on many of Altadis’ high profile releases. The new Gispert Intenso is being  produced out of Tabacalera Fernandez. The Gispert Intenso is being distributed directly by Altadis U.S.A.

Gispert is a brand that has pre-revolution origins in Cuba. Today the Gispert on the market is a milder Connecticut Shade offering made in Honduras. Except for some packaging changes, the Gispert brand has been pretty quiet in Altadis U.S.A’s portfolio.

Meanwhile the new Gispert Intenso brings what the name says – a more intense and bolder cigar experience. Intenso uses a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and a combination of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. It is available in three sizes – packaged in 20 count boxes. Pricing is in the $6.00 to $6.95 per cigar.

Blend Profile

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Vitolas Available

Corona: 5 x 44

Toro: 6 x 50 REVIEWED TODAY

Belicoso: 6 1/8 x 52

The cigar is very dark and well made. It is box pressed and has a nice feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was very good. The initial flavors were black licorice with cream which has some sweetness, espresso, and an absolute ton of black pepper which I rated at a 9+. When you retro hale it seems to be at a 10! This is a polar opposite from the normal Gispert cigar. It is full bodied right out of the gate. At this point, the name is derived from the intense black pepper.

3/4 inch in (7 minutes) the cigar has already changed. The flavors now are a buttery brown sugar and cedar, light cream notes, espresso, and the black pepper has toned down to an 8. Again, the cigar is full bodied. The finish is a thick cream with some brown sugar notes and nice lingering black pepper. 

At the midpoint (39 minutes) you get flashes of raw almonds. You also still have the cedar, brown sugar, espresso, and massive amounts of black pepper. The finish is pretty much unchanged. The cigar continues to be very full bodied. I would say this cigar is way too powerful for a beginner and probably too intense (play on words) for the intermediate cigar smoker. Experienced smokers would probably enjoy this type of cigar. Even then, I would suggest having something on your stomach before smoking this type of cigar. The cigar has an adequate amount of sweetness to counteract the heavy espresso and black pepper notes. The raw almonds act as a bridge between the cedar and brown sugar and the espresso and black pepper. 

With 2 inches remaining (58 minutes) the espresso and black pepper have overtaken the sweet cedar and brown sugar as the lead flavors. The cigar continues to be very full bodied. You can feel the ligero surging through your veins. The finish is still a sweet cream with some brown sugar and now there are coffee notes also to go along with the nice amount of lingering black pepper. The black pepper on the front end has rebounded back to around an 8 1/2.




As the cigar ended (1 hour 14 minutes) the espresso and black pepper continued to be the lead flavors with the sweet cedar, brown sugar, and raw almonds trailing slightly behind. The almond notes still act as a bridge between the two groups. I don't believe I can overstate how full bodied this cigar is. Smoke it slowly to (1) get the best flavors and (2) not pass out! The finish is unchanged. This has been a good cigar. AJ pulled out the big guns to help with this one. It is a powerhouse! While this is not an every day cigar (in my opinion) it has a place in the rotation. There are times you want a flavorful, powerful cigar and this fits the bill. And, if you love black pepper you will love this cigar. It's loaded. Purchase this cigar HERE.

Score: 92