Carlos Torano Exodus 1959
Today’s review comes to you compliments of a grab bag Cigars Direct sent me. To quote the Torano website – This cigar commemorates the Exodus of expert Cuban cigar families and their impact on the cigar industry after the nationalization of all tobacco farms and cigar factories by the Cuban government in 1959. The Toraños were one of those families.
As you regular readers know, I usually don’t do much of an introduction when reviewing a cigar. I figure you came here for a review and not my silly banter. So keeping with that, I paired up with a glass of water and got to the review.
Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Dominican, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
Price: Around 4 – $5.00
Size: Robusto 5 x 50
Pre-smoke & Construction:
The box pressed wrapper was dark and rugged looking, with a few medium sized veins. Sniffing the wrapper reminded me of sweet earth, or soil. The foot had a similar odor, with an added peppery note. Squeezing the cigar, I found no soft spots or inconsistencies. the pre-light draw had slight resistance with a sweet earthy taste.
The burn required no corrections, and the ash held strong for over an inch. Construction overall was great.
Flavor:
The first third started off with pretty heavy, yet smooth peppery notes. I detected earthy flavors in the background. Despite the simplicity of the flavor profile, I enjoyed it so far.
The second third developed. The pepper remained but combined with an added sweet spice. The earthiness grew in strength and a sweet flavor came about that reminded me of mocha. It wasn’t full blown chocolate or mocha though.
The last third showed a few changes. The pepper mellowed out and was overtook by a sweet spice. The earthy notes fell way back but would come to the forefront at times, then fall back again. I couldn’t quite pin down what the sweet flavor was, but I do know it was spicy. I’m leaning towards cinnamon due to the bite it had. Mocha was a player at times in the overall flavor profile as well. Lastly… The smoke feel had an interesting cooling effect.
Conclusion:
This was a solid full bodied cigar. I don’t really have a lot to add other then it was enjoyable. A decent selection of Torano cigar can be found at Cigars Direct if this sounds like something you’d enjoy. I say give it a try!