601 Blue 20th Anniversary Oval Toro (6.25x 56) Box of 10

601 Blue 20th Anniversary Oval Toro Specifications

• Brand: Espinosa Premium Cigars
• Line: 601 Blue Maduro 20th Anniversary
• Size: 6.25″ x 56 (retailer-listed)
• Shape: Oval-Pressed Toro
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: AJ Fernandez San Lotano Factory, Ocotal
• Strength: Medium-Full to Full
• Flavor Profile: Espresso, Dark Cocoa, Earth, Black Pepper, Roasted Wood, Natural Sweetness
• Release: 2026 20th Anniversary
• Packaging: Box of 10 Cigars

601 Blue 20th Anniversary – Twenty Years of Connecticut Broadleaf

Back in 2006, the cigar business looked a little different. Ring gauges weren’t quite as ridiculous as they are today, boutique brands were starting to gain serious attention, and Erik Espinosa was busy building something that would eventually become one of his most recognizable cigars.

The 601 Blue.

Fast-forward twenty years. Different times, different factories, and plenty of changes throughout the industry. Yet the 601 Blue Maduro is still standing. That alone tells you something about the tobacco.

For the 20th anniversary, Espinosa decided to give this old favorite a little attention. Not by completely reinventing the blend or covering the box with unnecessary decorations. Instead, the company introduced a special Oval Toro, bringing together the familiar Connecticut Broadleaf and Nicaraguan tobacco combination in a shape you don’t see every day.

The result is a cigar that looks different before you’ve even cut the cap.

And underneath that wrapper? The kind of dark, full-flavored tobacco that made 601 Blue a name worth remembering.

Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro – Dark, Heavy, and Full of Character

There’s a reason Connecticut Broadleaf keeps showing up on some of the better maduro cigars.

It’s not particularly pretty tobacco. The leaves are thick, the veins can be noticeable, and the finished wrapper often has a rugged appearance. Some are almost black. Others carry a deep chocolate-brown color with a little reddish tint when the light hits them just right.

But looks aren’t everything.

Properly grown and fermented Broadleaf can produce remarkable tobacco flavors. Dark earth, natural sweetness, roasted coffee, and an almost cocoa-like richness. That’s why cigar makers continue working with it despite the challenges involved in growing and processing the leaf.

The 601 Blue 20th Anniversary stays true to that tradition.

A Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper covers a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan long-fillers. No long list of exotic tobaccos from half a dozen countries. Just a proven combination of two very different growing regions.

The Broadleaf provides richness. Nicaragua brings the backbone.

Get those two working together properly, and you’ve got yourself a serious cigar.

601 Blue 20th Anniversary Flavor Profile – Espresso, Cocoa, and Black Pepper

The cigar carries the dark, roasted personality that made the original 601 Blue popular.

Espresso and earthy tobacco are prominent parts of the profile. There’s some black pepper in the mix, bringing a little sharpness to the heavier notes. Depending on the palate, roasted cocoa and a touch of wood can round out the flavor.

Then you’ve got that Broadleaf sweetness.

It isn’t the kind that makes the cigar taste artificially flavored. Nothing like that. More of a natural richness, somewhere between dark chocolate and caramelized sugar, balancing the earthier side of the Nicaraguan tobacco.

As the cigar develops, the different flavors have room to move around. Coffee can become more noticeable. Pepper may settle down for a while. The darker tobacco character remains the foundation.

A little nuttiness wouldn’t be out of place here, either.

The finish is rich, with roasted tobacco, lingering spice, and enough depth to satisfy someone who appreciates a proper maduro.

It’s not a cigar built around mild, delicate flavors.

Nor should it be.

An Oval-Pressed Toro – Something You Don’t See Very Often

Here’s where things get interesting.

Most cigars are either round or traditionally box-pressed. Nothing wrong with either shape. They’ve been around forever, and smokers know what to expect.

But an oval press? That’s something different.

Instead of the four distinct edges found on a conventional box-pressed cigar, the 601 Blue 20th Anniversary has a gently flattened, rounded body. Almost like somebody took a traditional Toro and carefully compressed it from opposite sides.

The result is a wider, somewhat flatter profile that feels different between your fingers.

It’s a good-looking shape, too.

Not because it’s covered in expensive-looking decorations or oversized bands. The shape itself is what makes it stand out. And when you’ve been selling and smoking cigars for years, something a little different catches your attention.

The oval press gives this anniversary release a recognizable identity without abandoning the traditional character of the 601 Blue.

Made in Nicaragua at AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano Factory

For this anniversary project, production takes place at AJ Fernandez’s San Lotano factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua.

It’s a factory with plenty of experience handling rich Nicaraguan tobacco and producing premium handmade cigars.

Making an oval-pressed cigar requires attention to the bunching, pressing, and final construction. You can’t simply put a regular Toro into a box and hope the shape comes out right. The filler needs to remain properly distributed, and the draw has to work with the finished dimensions.

That’s particularly important with a blend carrying this much character.

And while the unusual shape draws attention, it still comes down to the tobacco inside.

A beautiful cigar that doesn’t smoke properly isn’t much good to anybody.

Celebrating Twenty Years of 601 Blue

Think about how many cigar brands have disappeared over the last couple of decades.

Some came out swinging, got plenty of attention, and were gone before anyone really had a chance to remember them. Others changed their blends so many times that the original cigar became almost unrecognizable.

The 601 Blue has managed to stick around.

That doesn’t happen by accident.

Erik Espinosa built a following around flavorful, well-made premium cigars, and the Blue Maduro became an important part of that reputation. For longtime 601 smokers, the 20th Anniversary is a chance to revisit a familiar tobacco combination in a completely different format.

Introduced for 2026, this commemorative Oval Toro was developed as a limited release rather than another standard size added to the everyday lineup.

And boxes contain just 10 cigars.

A fitting presentation for a blend with twenty years of history behind it.

Who Should Smoke the 601 Blue 20th Anniversary?

If you’ve been smoking the original 601 Blue for years, this is an obvious one to take a look at.

Same tobacco heritage. A different shape. Something created to recognize a cigar that has survived two decades in an industry where nothing stays the same for very long.

It’s also worth considering if you’re a fan of Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrappers. Particularly the darker, earthier varieties that deliver plenty of coffee, cocoa, and pepper without relying entirely on strength.

Collectors may appreciate the anniversary packaging and unusual oval press. Others will simply want to see what the blend is like in this format.

Both are good reasons to be interested.

And while plenty of anniversary cigars come and go, the 601 Blue has something many commemorative releases don’t.

A twenty-year history behind the name.

The 601 Blue 20th Anniversary Oval Toro isn’t trying to rewrite the original blend’s history. It’s celebrating it. Dark Connecticut Broadleaf, rich Nicaraguan tobacco, and an unusual oval-pressed shape that makes this release something worth remembering.

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