El Titan de Bronze Redemption Toro

Over the past few years, the small Miami-based factory El Titan de Bronze and General Cigar Co. have partnered up to release a small number of limited editions, including four different Cohiba Serie M vitolas, the La Gloria Cubana 8th Street in 2022 and the Partagas de Bronce in 2023.

In March, the two entities announced they had developed a new version of El Titan de Bronze’s existing Redemption brand. Unlike the pair’s past collaborations, this new release is a regular production line instead of a limited edition. Furthermore, while previous releases were General brands, Redemption is owned by El Titan de Bronze and is being sold by General.

Blend-wise, the El Titan de Bronze Redemption line is made with an Ecuadorian habano wrapper covering filler tobaccos from Nicaragua: the binder is grown in the Estelí region while the filler includes tobacco from the Estelí and Jalapa regions.

“This is the right time, with the right people, and I feel so confident in them. After so many years, so much hard work with my family, this is the first time we will be able to get the amazing work of our artisans to people all over the country,” said Sandy Cobas, owner of the El Titan de Bronze factory, in a press release. “It started with the Cohiba project, and now, to be going to the show with General Cigar, sitting at a table with the big players where I always wanted to be, I’m so excited. This turned out so well, and I’m thrilled that more people will get to experience a new Redemption and the work of El Titán de Bronze.”

There are currently three sizes in the El Titan de Bronze Redemption line, all packaged in 10-count boxes:

Boxes of the El Titan de Bronze Redemption started shipping to retailers on July 15, 2024.

• Cigar Reviewed: El Titan de Bronze Redemption Toro
• Country of Origin: U.S.A.
• Factory: El Titan de Bronze
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $17.99 (Box of 10, $179.90)
• Release Date: July 15, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Cinnamon brown wrappers cover all three El Titan de Bronze Redemption Toros, and while I can see a red cast, that color only shows itself in a certain light. The wrappers also feature some very noticeable tooth and a number of larger veins along with a touch of oil. Sweet woodiness and dark chocolate lead the aromas coming from the wrappers, followed by nutmeg, barnyard, earth, leather tack and black pepper. However, the scents from the feet are completely different, with creamy almonds and a dark fruity sweetness above notes of gritty earth, creamy cedar and dry hay. After straight cuts, all three cigars share very similar flavors on their respective cold draws, including sweet peanut butter, earth, cocoa nibs, leather tack, cedar and nutmeg.

All three cigars start out immediately with sweet candy and salted cashew flavors as well as some light spice on my tongue. The candy sweetness disappears quickly, and while the cashew note continues to top the profile during the entirety of the first third, it is joined by a peppery cedar note after about 10 puffs. Secondary flavors of gritty earth, bitter espresso, pencil lead, sawdust, sourdough bread and cinnamon make themselves known at various points, while the retrohale features a very light sweetness that reminds me of semisweet chocolate chips and a large—but far from overwhelming—amount of black pepper. In addition, the third cigar includes a very light dried tea leaf note on the finish that the other two cigars lack, but it fades away by the time the first third comes to an end. The flavor ends the first third at medium-full, but the body lands about halfway between mild and medium, and the strength hits a point just under the medium mark. I could not ask for better construction marks, as all three cigars feature excellent draws after straight cuts, straight burn lines and copious amounts of dense smoke.

During the second third of the cigars, the cashew flavor continues to be a main flavor in the profile, but the cedar note recedes to the background and is replaced by a rich cocoa nibs flavor. Additional flavors of creamy cedar, barnyard, leather tack, dry straw and sourdough bread flit in and out, while the amounts of black pepper and semisweet chocolate chip sweetness present in the retrohale remain at about the same level to what I experienced in the first third. Once again, there is a distinct note on the finish of the third cigar that the other two cigars are missing, but this time, the flavor reminds me of peppermint. Flavor bumps up to full, while the body hits a point just under medium, and the strength increases enough to land at a solid medium. In terms of construction, my second and third cigars both need a minor burn correction with my lighter, but the draw resistance and smoke production on all three cigars continue to give me no problems at all.

There is a significant shift in the profile, as a less-distinct combination of leather tack and earth take over as the main flavors during the final third. The cashew and cocoa nibs notes that had dominated the first two-thirds are pushed to the secondary, where they join other notes that include toasted bread, hay, coffee beans and a very small amount of cinnamon. The retrohale also suffers a bit, as both the black pepper and semisweet chocolate chip sweetness notes that worked so well together have faded noticeably. The flavor drops to medium-full, but the body increases to a solid medium, and the strength pushes into the medium-plus territory. However, the construction is once again a high point, as all three cigars feature excellent draws, copious amounts of thick smoke and burn lines that are free of any issues.

Final Notes

• Black Label Trading Co. had a core line named Redemption that was discontinued in 2016.
• General is only selling this version of Redemption, which means El Titan de Bronze’s other cigar brands will continue to be sold by the factory.
• I find it interesting that the last cigar I smoked included a couple of unique flavors on its finish that the other two cigars lacked: dried tea leaves in the first third and peppermint in the second third. Neither note lasted very long, but they were both distinct enough to impact the profile in a positive way when compared to the other two cigars.
• Construction was quite good for all three cigars I smoked for this review: excellent draws, plenty of thick smoke and—other than a minor correction in the second third of my second and third cigars—burn lines that rarely wavered from being razor sharp.
• There are actually two bands on each of these cigars, and together, they cover more than 50 percent of the wrapper’s total real estate. This means the burn line does not get out of the first third before you have to remove the smaller bottom band, and you have to remove the main band long before you get to the halfway point.

• These cigars are officially listed as being 6 x 50 vitolas, and while all three cigars were extremely close to each other, none of them hit those dimensions exactly.
• General Cigar advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time for all three cigars averaged out to two hours and five minutes.