Kristoff Corojo Limitada Staff Review
Previously, I’ve reviewed Kristoff Vengeance and Pistoff by Kristoff, and today I’m smoking Kristoff Corojo Limitada in a 6.5-by-56 Matador. The Corojo Limitada blend scored a high rating and was ranked in the ‘Top 25 Cigars of the Year’ by the critics in Cigar Aficionado back in 2012. More than a decade later, Corojo Limitada remains a bestseller in the value-based portfolio of Kristoff cigars. Let’s fire one up and find out how it smokes today.
The blend is named for its Corojo-seed wrapper, which is grown in Nicaragua from Cuban seeds. Underneath it is a well-aged marriage of Dominican and Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. Like most other Kristoff cigars, Corojo Limitada features a pigtail on the cap and a closed foot. The blend comes in a basic wooden box of twenty cigars packed on a bed of loose tobacco. Kristoff cigars retail in the vicinity of ten bucks apiece, but you can find boxes of them on sale for a sizeable discount in our regular rotation of Holt’s deals throughout the week. I’ve smoked plenty of Kristoff cigars while I’m manning the grill in my backyard when I need a casual cigar to puff on with a cold beer.
When I pull a Matador from a fresh box of Corojo Limitada cigars, a strong aroma of leather, tobacco, and earth permeates the air. While packing loose tobacco around the cigars seems like it’s for visual effect, I think it enhances their cold aroma. It also ensures stability during shipping. The Matador is a substantial cigar at over 6 inches long with a 56-ring gauge.
The reddish-brown wrapper glistens with a few noticeable veins, and the cigar’s closed foot encapsulates its oily aroma more aggressively. You can cut a pigtail cigar a few different ways, but I prefer to slice it with my guillotine cutter to ensure a clean and easy draw. Kristoff Corojo Limitada tastes of cedar, mesquite, and anise when I first puff a few cold draws. The cigar appears well made and shows no soft spots when I perform a quick pinch test from head to foot.
Plenty of spice courses through my nasal cavity and over my palate as soon as I light up Kristoff Corojo Limitada, mostly due to the cigar’s closed foot. Because you’re getting a disproportionate dose of wrapper leaf in the initial draws from a cigar with a closed foot, the taste and aroma start off with more intensity, but the effect doesn’t last too long.
Hearty notes of leather and soy sauce come into play over the first five minutes, but mesquite and wood dominate the profile with hints of black licorice. Kristoff Corojo Limitada isn’t mild. It’s medium-plus, but because it’s not too expensive, it’s not a bad cigar to experiment with to see if you can handle something with more kick. Throughout the first half, the draw is impeccable, and the ash has been stable for the most part. The cigar’s sweetness lingers but stays in the background.
The Matador burns nice and slow, producing ample clouds of smoke as I navigate the second half. The flavor doesn’t change dramatically but the spice intensifies a good bit, especially through the nose while the cigar maintains a creamy texture from its thicker ring gauge. Woody and peppery draws layer my palate as I peel the band off and smoke through the nub. Kristoff Corojo Limitada lasts past an hour in the Matador size. Hints of plum and hickory contribute complexity to the cigar’s overall profile of leather and mesquite before the final inch expires. Kristoff Corojo Limitada is fair game if you’re looking for a stronger, budget-friendly cigar, but I recommend eating a meal before smoking it to be safe. If you’re just getting into Kristoff cigars, add the Kristoff Robusto Assortment to your next order and sample eight different Kristoff blends, including Corojo Limitada.
