10. 601 White Label Toro
Espinosa Premium Cigars
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: La Zona Cigar Factory
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Length: 6 x 50
- MSRP: $4.80 (Boxes of 15, $72)
- Release Date: July 1, 2016
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Original Score: 91
In 2011, EO Brands introduced the 601 White as a replacement for the 601 Black, utilizing an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. That cigar lasted about a year, until EO Brands was dissolved and Erik Espinosa, one of the two original partners in the company, moved the 601 brand from the García family’s My Father Cigars S.A. to Espinosa’s own La Zona Cigar Factory.
However, this year brought a reinvention of the cigar, now named the 601 White Label. In addition, while the newest incarnation uses the same band, the blend is said the be different, albeit still an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Also different is the fact that this version is a Thompson Cigar Co. exclusive available in only three vitolas, all packaged in 15-count boxes: Robusto (5 x 50), Toro (6 x 50) and Churchill (7 x 50.)
Delicate and rich, the profile of the 601 White Label is full of notes of cedar, bread, coffee and nuts, along with a light but pervasive vanilla sweetness that bumps up the complexity of the profile whenever it appears. Throw in the excellent construction and a sub-$5 per stick price point, and it is easy to see why it landed where it did on our list. — Brooks Whittington.
