Man O’ War Virtue Toro Cigar Review

Buy the Man O’ War Virtue at Famous Smoke Shop

• Size: 6.0″ x 50 (Toro)
• MSRP: $200.00 (box of 22); $9.00 for a single
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sungrown
• Binder: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed
• Filler: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed and Honduran ligero
• Body: Medium / Medium Full
• Strength: Medium
• Humidor Time Prior to Review: 9 months
• Cigars Smoked Prior to Review: 3
• Source: Purchased with Personal Funds
• Date Smoked: September 8, 2018

Continuing on with my review of the original Man O’ War and the Man O’ War Ruination, today we are going to check out the Man O’ War Virtue. This is the milder, more chilled out cousin of the Man O’ War. It’s supposed to provide plenty of flavor, but offer something a little lighter in body and strength.

Wrapped in a Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper, this will be the first Connecticut or “Connie” blend I review on the site. Generally speaking Connie wrappers are associated with milder cigars, while my preferences is for more of a medium to full bodied cigar. But the wrapper alone doesn’t determine how a cigar tastes. Lets dive into the review and see how this one smokes.

Appearance and Pre-Light Aromas

As I’ve come to expect from anything rolled under the watch of A.J. Fernandez, the Virtue is a beautiful cigar. The camel colored wrapper is fine and smooth. Little to no tooth, and soft like a pair of thin leather gloves. The veins are tiny and hardly noticeable, while the seams are tight and near invisible. The cigar feels a little light for its size, but the pack is even and firm. Topping things off is a double cap.

Smelling the wrapper yields hay, barnyard, caramel, and a touch of leather. From the foot I get more hay and barnyard. Good earthy aromas.

I gently clip the cap and take a test draw. I don’t get a whole lot honestly. A little cedar. I start toasting.

First Third

Start time is 5:15 P.M.

The first puff is peppery. It lingers on my tongue and lips. The second draw brings forth cream, nuts, light cedar, graham cracker, and a potent blast of pepper. The peppery start is a surprise given the Connecticut shade wrapper, but on the other hand this is a Man O’ War we are smoking. In that sense the Virtue consistent with the regular MOW and the Ruination.

5 minutes in and the cigar is burning quickly. Half an inch or so of light gray ash is forming. The burn line is a little wavy at the moment, but not needing a correction.

I’m getting a little sweetness out of the cigar, and also a light coffee. The aroma is a fragrant, dessert like in its sweetness.

I hear thunder in the distance. Not this bullshit again. It’s a beautiful sunny day. Pale blue skies and fluffy white clouds. It’s actually a little cool. 85 and very comfortable in the shade. I just need it to stay that way for another hour or so. I started this review a little later in the day due to a home improvement project I did to one of my rentals. Hasn’t rained at all today.

Back to the Virtue. It’s creamy and smooth. A little chocolate, a little coffee, caramel, and some nuts. Still getting a good whack of pepper, so I haven’t been retrohaling it much, but smoking it normally has been a nice experience on its own. I retrohale a little smoke. Lots of pepper, but you also get a strong cedar as well.

So far the Virtue is delivering on its promise of a milder smoke, but still flavorful. I’d peg it at medium bodied actually. Quite a bit going on here. I’m getting a faint leather now. It’s subtle. Toasty elements have developed too. And the pepper has fallen off a cliff at the 20 minute mark. There is a little pepper, but nothing like before. This is a lot like the other MOW blends I’ve smoked. Pepper seems to start out strong, and then drops off early.

The cedar is transitioning to a mild citrus. Light, airy, like a sweet grapefruit. The ash drops off in the ash tray rather than my lap. Sometime it’s the little things.

I enjoy watching this cigar burn. The wrapper is a wonderful light tan, producing a stark contrast with the burn line. Tons of resting smoke drifts from the ash.

Here is a flavor update: cream, light coffee, light roasted nuts, caramel, citrus, cedar, some delicate floral flavors, and a tiny amount of pepper. Really nice.

Second Third

Smoke time is 30 minutes. We are cruising along with this toro.

I get up and look behind the house to see what this rumbling thunder is about. The eastern horizon is a wall of cloud, but only some are gray and they may pass north of us. Lets hope so. So far this Virtue has been a great smoke, and I think it’s my last one on hand. 9 months of age have been good to it.

The cedar and citrus have morphed into more of an Earl Gray tea flavor. Bergamot. It plays nicely with the cream and sweet notes of this cigar.

Cicadas buzz around me. A gentle breeze stirs the contents of my ash tray. The aroma of the cigar is like sweet coffee.

Body has dipped down to a mild medium. Complexity has pulled back a little too. I’m getting some nicotine here, and can especially feel it when I stand to take a picture. Nothing overwhelming, but it’s present and palpable.

