Terre Blanche is Spanish for white earth, which is a reference to the limestone that comes from the erosion in the Cordillera Septentrional, the Northern mountain range in the Dominican Republic, that has made its way to the Cibao Valley, a popular growing region in the country. According to Patoro, the soils in this region are rich with calcium and have a lighter color, hence the new name.
The binder and filler in the Patoro Terre Blanche are tobaccos from the Cibao Valley, both happen to be grown by Leo Reyes, one of the more well-known tobacco growers in the country. After harvest, they are aged for between four and eight years before being rolled and finished off by an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. – Halfwheel.com
Bought from – Small Batch Cigars
Information:
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: De Los Reyes Factory
Aging (if any): N/A
Single (MSRP): $17
Box (MSRP): $425
Availability: General Release
Size: 5 x 50
Band/Packaging:
Very clean and simplistic band. Secondary band is beautiful and indicates the blend name.
THE REVIEW
Wrapper: Light Golden in color, Veiny but incredibly smooth
Construction: Well packed, no soft spots
Cold draw: Cedar
First third:
White Pepper upon initial puff, salted nuts, cedar, hay, mild but has depth beneath the upfront pepper, mineral enters shortly followed by a very nice Sourdough bread
Retro:
White pepper, a light mild sea salted chocolate,
Second third:
Buttered sourdough bread, light white pepper, saltiness, little bit of hay
Burn:
Wavy but nothing to complain about
Smoke:
Ample smoke, light but in abundance
Final third:
Caramel milk chocolate, Sourdough bread, saltiness, chocolate covered dark fruit
Retro:
Chocolate covered dark fruit, bitterness,
Duration:
1 hour 13 minutes
Conclusion:
The Terre Blanche started off with a blast of white pepper, but was not overwhelming, and quickly introduced a salted nutty note with some cedar and hay. Not my favorite start to a cigar. Not long after a minerality essence entered which at the start reminded me of when I’d breath in the air in an indoor pool as a kid. Yuck. Thankfully, it was short lived and followed up by a delicious sourdough breadiness . On the retro I got more white pepper and a nice sea salted milk chocolate. The sourdough bread continued to the second third and took on a nice butteriness with the white pepper moving to the background. Saltiness and a little bit of hay remained in the background as well. Mild to medium in strength and a positive change in flavor profile. I’m liking it. As the Terre Blanche moved into the final third a mouth watering caramel milk chocolate entered to compliment the sourdough bread perfectly. The saltiness remained which I can suspect is due to the region the tobacco is grown in. As the final third progressed a chocolaty dark fruit note appeared.. I’m in heaven. This was only enhanced on the retro along with a bitterness which is probably due to me puffing this thing like it’s my last cigar. If only the first third was as good as the second and third, this would have been an all timer for me. Final score of 92.
Result: 92
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