Carlos Torano Noventa Santiago (JAN 07)

Size: 5″ x 50

Vitola: Robusto

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Origin: Nicaragua

Age: ~1.5 years

From the Vault: This cigar was made to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of… something. I forget actually. I should look it up and erase this later, but I’m feeling kinda lazy…

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Carlos Torano 1916 Cameroon Toro

Size: 6″ x 50

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Cameroon

Origin: Honduras

Age: 2 months

One of my favorite blends! The Carlos Torano 1916 Cameroon! The robusto is probably my favorite of the line, but this review today is for the Toro.

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Carlos Torano Virtuoso Toro

Size: 6″ x 50

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown

Origin: Honduras

Age: 2 months

The Carlos Torano Virtuoso Toro is not a size I found on the website’s list of sizes, I think it’s unique to the sampler I received from CAO/Torano (thanks again guys!).

The Virtuoso is one of Torano’s newer lines and is certainly billed as their strongest (next in line would probably would be the Noventa).

This Toro is a meaty, beefy looking cigar.  It’s dark, the wrapper is thick with some veins, it just looks like a bully of a cigar.

I punched the cigar, and the pre-light draw gave me no indication there would be any draw problems.  The cigar takes a little bit to light, and the burn sometimes get a little off, but not too bad.

Not only does the cigar look meaty but it kind of tastes meaty.  There is a flavor in this smoke that’s reminiscent of a char-broiled hamburger.  It’s also a very rich cigar that is earthy and peppery.

The strength is present in some of the pepper notes but there is also a “ninja strength”, one that is not so in your face, but you feel it!

In the latter half the burn really fixes itself and is dead even and the cigar gives off tons of smoke.

This cigar is certainly not for everyone.  It reminds me a lot of a Joya de Nicaragua Antano with a bit more flavor.

Rating: B (87)

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Carlos Torano Signature Toro

Size: 6″ x 50

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Sun Grown Brazilian Maduro

Origin: Honduras

Age: 2 months

Ah, the Carlos Torano Signature.  I’ve tried this cigar several times and I really want to like but I just haven’t been able to.  Will this Toro change my mind?

This cigar has a particularly oily reddish wrapper that is very firm to the touch.  It looks good enough…

The pre-light draw is nice and easy.  After I light it, I am enveloped in a cloud of smoke.  The cigar yields a nice big ash.  I love a nice big ash.  Plus the burn is dead even.  So the construction seems good enough…

Here’s were I’ve been tripped up before, flavor and taste.  This Toro tastes leathery and woody.  There is also an undercurrent of earth throughout.  But there is sourness on the finish I just can’t get past. Normally I would give the cigar the benefit of the doubt and chock it up to youth.  But after trying this cigar several times, I think it’s just in the blend and not a youth issue.

So in summary, the cigar looks great and is rolled well, I just can’t really get into the flavor of these cigars.  The Signatures are very popular cigars though, so I know a lot of people like them, just not me.   Thanks again to the folks at CAO and Torano for letting me try their products.

Rating: 75 (C)

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Carlos Torano Exodus 1959 Toro

Size: 6″ x 50

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Honduran Habano Maduro

Origin: Honduras

Age: a month in the humidor

The Carlos Torano Exodus 1959 was an immensely popular cigar during its debut and has retained a loyal following since.   This particular toro has a rich-looking dark brown reddish wrapper with few visible veins and a satiny sheen.

It took a punch well and the pre-light draw is just fine.  Even though this is a tightly box-pressed cigar, it still draws great and yields tons of smoke.

There is a spiciness and pepperiness on the middle of tongue with this cigar.  It is also woody with a rich earthiness.  There is also a little bit of coffee bean here and there.  I also picked up a touch of leather touch on the palate with a super long finish good cigar.  It is also a little dry.

The burn did canoe a few times but the cigar corrected itself.

This is a pretty good cigar that has been hit or miss for me in the past.  Thanks again to the folks at CAO & Torano for letting me try their products!

Rating: 86 (B)

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Carlos Torano Exodus Silver Series Toro

Size: 6″ x 50

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Honduran Criollo

Origin: Honduras

Age: Fresh

The Carlos Torano Exodus Silver is a very interesting blend.  In fact I would go as far to say that there is not a cigar out there that tastes like this cigar. This blend is one of the more unique blends that I can recall.  Guys that smoke mostly Cuban have often commented that they like this cigar.  I think there is some of the cigar’s earthiness that is similar to what you get in some Habanos.