The tea / citrus / cedar element is currently the strongest. Now it’s moving back to more of a citrus; orange. Toast, graham cracker, and caramel support it. Plenty of cream on the front of the palate. The pepper has all but left the retrohale. I’m now free unbuckle my seatbelt, roam about the cabin, and retrohale an entire puff without my eyes watering of breaking out into a sneezing fit. Now the retrohale is mostly citrus and mild cedar.

I don’t want to jinx myself, but so far the burn has been completely trouble free. The burn line may waver slightly, but it self corrects. This is how it should be. You light a cigar once and put away your torch. To me that is part of a truly excellent cigar smoking experience.

An inch or so of ash gently bumps off into the ash tray in a solid chunk. Another good sign. Very nice.

We are well over half way through and the smoke is still creamy. The floral notes from earlier have returned giving the cigar a highly aromatic quality. This cigar may be on the mild side of medium, but it’s still got plenty of flavor and good transitions. To illustrate my point, coffee picks back up in the next puff. The body also ticks back up to solid medium territory.

We are fast approaching the band and the final third.

The Final Third

Smoke time is at 55 minutes.

The band is beginning to singe. It pulls away easily. All that remains are a few inches of fawn colored tobacco. Although cream and cedar are still present, with each puff coffee ticks up higher and higher into the flavor profile.

A light spiciness is returning. Old black pepper, and some baking spices move across my tongue. Nothing mind altering, but nice to see it return in this final act.

The burn line is getting a little wonky. Perhaps because of this impending storm system. The other Virtues I have smoked all had great burn qualities. Not sure if this will need a correction, but we shall see.

Coffee has backed off, and a sweet, jam like fruitiness is developing. It reminds me of apricot preserves. I decide to help the wavy burn along with a minor correction as the smoke output has dipped slightly. The ash flakes and falls away. A nice nuttiness is developing. Tons of smoke runs off the foot of the cigar.

Our cat stares at me through the window in the back door. It’s almost 6:30. Close to dinner time, and he leaves the door to pace impatiently in the living room.

Now coffee returns in the battle for first fiddle in the flavor orchestra. Everything is smooth and balanced. The smoke is cool. The finish is a long lingering plain tobacco, while the aroma has taken on sweet and spicy profile. A little of that spice is still present on the draw and lingers softly on my tongue.

A long rumbling thunder cracks overhead. We are going to be experiencing a significant electrical storm soon. Hopefully after I finish up my Virtue. We are at the hour and 15 minute mark and still have a good 2 inches to go.

Creamy coffee and caramel with a mild spicy finish. It stays that way for a good while, but at the hour and 20 minute mark leather makes its presence known. I got a little from the wrapper, and a tiny amount in the first third, but at this point we are getting a genuine leather flavor that is pretty strong, and a welcome addition to the final inch and a half of the cigar. It’s a treat for the patient smoker who is willing to take this one to the end.

I’m still getting some cedar and citrus. That continues to mix in with the coffee and leather. A little spice remains present as well.

With an inch or so left, the smoke is still cool. The nub is growing slightly squishy. Overhead the skies rumble ominously.

On the flavor front, some earthiness is finding its way in, lending a darker profile to the cigar. Not bitter, and still smooth, but it’s a sign that we are nearing the end. Plenty of coffee, some light cedar, a little leather and pepper.

At an hour and 35 minutes the smoke begins to grow warm. I’m going to end the review here, but you can keep going for a good 15 minutes if you wanted to.

Man O’ War Virtue Review – Final Thoughts

The Virtue is something of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Don’t let the light wrapper fool you. This is a cigar smoker’s cigar. Plenty of flavor, decent complexity, and good transitions paired with exceptional construction and burn qualities. This is a stick both novices and experienced smokers will enjoy. And there is some strength here as well. Not as much as the MOW or Ruination, but I’m feeling relaxed after taking this one down.

I prefer the original Man O’ War over the Virtue, but I might like this one a little more than the Ruination. They are all good and showcase A.J.’s exceptional talent as a blender and manufacturer. There is a reason why this brand sells so well. These are all great cigars.

The price is also hard to ignore. You can easily find these for around $6 a stick, and occasionally the big online retailers will put this one on deep discount. Even at $6 you can’t go wrong, but if you find these below $4 you have yourself a hell of a cigar for the money.

Final Score: 4 out of 5, or a solid “1” on my 0-2 scale (I’d buy it again)

Final Smoke time: 1 hour 35 minutes.

I recommend purchasing the Man O’ War at Famous Smoke Shop. Please consider that purchasing things through any of the links on this website, including Amazon.com, helps support the website and keeps it going. Any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.