Specs:
Price: ~$2.95, but most likey cost much more for a single (single unit from a box of 25 from Famous Smoke Shop)
Size: 6x50
Filler: Dominican Cubano Ligero, Nicaraguan Habano Ligero
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Wrapper: Sun Grown Brazillian Maduro
Humidor Time: ~ 3 months
Smoke Time: ~ 1 hr 15 mins
The Carlos Torano cigar company is a family-owned cigar company that was started by Don Santiago Torano when he moved from Spain to Cuba in 1916. The company began as Torano & Co. and was mainly a buyer and reseller of tobacco. In the 1930's, the company bought farms and became tobacco growers. The farms main crop was cigar wrapper leaves. After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Carlos relocated the business to the Dominican Republic, and was attributed with being the first to introduce Cuban seed tobacco to the region. Today, the Carlos Torano cigar company focuses more on producing cigars out of its Honduran and Nicaraguan Factories rather than growing tobacco.
Appearance and Construction:
Dark veins, chocolate-brown appearance. The cigar was adorned with an excellent silky-smooth wrapper. Cigar felt tightly packed.
Pre-Draw:
Scent of wrapper was peppery; scent of the foot was earthy, hay-like.
Cold draw flavors were cocoa from the Brazillian wrapper and earth. Coffee flavors were also noticeable. The cigar seemed to have a tight draw.
Smoke:
First 3rd:
Immediately from the first draw you are hit with a full, peppery spice. The spice lingers around in the back of the throat for a bit, but eventually goes away. If you do not like fuller-bodied cigars, then I would have to say already that you should not pick this cigar up! The other base flavors that make up the cigar are the standard cocoa and coffee you get from Brazillian and maduro wrappers. Also the earthy hay flavor from the pre-draw was present, but wasn't too prevalent. The finish was rich and left your mouth feeling clean, and also somewhat dry. I would recommend having a beverage while smoking this cigar (now I know to have a drink the next time I come across this cigar). The aroma is robust and will give the area around the cigar a pleasant sweet, natural tobacco scent.
Second 3rd:
Not much differnt from the first 3rd. The spice has been intensifing since the first 3rd however. If you have sores on the roof of your mouth, then you may not like all the peppery spice. The ash was a nice dark gray held its shape for about an inch or so.
Last 3rd:
If you thought that the peppery spice was going to end here, you are sadly mistaken. This is the point in the cigar that is the most peppery and full bodied. The cigar does get hot quickly, so take your time smoking the last 3rd as to not create too much tobacco bite on your tounge. The cigar, at least for me anyway, will get to the point that the spice mixed in with the heat from the cigar will make for a rather unpleseant smoke in the last 3rd, so that's when you know that its a good place to put the cigar down for good.
The Verdict:
This cigar definitely gets a 9 out of 10 for me. It was just steller! Smoke Magazine rated the cigar a 4.7/5, which is their highest rating ever (I agree with their rating 100%). The only compliant I have is some of the intense spice. Even though I had the cigar in my humidor for as long as I did, I am sure that the cigar would more than likely mellow out with more humidor time. The flavors and the aroma of the cigar just reminded me what cigar smoking is suppose to be like. If I ever run into this cigar and the price is good, there would no way I would miss the opportunity to smoke it again.
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