Kristoff Tres Compadres Toro

In my general experience covering the PCA Convention & Trade Show, cigar companies are generally quite excited to show off their new lines. There are usually talking points about a new type of tobacco being used, a new profile for the company’s portfolio, an interesting backstory, or any other number of things that pump up the energy surrounding a release.

That was the case for two of the three new releases from Krisotff at the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show. When I stopped by to talk with Glen Case, the company’s founder and owner, along with Jarrid Trudeau, the vp of sales, both were excited to talk about the new Kristoff Nicaragua and the limited edition Kristoff PCA 2023 Signature Series, which was only available to retailers who attended the show and ordered the cigar there.

Then we came to the third new release, the Tres Compadres, and the mood changed. It wouldn’t be long before I understood why.

The Kristoff Tres Compadres pays tribute to the friendship between Case, Rolando Villamil, the factory manager at the Charles Fairmorn factory where Kristoff produces its cigars, and Chuck Finch, Case’s best friend of 42 years, going all the way back to their high school days. The three men’s initials appear on the cigar’s band.

As Case told me of the cigar’s origins, Finch passed away suddenly about 18 months prior to the trade show, while Villamil, who he called both a friend and mentor, died suddenly about four months after that.

The company isn’t saying much about the blend other than that it is a Nicaraguan puro that draws on tobacco from Condeja, Jalapa and Estelí. Case described it as being the opposite of the big, peppery profiles of Nicaraguan puros, calling it sweet and creamy and putting it at a 2-out-of-5 on the strength and intensity scale. Case pegged it at medium-body at best.

• Kristoff Tres Compadres Robusto (5 x 50) — $9.50 (Box of 20, $190)
• Kristoff Tres Compadres Toro (6 1/4 x 54) — $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
• Kristoff Tres Compadres 6 x 60 — $10.75 (Box of 20, $215)

The cigars are produced at Tabacalera von Eicken S.R.L.—the factory formerly known as Charles Fairmorn—in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

• Cigar Reviewed: Kristoff Tres Compadres Toro
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera von Eicken S.R.L.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $10.50 (Box of 20, $210)
• Release Date: September 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

I’m struck by how the wrapper looks, as while the veins are small, almost all of them are slightly darker than the rest of the leaf, which combined with some mottling, gives the leaf a lot of visual texture. The third cigar I light up has a small, interesting dark spot near the foot, as well as what looks like a small chip about a third of the way up and a tiny scratch mark right around the band. It also happens to be the one cigar with a sloppily applied cap, making for a cigar that I’m a bit surprised to see make it through quality control. The cigars are rolled firmly but with some give, mainly around the outer layers that reveal a firm core. Visually, the cigars all look good, thanks to flat seams and no further visual imperfections. As for the wrappers’ textures, all three are on the dry side with a bit of a parchment feel due to very little in the way of oil on the leaf. The foot has a soft aroma with wheat cereal or wheat bread, a bit of light creaminess and a very light and dry lumber. While I don’t pick up much pepper, I do get a slight tingle in my nostrils. The cold draw is smooth and if anything just a touch firm. Flavor-wise, it is equally as soft and mellow as the aroma, though I’d say creaminess leads the wheat bread. Unlike with the aroma, I don’t get much of a taste bud tingle until the very last part of each cold draw’s finish, and even then, it’s more from the wood than whatever pepper is present.

The Kristoff Tres Compadres Toro starts off with a note that is a near-perfect replica of the pre-light aroma, with a soft and warm wheat bread, a touch of creaminess, and then a bit of tingle from light wood and pepper. It immediately makes me think back to Glen Case’s comment about the line being the mellower of the two Nicaraguan puros he released this year, as the first puffs are very approachable. Retrohales add a touch more pepper, but really, it’s only enough to be an accent. Some vanilla extract comes in before the one-inch mark to add another layer of sweetness and complexity. While the three cigars are quite similar, If I had to identify one aspect where they differ, it is in the finish and how much impact it imparts. One cigar packs more wood, toast and pepper on the finish than the others, a change I’m not inherently crazy about as I really like the mellower beginning. On the whole, flavor is medium-minus with moments of medium intensity, body is medium-minus, and strength is mild. Construction is very good thus far, with only regular puffs needed to keep the cigar burning evenly and producing a good amount of smoke.

