Archive for the ‘carlos’ Category

Master by Carlos Torano

Monday, April 25th, 2011

I picked up this cigar by literally randomly buying it. While I am not a big smoker of Torano cigars, I usually give his stuff a try from time to time. I enjoyed the Single Region, so I figured why not try this one. I paired with water and here is my review of the Master by Carlos Torano.

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Nicaragua (Esteli)

Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli and Jalapa)

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $6.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper almost had a velvety appearance, with small veins and no visible flaws. The odor off of the wrapper and foot was a fairly strong barnyard. Overall, the cigar was very well packed, with only small variations here and there. The pre-light draw had slight resistance. The pre-light draw flavor was a dark earthiness with hay.

The burn required one correction, and the ash held for an inch.

1 Master_by_Carlos_Torano cigar

Flavor:

The first third had a nice black pepper that lacked harshness. That pepper was prominent when passing smoke through the nose. The dominant flavor was cedar. Behind the cedar was black coffee. After about 1.5 inches went by, the black pepper calmed down and blended well with the coffee and cedar.

2 Master_by_Carlos_Torano cigar

In the second third, the black pepper was still there and very noticeable though the nose. It also left an interesting sensation on the top of the mouth. The cedar and coffee didn’t go anywhere, and there was a sweet note mixed in with it. I couldn’t pin down anything to compare it too. The smoke feel was thicker in this third. The flavor profile just “Popped” and was very enjoyable.

3 Master_by_Carlos_Torano cigar

The last third had more of that sweet note that was mocha-ish. The woody and coffee flavors were still there, and were held together by that sweetness. Through the nose, the pepper lost some of it’s bite, but it didn’t go anywhere. There was a cinnamon type of tingle in the mouth and on the lips. The overall flavor profile was simply put together well.

4 Master_by_Carlos_Torano cigar

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to maybe a full bodied cigar. This cigar had a great flavor profile. Everything fit together nicely. That’s the best way I can describe it. I’d strongly recommend picking up a few of these to try. I think you won’t be disappointed.

Carlos Torano Single Region-Serie Jalapa

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

The sickness I had last month really threw me off of reviews. It goes to show just how much a simple sinus issue can effect your palate. It wouldn’t have been fair to do reviews in that condition. I recovered some time ago, but it also threw off my reviewing rhythm. So now, I am finally getting back into the swing of things. Enough idiotic rambling…

I picked up today’s review at a local shop. The Single Region name is pretty self explanatory. This cigar was blended using tobacco grown in Jalapa Valley. The concept of blending a cigar in this fashion sounded interesting, and I had to pick a couple up. I paired this cigar with a glass of water, I offer you my thoughts…

 

Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Nicaragua (Jalapa Valley)

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $6.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper looked nice, with minimal flaws and small to medium veins. The odor coming off of the wrapper and foot was earthy with a little poo. It sounds bad, but a tinge of poo can often mean a nice flavor profile. Overall the cigar was evenly rolled and packed. The pre-light draw was free, and had a prominently natural tobacco taste, with a tinge of wood and earth.

The ash held for about 1.5 inches, and the burn required several minor touch-up’s.

1ToranoSingleRegionSerieJalapa

Flavor:

The first third had simple but good flavors. A well balanced mix of wood and sweetness was pretty much it. Way in the background lurked earthiness. When passing smoke through the nose, there was a smooth and easy sweet peppery spice. As I got further in, the smoke feel became thicker feeling but stayed dry.

2ToranoSingleRegionSerieJalapa

The second third kept that woodiness, but the sweetness opened up and became mocha. When retro-haling, the peppery spice really mellowed out and became an easy smooth sweetness. Smoke volume increased. This thing just billowed clouds with a nice aroma. The smoke feel kept this thick feel, but became creamy and coated the mouth.

3ToranoSingleRegionSerieJalapa

The last third kept the same core flavors that I wrote about in the second third. The difference was that some draws were crisp with dominant woody flavors. Other draws were creamy with sweet mocha. Other draws were a combination of both.

4ToranoSingleRegionSerieJalapa

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. I am not a big Torano smoker. It’s not that I don’t like their cigars. For whatever reason, I usually am not drawn to them. The Single Region blend may have changed that for me. The flavor profile was simple but refined and, well, nice. I’d gladly smoke more of these. I’d recommend that you at least give them a chance. I’d be curious of your opinions.

Carlos Torano Exodus 50 years

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

I’m back once again for a Quick Smoke with Tom. The couple cigars that I smoked beforehand had a draw that was a bit too tight for my liking. This cigar was by no means bad, but in the end I wasn’t terribly impressed with the flavor profile.

As with previous Quick Smoke with Tom reviews, this was recorded using my MacBook webcam. The quality & lighting isn’t quite what it should be, but is usable. This video runs for about 9 minutes.

Speaking of reviews… A few of you have asked when Ed and I will be doing our next review. It will be within a week, and I predict we will do the Alec Bradley Tempus, which is an amazing cigar. Stay tuned.

MP3 Audio Only

God Of Fire By Don Carlos 2005

Friday, December 25th, 2009

First things first… I need to mention this is the only God of Fire I have smoked. I try to smoke at least two or three cigars before doing a review. The exception here is that considering the God of Fire lines are essentially from Fuente, I am confident that there is consistency between cigars. On top of that, this thing costs $19.00. TomsCigars.com is on a budget.  If I am off base call me out.

Apparently the God of Fire lines are released annually and in limited quantities. They come in 3 sizes and two blends. One is by Don Carlos, the other by Carlito Fuente. For whatever reason, I picked up the Don Carlos version awhile back and let it sit in my humidor for a few months. Let’s see what the God of Fire has to offer…

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 5.2 x 50

Price: Around $19.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

Overall the wrapper looked nice, with small veins and some discoloration. Under the band I noticed a small tear in the wrapper leaf, but it appeared to be only cosmetic. When I sniffed the wrapper and foot, I got a familiar earthy, barn type of odor. the pre-light draw was perfect, and had a sweet natural tobacco taste. The cigar was packed consistently with no hard or soft spots.

The ash held for a little over an inch, and the burn required no corrections.

1GodofFireDonCarlos2005

Flavor:

The first third didn’t really have a warm up time like many cigars do. I was immediately hit with peppery spice. It was smooth, but if you are a novice, it may be a little much. As for me, I enjoyed the peppery kick. It didn’t take long before a sweet woody flavor appeared and that summed up the first third.

2GodofFireDonCarlos2005

The sweet spice remained throughout the second third, but a lot of the punch went away. Woody/cedar flavors took the lead. Very slight nutty notes were way in the back ground. The smoke feel became thicker and coated the mouth. A creaminess enveloped the entire flavor profile as I progressed through this third. Although I can’t accurately describe the aftertaste, I can only say it was good and lingered for a minute or so.

3GodofFireDonCarlos2005

As the last third started, I noticed the volume of smoke increased. With that, earthy notes lingered behind woody flavors. The peppery spice picked up slightly in strength and the sweetness reduced a  bit. It remained very smooth but kept a good punch. Some draws were very creamy, others were not.

4GodofFireDonCarlos2005

 

Conclusion:

This was a damn good full bodied cigar. My only complaint is the price. I can’t justify spending $19.00 on a robusto. Price aside, the flavors were very good. The entire flavor profile was refined and smooth. If these were much cheaper, I would definitely smoke more. If you have the money to drop on the God of Fire, I say try it.

Carlos Torano Exodus 1959

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

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.

1ToranoExodus1959

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.

2ToranoExodus1959

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.

3ToranoExodus1959

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.

4ToranoExodus1959

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!

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