This particular Toro has a darker brown wrapper than what I seen in this cigar before.  Aside from that the wrapper is not veiny and is very oily.

After a light, I find that the cigar draws well, but is a little too tight for a punch, so I clip off the head instead.

As I make my way through the cigar I notice that it burns fairly even and holds a firm ash.  The stick is medium in strength but full in body.

Throughout the smoke I pick up toasted nuts and a woodiness that is the unique part of the blend, kinda like hickory.   There is not a lot of spice but this is a good full-flavored cigar.  Some of the guys I know love to age these, so I may have try putting one away for a while.

Thanks again to CAO & Torano for the opportunity to try this cigar.

Rating: 89 (B+)

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Carlos Torano Casa Torano Maduro Toro (SEP 08)

Size: 6″ x 50

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Origin: Honduras

Age: 1 month

Thanks again to the folks at CAO/Carlos Torano for the opportunity to try their products.

The Casa Torano Maduro Toro is not as pretty as its Connecticut-wrapped brother. This is a rougher looking cigar; it has a crinkly veins dark black wrapper with some water spots.

It is firm to the touch but after lighting it has a nice draw with a decent amount of smoke and an even burn which is great for a CBL wrapped cigar.

One thing I really like about this cigar is that it has a nice aroma, which is very rich and aromatic.

I pick up quite a few flavors as I smoke; it is earthy and leathery with a slight sweetness. There are some metallic notes to the finish which is pretty long.

I’d like to try this cigar in the lancero size (which it is available in), I think this tasty wrapper could be showcases well in that size.

Rating: 87 (B)

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Carlos Torano Casa Torano Toro (SEP 08)

Size: 6″ x 50

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Origin: Honduras

Age: Fresh

Thanks to the folks at CAO/Torano for letting me try some of their products.

The Casa Torano Toro is a very good looking cigar, darker than the normal Connecticut Shade wrapped cigar. This makes sense as the wrapper is grown in Ecuador and they cannot grow Connecticut Shade under the shade. In Ecuador it must be grown under full sun.

By the appearance alone, it is no surprise that this is a smooth, creamy cigar. This silky toro is mild in strength but medium in body. As I smoke this, I get rich notes of wood and toasted nuts. There is some white chocolate and coffee notes on the finish which is long.

The cigar has a nice even burn (that did get off a couple of times) and a great draw. The finish is nice and long rich with cream and coffee.

If you like mild cigars with full flavor, you should definitely give this a try.

Rating: 88 (B+)

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Carlos Torano Exodus 1959 Perfecto

Size:  5 ¾” x 50

Vitola:  Perfecto

Wrapper:  Honduran Habano 2000 Maduro

Origin: Honduras

From the Vault:   No date given as this was pre-labeling.

This is an oddly thin box-pressed perfecto.  This is another of the CT line I just can’t get in to.

The burn is uneven as hell.  This is no shock as this is a Habano 2000 wrapper and these things are flame retardant.

As far as taste is concerned I pick up some leather and wood.  But this cigar has a heavy acidic quality that makes the whole thing taste sour.

Halfway down there is a touch of spice.  It is kind of a cumin spice or something like that…

The burn gets worse and worse as I smoke, eventually between the burn and the flavor, I just have to toss this cigar.

Rating: 65 (D)

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Carlos Torano Signature Perfecto (JUN 2004)

Size:  5″ x 51

Vitola: Perfecto

Wrapper:  Brazilian Maduro

Origin: Dominican Republic

From the Vault: As you can tell, I’m hitting the Vault a lot this week as I gotta make room for all of the new stuff coming in!

I have never really liked this cigar, but I figured after considerable time aging it would be more enjoyable.

It features a Brazilian Maduro wrapper, and after clipping, it had a very easy draw.  This is not good as it may allow for it to heat up to quickly and go harsh.

Flavors are mostly woody with a touch of pepper.  The aroma has that typical “barnyard” smell that accompanies Brazilian tobacco.  And as expected the cigar is getting too hot.

So to keep tabs on why I don’t like this cigar: I don’t really like the taste and the construction was not suitable.  Time in the Vault did not help this disappointing stick one bit.

Rating: 75 (C)

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