The Particulars

The Review

This review for the Lampert Baba Yaga - Toro (6 x 52) is based on the journal entry dated 2026-07-14

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Good (3)

Much like Baba Yaga in Slavic folklore, not much is known about the actual blending details of this cigar. All we know is it has an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that looks to be Sun Grown, given its warm, orangey chocolate-brown hue that features a good sheen, nice mottling, and a light tooth. The visible veins are thin and mostly smooth, while the seams and triple cap are clean and tight. It’s a little bumpy from the binder layer, but it has a nice firmness to it. The Tabacos de Costa Rica factory seems to have great consistency in the quality of their rolls. The single band is a nice copper and black combination that accentuates the natural color of the wrapper leaf.​

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Good (3) / Good (3)

The draw is spot-on with my punch, and the burn starts cleanly. Unfortunately, it’s a wet and humid day, which results in an almost immediate relight. That relight resulted in overcooking the foot just a little, causing the binder to rupture and the ash to split into a Y-shape. But Baba Yaga’s house had chicken feet, so I guess it’s only fitting that this cigar’s ash does, too! 😅 The ash itself is a light gray with wide striations and cracks that holds well through the first third before falling with a satisfying thud.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Excellent (5)

Baking spice, slight pepper, dark rye bread, charred cedar, and a very mild sweetness start this cigar off. There’s a really nice, balanced mix of nutmeg, honey, cedar, earth, and toasted breadiness that makes it dark, dry, spicy, and sweet all at once. There are hints of coffee and dark chocolate, but they’re definitely minor to start. There’s a mild, dry, powdery malted milk creaminess on the finish that hits exactly like Ovaltine.

The second third brings an increase in spice while retaining the core qualities of the blend from the first third. I’m enjoying this, but I’m feeling like I just want a little more. Lampert promised a cigar that brings “complexity and character,” and while this cigar has that, it feels like it’s falling just short of knocking it out of the park. Maybe I need a little more honey sweetness, or spice, or some more chocolate and coffee. Don’t get me wrong, this is really good, but it just falls short of getting me fully in my feelings. But then, just past the midway point, a mustiness appears while the black pepper and coffee increase in intensity. This is good, but I’m also getting a little anise bitterness and extra harshness at the back of my throat from it. Then again, when Baba Yaga makes a deal, it always comes at a steep price.

The final third sees an increase in that dry, malted milk creamy finish, while the pepper finally recedes. The rye breadiness swaps with more toasted cedar, while the baking spice holds at a solid medium-plus with more nutmeg and cinnamon. The promised complexity is definitely delivered in the second half of the cigar as the transitions take over. There’s one last quick blast of pepper in the final inch before it returns to an earthy mix of heavy baking spice and rye bread, wrapped in a mild sweetness.

Overall Experience (0-5):  Excellent (5)

About halfway through, I was a bit worried this cigar was going to fall short of the promised “complexity and character” befitting the Baba Yaga name. But it came through in the end, even if there were some trade-offs and it never fully delivered all of its great flavors at the exact same time. It’s occasionally slightly bitter and harsh, but ultimately delivers an enjoyable and complex blend. This cigar absolutely lives up to the reputation of its namesake.

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.