Lock, Stock and Two Great Budget Cigars? Two Smoking Barrels from GQ Tobaccos

It’s always exciting when new cigars are released on the UK market. Recently though they seem to be either limited or special editions which come out at insane prices reflective of their ‘exclusive’ origins. When I was approached by GQ Tobaccos about reviewing their new Two Smoking Barrels line-up, I was very interested, especially when I found out that not only are they Nicaraguan puros of their own blend, but both the Toro and Robusto are positioned at a budget cigar price point.

Anyone that’s read enough of my reviews will know by now that I have a preference for full flavoured Nicaraguan cigars, so on paper at least the blend of the Two Smoking Barrels range would be right up my street. The only thing that was slightly disconcerting to me was the Connecticut wrapper as I am usually on “Team Maduro”, but I am always open to having my taste buds surprised. As both the Toro and Robusto had the same blend, I thought it would be interesting to compare them over two consecutive smoking sessions and determine just how much difference the vitola would make to the flavour. This time, the results were rather unexpected.

Regarding the pre-light, there wasn’t much aside from vitola to set the Two Smoking Barrels Toro and Robusto apart. They both had a claro wrapper of the latte coffee colour you would associate with Connecticut wrappers. Both cigars appeared well-constructed and evenly firm to feel with a few delicate butterfly veins visible across the wrappers with aromas of cream and cashew nuts rose from the foot.

When it came to cutting, I chose to v-cut the Robusto, but straight cut the Toro. Again, both the Toro and Robusto vitolas of this budget cigar blend were very similar on the cold draw, despite the different cuts. Creamy nuts, malt and honey revealed themselves and I was left with a hint of sweetness on my lips. Rather than smoke both of the Two Smoking Barrels cigars simultaneously, I decided to enjoy the Robusto first then the next day savour the Toro so that their flavours would not contaminate each other.

Two Smoking Barrels Robusto Cigar

Lighting the Robusto the ligero in the filler immediately made itself known with its distinctive warming pepper bite. The creaminess from the cold draw was still there however giving the overall taste of a rich peppercorn sauce. It wasn’t long before this was joined by notes of toasted walnuts.

These flavours danced around each other with an occasional tickle of sweetness raising its head. The smoke was delightfully sinuous and each draw my mouth was filled with a rich, thick and lightly oily smoke that rolled around my palate like foam. As I smoked my way through the first third, the burn was almost pin straight and the light grey ash stacked itself longer and longer with black bands marking each draw. At 1.5 inches in, I decided to roll off the cigar rather than risk a spectacular ash fail. This impeccable burn construction continued for the full of the Two Smoking Barrels Robusto cigar.

The middle third of the cigar had a similar flavour palate to the first third, albeit with a slightly more forthright spiciness. Given that this budget cigar is a Nicaraguan puro, this taste profile was reassuringly familiar. One thing that did surprise me was the complete lack of bitterness from the Connecticut wrapper. At no point during my time with this cigar did I notice any bitterness that I’ve come to expect from other Connecticut wrapper cigars. Better still: I didn’t find myself needing to give the cigar a blow through to purge any bitterness.

As I smoked my way towards the end of this cigar I recall noting just how balanced the flavours were when a new one crept in at the back of my palate. This reminded me of a cross between angelica and a gentle liquorice. This added an extra dimension to the flavour enriching the smoothness and creamy flavours right down to the nub.

Two Smoking Barrels Toro Cigar

In contrast to the first draws on the Robusto, the opening salvo of the Two Smoking Barrels Toro was much sweeter with only a tickle of warming spice. This was supported by creamy cashew nuts. The smoke was equally fluffy, rich, voluminous and sinuous when released but had the flavour of sweet nuts. Indeed there was such a sweetness to the taste that I did briefly wonder if the tobacco had been sweetened, but I recalled other naturally sweet cigars that I had enjoyed of the years.

With its slightly larger ring gauge, I came to the conclusion that this difference in the balance between sweet and spice was as a result of a slightly greater ratio of seco leaves to ligero leaves in the filler. Indeed, rather than the spiciness being that of black pepper, it brought to mind a more warming hint of mild chilli peppers.

Once again the burn and construction was perfect. I was so confident in the firmness of the ash in this budget cigar that for a few minutes I was able to balance it upright from its foot after each draw! I finally gave up when the ash showed signs of wobbling at around the two inch mark. I promptly rolled it off into a neat ball and re-focused my attention towards the wonderful tastes and aromas that the Two Smoking Barrels had to offer in the middle third.

Warm spices, toffee and a natural sweetness were dancing partners with my taste buds through the middle portion of the cigar. Each took its turn weaving itself around my palate with a creamy nuttiness always present at the end of the flavour. The retrohale was delightfully smooth with a lush silkiness to the smoke that I would associate more with premium hand cream rather than the smoke from a budget cigar.

A light peppercorn spiciness on the retrohale signalled my entry to the final third of the Two Smoking Barrels Toro cigar. Even with this slight increase in spice, as with the Robusto, there was no hint of bitterness. Similarly, a couple of new aromas joined the party. In the case of the Toro, these were earthy truffle and sweet forest moss. Each of these cavorted delectably with the nuts, cream, warm spices and honey creating the perfect finale to what had been a sublime smoking experience. The flavour remained smooth and well rounded right down to the nub. Frankly my only disappointment here was that there wasn’t another inch of cigar left to smoke!

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Two Smoking Barrels Robusto Cigar Details

Two Smoking Barrels Toro Cigar Details