Espinosa Crema No. 5 Toro Grande 6″ * 56

A wider, longer-format take on Espinosa’s Connecticut-wrapped Crema blend, the No. 5 Toro Grande sets a slower pace than the rest of the line.

Crema is the only Connecticut release in Espinosa’s catalog, using an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and long filler, all rolled at La Zona in Estelí, Nicaragua. The Toro Grande measures 6 by 56, the largest ring gauge in the lineup.

Expect cream and light wood up front, with soft coffee and citrus building through the middle, then settling into nuts and sweet cedar. The wider gauge tends to round the smoke and bring out the wrapper’s mellow side, with strength holding at mild to medium throughout the burn. The format suits an unhurried morning or a post-meal smoke.

Pairings: a cortado, aged white rum, or a Belgian witbier.