The second third of the Kristoff Tres Compadres Toro starts without much in the way of a notable change from the first third, seemingly gliding through the transition. If anything, there is a slight shuffling of the flavor intensities, and I do mean slight. There are spots where the wheat note reminds me of a piece of Chex Mix, and other puffs where the wood gets a bit damper than it had been earlier. The burn line also seems to cruise through this section, as I had a consistent of experience of the burn line seemingly jumping from the end of the first third to the midpoint of the cigar. The second half starts a bit more robustly than how the first half performed, and given the relatively mild profile, the change is noticeable. I’d call the change toasty at first before the cigar picks up a bit more pepper. There’s still creaminess playing a decent role, but it tastes like everything else in the profile has been given a toasty spin, with some elements picking up just a touch of char. This change also appears in retrohales, which have a punchier black pepper sensation with much less creaminess than earlier. It’s still not what I would call a full-bodied Nicaraguan puro profile, but it has amped up its intensity to a vibrant medium, with the toastier aspects taking it a tick or two beyond that. The body is medium, maybe medium-minus, compared to the current flavor profile, as the two feel a bit out of sync at this juncture. Strength remains in mild territory. Construction is still very good, though there are some spots where it seems like the cigar wants a bit quicker puffing rate than it did in the first third.

There’s a good creaminess that starts off the final third, sometimes just softening the robust change from the second third, other times cresting over it for a bit until some black pepper emerges on the finish. It’s a dance of sensations that keep my taste buds engaged, as one flavor will step up, then another steps in front of it, then another comes along, almost as if three friends were having a spirited conversation. Unfortunately, the toasty spin on the flavor has turned almost exclusively to a burnt, charred taste in two of the cigars, and while I can’t tell if it’s the cigars themselves or my reaction to the changes, it seems the change is more pronounced with each cigar. The final puffs continue the building of flavor intensity and also begin to elicit some irritation from my eyes. The three cigars vary in their flavor intensities, as one is medium, one is medium-plus and one is close to full. Body is right around medium and strength is just creeping out of mild. Construction has been very good, with plenty of smoke, an even burn line, and a smooth draw.

Final Notes

• You can hear Glen Case talk about the Tres Compadres line in a video from the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show floor.

• I have long said that the back of the band is good real estate that manufacturers and brands can use to engage with their customers. In this case, it was a fitting space for Glen Case to pay one more tribute to his friends and the inspirations behind the Tres Compadres line:
• On the one cigar with the poorly applied cap, once I cut it off, I noticed some small divots of tobacco in the head. I might have cut it off as part of the cap clipping process, but it definitely wasn’t a smooth plane of tobacco.
• Brooks Whittington reviewed Kristoff’s two other new cigars from the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show, the Kristoff Nicaragua and the Kristoff PCA 2023 Signature Series.
• The change that the profile goes through in the second half is the one that really caught my attention. It was interesting and enjoyable in the first cigar, but I found myself not enjoying it as much in the other two, even though the experience was more or less the same.
• Tabacalera von Eicken S.R.L. is the factory that was formerly referred to as the Charles Fairmorn factory, though the Von Eicken name has been in use well before Kristoff started referring to it as such. A quick search shows that Kristoff made the change in mid-2023, whereas Epic referred to it dating back to 2016.
• None of the three cigars hit me with much in the way of nicotine strength, but when the flavor profile hits its most intense marks in the final third, it does leave quite a lingering finish in my throat.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was two hours and 10 minutes on average.
• Site sponsor Famous Smoke Shop carries the Kristoff Tres Compadres Toro.