The Particulars

The Review

This review for the Lampert Limitada 2026 - Toro (Box Press) (6 x 54) is based on the journal entry dated 2026-08-31

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

We have a really good-looking Ecuadorian Connecticut here. It’s a warm, light tannish brown with the distinct look of aged leather. There’s a minor sheen to it, alongside some light mottling and color variation, but it is velvety soft and smooth. The handful of thin veins are flattened by the box press, which turns the cigar into a square shape with sharp corners. But oof, this wrapper feels so nice in the hand! Nice firmness, tight seams, a clean cap—everything looks great. The only real aesthetic change between the 2025 and 2026 Limitada, aside from the wrapper, is that the foot band on the 2026 is inverted to be gold with black stripes.

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Average (2) / Great (4)

The draw is slightly loose without much resistance, but the burn starts cleanly. It always feels like one or the other can be an issue with a box press, but at least it’s not both. The burn quickly settles into a beautifully crisp line that is even and almost dead-flat. The ash is closer to a medium gray with shallow, widely spaced, large cracks. There are a couple of loose flakes here and there, but it’s largely a beautiful and well-controlled burn that holds well past the first third before I safely roll it off into the tray. Smoke production is thick and white; this is the perfect cigar for sending up smoke signals or doing trick puffs.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Great (4)

Very dry and spicy cedar notes kick things off, joined by a little bit of red and white pepper, earth, and a citrusy lemon zest. The pepper starts to build, and it’s an all-around mix hitting the sinuses, throat, soft palate, tongue, and lips. There is some light baking spice and bits of cinnamon. The cedar starts to shift slightly toward graham cracker and cornflakes, while the creaminess ramps up with a buttery sweetness. We’re off to a pretty good start.

The second third brings in a slight uptick in the blend. It’s nicely balanced, and while there’s a decent amount of pepper in the mix, it’s not overloading the palate. But I feel like we are missing some complexity here. Those normal lighter notes—cedar, cornflakes, and light hay—are present, alongside earth, bits of leather, and a light exotic spice. It closes with a lemon citrus sweetness that leads into a moderately rich but very thick creamy finish. If you like a thick and chewy Connecticut, this is your huckleberry.

But I feel like we’ve been here before. This is a good blend, but I’m feeling like I want a little more, especially considering this is a medium-full strength cigar. You know how movie fans get caught up in the debate over reboot vs. remake? This is a remake. I’m getting all the same typical characters, plot lines, and tropes of the tried-and-true Connecticut, just with the current industry trend of adding more pepper and spice to the mix. Coffee and chocolate are missing—not that they are always present in a Connecticut blend—but more breadiness and the addition of honey or caramel in the sweetness really could have elevated it.

The final third continues in the same way with a slight decrease in pepper, a little bump in sweetness, and more buttery creaminess. But then, right in the very last inch, the red pepper hits hard, numbing the tongue and lips. Overall, I’m a little disappointed there aren’t more complexity or transitions in the blend, but this is still a very good Connecticut, though not quite the best out there. Strength does seem to get up to that medium-full level at the end as well, but ultimately I think this remake goes with a light cast of characters in the flavor profile, which makes it difficult to flesh out the most compelling story you can have for a Connecticut. However, big props for absolutely no harshness or bitter mineral notes like I sometimes get from other Ecuadorian Connecticut wrappers. Even with all the pepper, this bad boy is incredibly smooth!

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

Connecticut purists may clutch their pearls over a medium-plus Connecticut, especially one that heavily introduces pepper as part of the main cast and not a supporting role. This is a good blend, but it doesn’t come together in a way that blows me away. And as a result, it feels like it’s treading over some of the same ground we’ve covered with other newer Connecticuts as the latest trend seems to be adding more body and spice, just at a higher price. Considering there are other Ecuadorian Connecticuts out there for a lower price I find more enjoyable—Lampert’s own Continental 52 being among the top of that list—I would be hard-pressed to advocate for the Limitada at full price or going right in for a box. But if you’re somebody who usually passes over Connecticut blends for something with a little more robustness, or if you’re a massive Lampert fan with FOMO, then it’s worth grabbing a couple to test the waters. Maybe 2027 will bring a reboot instead of another sequel?

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.