The Don Emmanuel Sun Toro is the brighter half of the Don Emmanuel Sun & Moon pairing and, based on my experience with the Moon, I was interested to see just how differently the Sun would perform. Where the Moon offered a darker and more robust expression, the Sun presents itself with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper and a profile intended to showcase the lighter side of the pairing.
The Sun Toro measures 6 1/2 × 50 and carries an MSRP of $25.00. The Sun and Moon were released together in limited-edition boxes containing seven of each cigar, with production limited to 777 numbered boxes.
For this review, I sampled the Don Emmanuel Sun Toro, which has the following blend:
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 1/2 × 50
Factory: Tabacalera Díaz Cabrera – Dominican Republic
MSRP: $25.00
Box: 14 cigars — 7 Sun / 7 Moon
Pre-Light Examination
The Don Emmanuel Sun Toro presented with a smooth, medium-tan wrapper displaying a few noticeable veins and a decent oily sheen. It was nicely packed from head to foot and finished with a well-applied cap. Running the cigar along the nose revealed inviting notes of sweet baking spice along the barrel, while the foot offered an interesting combination of butter and spice.
The Don Emmanuel Sun is dressed with an elegant band using a black, metallic gold and warm copper-orange color scheme. The upper portion features a deep black field bordered in metallic gold. Centered prominently is the Don Emmanuel emblem—a stylized profile of a crowned man, rendered in white and gold. Directly beneath it, DON EMMANUEL appears in large white serif lettering.
Across the center is a broad copper-orange panel that immediately distinguishes the Sun expression. SUN is centered in understated white lettering and flanked by two circular gold accents. The orange field has a lightly textured appearance that catches the light nicely. A narrow black section along the bottom carries LIMITED EDITION in widely spaced lettering, completing a clean and appropriately upscale presentation. Additionally, an orange satin footer band is applied.
I straight-cut the cap at the shoulder and took a few cold-draw puffs. The draw was excellent and immediately added to my anticipation as notes of black pepper and sweet candied fruit flowed across the palate.
With the pre-light examination complete, it was time to see what the Sun had to offer.
The Smoking Experience
First Third
I decided to go old school and used a proper cigar stick match to slowly warm the foot to an even orange glow. The first puffs delivered a healthy dose of peppery smoke, particularly through the nose. A light grey ash began forming above a medium-thick char line as the cigar produced a full volume of smoke. Meanwhile, a pleasant sweet tobacco aroma wafted from the foot.
Behind the opening pepper was an underlying bitter note that provided some contrast to the initial profile. As the burn progressed through the first inch, a graham cracker note developed. This brought a welcome sweetness to the palate and began balancing the early pepper and bitterness.
Second Third
Moving into the second third, fruit notes joined the profile while the ash continued to hold remarkably tight. At the same time, the aroma coming from the foot transitioned from sweet tobacco toward a pleasant sweet nut character.
By the midway point, the fruit intensified, creating a decidedly mouthwatering experience. The ash finally dropped in a huge solid chunk, revealing an excellent and well-formed burn cone. Construction up to this point had been impressive, with the cigar requiring no attention to keep the burn moving properly.
Deeper into the second third, spice began working its way into the mix, adding another layer to the increasingly fruity profile. Toward the end of the second third, a mild bitterness returned, providing some contrast as the cigar prepared to enter its final stage. Through most of the first two thirds, the Don Emmanuel Sun maintained a solid medium strength.
Final Third
Moving into the final third, the spice increased noticeably, becoming the dominant component of the profile as the earlier fruit and sweetness receded. At the same time, the strength continued to build, eventually settling into the medium-to-full range.
I enjoyed the Don Emmanuel Sun Toro for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Final Analysis
The Don Emmanuel Sun Toro delivered an enjoyable progression rather than remaining locked into a single flavor profile. The early pepper and slight bitterness gave way to graham cracker sweetness, followed by an increasingly pronounced fruit component and a pleasant sweet-nut aroma. The spice then returned deeper into the cigar before taking greater control in the final third.
From a construction standpoint, this cigar performed particularly well. The draw was excellent from the cold draw onward, smoke production was full, the ash held for an impressive stretch, and when it finally dropped it revealed an excellent burn cone. I experienced no significant burn problems or need for touch-ups.
The occasional bitterness keeps me from pushing the flavor score into the very top tier, particularly when it reappeared toward the end of the second third. Still, it worked reasonably well as a counterpoint to the sweeter graham cracker and fruit notes.
At $25.00, the Don Emmanuel Sun sits firmly in the premium price category, but it backs that up with excellent construction, a changing flavor profile and 90 minutes of smoking time. For me, this is a cigar worth smoking again, particularly to explore whether the occasional bitter edges smooth out with some additional humidor time. The Don Emmanuel Sun and Moon make an interesting pair. The Sun isn’t simply a milder version of the Moon; it delivers its own journey built around pepper, graham cracker, fruit, sweet nut and an increasingly spicy finish. This is an excellent cigar to start the day with a cup of joe.
