Sosa Cigars recently announced it was jumping on the large ring gauge bandwagon by releasing a 6 x 60 Gordo vitola in its Classic line. Blended by Juan B. Sosa, all of the tobacco for the Sosa Classic line is aged for a minimum of three years, and is rolled at Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia Factory # 4 in the Dominican Republic.

With the addition of the newest size, there are now nine vitolas in the Classic natural lineup.

  • Churchill (7 x 49)
  • Governors (6 x 50)
  • Lonsdales (6 3/4 x 43)
  • Magnums (7 3/4 x 52)
  • Piramides (6 1/2 x 54)
  • Santa Fe (6 x 35)
  • Wavell (5 x 50)
  • Gran Wavell (5 1/2 x 55)
  • 6 x 60 (6 x 60)

The history of the Sosa brand is summed up nicely in the press release:

The Sosa cigar tradition began with Don Juan Sosa, a small tobacco grower in the fertile Taguasco region of Cuba at the turn of the century. By the 1920′s, his farm had become one of the largest tobacco-producing haciendas in Cuba. Over the next 30 years, Don Juan’s son, Arturo, td grandson, Juan, manufactured cigars for sale in Cuba and abroad. Juan B. Sosa moved the operation to the Dominican Republic in the 1960′s where the family re-established their factory along with operations in Miami, Florida. Today, the legacy of quality, handmade cigars made in the Cuban tradition continues with master blender, Juan B. Sosa, alongside his wife, sons and nephews.

The Sosa Classic 6 x 60 will come packaged in boxes of 21 and will have an MSRP of $10 each.

Sosa Classic 6 x 60 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: Sosa Classic 6 x 60
  • Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
  • Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
  • Binder: Honduras
  • Filler: Central America & Dominican Republic
  • Size: 6 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 60
  • Vitola: Gordo
  • MSRP: $10 (Boxes of 21, $210)
  • Release Date: August 2012
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

It is almost obscenely large with an attractive medium brown wrapper that is silky smooth to the touch with a bit of oil present. While feeling huge in the hand, it seems quite light weight-wise considering the size. It is fairly spongy when squeezed, and the wrapper has very little smell to it, some light cedar, nuts and tobacco.

The Sosa Classic starts out the first third with a slight tobacco flavor, along with hay, grass, cedar and a bit of bitterness. There is some strong saltiness on the lips that impacts the flavors positively, but it does not stick around long enough to really be a factor. The profile is extremely light starting off, although the flavors do get stronger as the third goes on. Construction is okay with the burn a bit wavy and draw a bit loose for the first third. Smoke production is astounding with thick white smoke that billows off the ash. Strength is non-existent at this point, but I can see it getting stronger as the cigar moves on.

Sosa Classic 6 x 60 2

Coming into the second third of the Sosa is much the same as the first with very light flavors that are quite muddled and fairly hard to pick out. Notes of nuts, hay, wood and leather are all noticeable and the saltiness from the first third makes a comeback of sorts, albeit not as strong. Construction remains fine and the burn has evened out a bit, although I still am having to touch it up every once in a while. The draw has firmed up nicely. Interestingly, the strength has increased quite a bit, ending the second third at a solid medium.

Sosa Classic 6 x 60 3

Sadly, the final third of the Sosa just stays the course. Same basic profile, same boring flavors, same okay construction. Nuts, cedar, hay and wood, along with just a touch of saltiness and sweetness, and some slight black pepper on the retrohale. Surprisingly, the strength is a notch stronger than I expected, ending at a strong medium.

Sosa Classic 6 x 60 4

Final Notes

  • I find it interesting that this cigar uses a Sumatra wrapper, as I tasted almost none of what I consider to be signature Sumatra flavors while smoking it. No floral notes at all, and very little sweetness overall as well.
  • The band is distinctive and quite ornate, but a bit busy to my eye.
  • The construction was okay with a burn that had to be touched up a few times and a draw that was a bit loose, but the standout was the smoke production, which was quite impressive, even considering the size of the vitola.
  • According to the press release, it is one of the first 60 cigar ring gauges to be manufactured out of an Arturo Fuente cigar factory.
  • While there is no formal name besides 6 x 60, Sosa makes a line called 60 by Sosa, which can cause some confusion.
  • The saltiness that was strongest in the first two thirds was interesting, and probably would have increased the complexity of the profile, if there were many more flavors to contrast it with.
  • The Sosa Classic 6 x 60 feels extremely light in the hand, considering the huge size of the vitola.
  • According to the Sosa website, all of the other sizes of the Classic line come in boxes of 25, making the 6 x 60 the first in the line to come in boxes of 21.
  • The sample smoked for this review was sent to us by Sosa Cigars.
  • The final smoking time was right at what I expected, two hours and 15 minutes.
73 Overall Score

There are some cigars, like the Padrón SI-15,  that taste very good in the 6 x 60 vitola. Sadly, this is just not one of them. The Sosa Classic 6 x 60 seems to take all of the problems that can be inherent with the 6 x 60 format and magnifies them until that is all that you notice. The flavors are non-offensive, but are also boring and flat, and there is no one flavor that is dominant from the rest throughout the 2+ hour burn time. In fact, at times, the profile goes flat and almost tasteless, while at others, the notes are somewhat easier to figure out.  The construction is fine, although not spectacular by any means, and the draw is a bit loose for the entire cigar. If I was going to smoke a cigar this size, this specific release would not be the one I reach for.

Avatar photo

Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.