Carlos Toraño Virtuoso | Cigar Review

By Cigar Reviews by the Katman on October 21, 2013

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Panamanian
Size: 5.5 x 56 “Forte”
Body: Full
Price: $6.00 by the box

I want to thank good buddy, Jason Harding, of BestCigarPrices.com for the samples. I should note that these cigars so impressed me that I followed up by purchasing a box of 25. Since then, it appears that they are only selling 5 packs of the Encore…a 4.75 x 52 size for $27. That may change shortly.

The Toraños advertise this cigar as their strongest blend. It received an 89 rating in Cigar Aficionado in 2006.

An interesting note is the use of filler leaves from Panama. It is interesting because the leaves are very difficult to work with and only the highest skilled torecedores can manipulate them.

I consider this cigar old school blending in that it takes a lot of humidor time before they are ready to smoke. The cigar I am reviewing today is 3 months old and should be ready.

This is a full production cigar.

The cigar is a beautiful espresso colored stick with an oily sheen. The cap is so impeccably placed that there are no lines and seems to be one with the body of the cigar. Seams are completely invisible with lots of small spider veins on the stick. Some of the cigar wrappers are mottled in color.

I made sure to put something in my stomach prior to starting this review. Due to the large ring gauge, I anticipate a long smoke.
I clip the cap and find aromas of coffee, cocoa, earthiness, spice, leather and wood.
Time to light up.

A very nice, rich earthiness shows up first. The cigars are all jam packed with tobacco which explains why the draw is a bit tight. And then, voila! As soon as I type this the draw improves immeasurably and smoke fills the room.

The red pepper hits like a hockey stick to the puss so hard, it makes my eyes water. I can also smell the pepper while holding the cigar. It is an aroma that is spicy and floral all at once.

Creaminess shows up to save me from the pepper Godzilla. As I said earlier, this is Toraño’s strongest cigar and right from the get go, I can tell they ain’t kiddin’.

A lovely, subtle sweetness quickly accompanies the creaminess…giving it a whipped cream flavor. Right behind the sweetness is cocoa, and then espresso, and leather. And this is all within the first half inch.

The char line is near flawless as a testament to the fine construction.

I remember waiting and waiting for these cigars to bloom. I know these are old school blends and they would take a considerable amount of time to bloom. Seeing these beautiful cigars in my humidor made me nuts. And poor Jason had to be patient with me.

At the 1” mark, the cigar is not quite a flavor bomb, but extremely delicious. This is one of the very few really full bodied cigars I’ve smoked where it has flavor bomb status. I tip my hat to Carlos.

I am near the end of the first third and a mixed nuts component enters the scene. It is sweet raw cashew, raw almond, and hazelnut. The sweetness also turns the almond to marzipan.

The cocoa element shifts to high gear enhancing the dark espresso flavor. Which, in turn, ratchets up the creaminess and sweetness. The full body is urged on by its earthiness. Almost a wet wood sensation. Not rotted wood. But wood recently caught in a brief rain. The smell of sweet sap and bark is intoxicating.

There is a magnificent balance and a very long finish. Yes, the cigar is kicking my ass a little bit but I had my bowl of cereal and Atkins shake so I’m good to go. Kick away, matey.

One of the enticing things about this cigar is the simple, but elegant, cigar band. A shiny white background with gold lettering. A gold castle on top of a green background. In the middle, is the Toraño family crest with intertwining leaves forming a circle around the name of the cigar: Carlos Toraño. On one side, it says, Familia Cubana with three gold medallions above the text.

At the halfway point, the sweetness finds another outlet: honey. It is very strong and lip smacking good. Every flavor that shows up anew enhances the other flavors and brings out the best in them.

The cigar has hit its sweet spot and is now an official uber flavor bomb. I’m glad I waited those 3 months. I had one cigar in my humidor that was 5 months old and it was delicious, and prompted me to contact Jason at BCP. This is an extraordinary cigar and to be honest, I believe Cigar Aficionado did this cigar an injustice by rating it only 89. And the crazy, inexpensive price point makes this a near perfect cigar. If you like hallucinating from nicotine, that is.

I am way overdue for one of my rock n roll stories, speaking of hallucinating, so I shall end this review with one of my ex-rock god anecdotes. I’m sure Jason won’t mind. (Gulp)

The last third begins and it is a meteor shower of flavors. From the start, flavors have just piled on top of each other, getting stronger with each puff.

While the cigar has been full bodied from the start, it is here in the last third that the strength gets even more powerful. This stick rivals some of the best powerful cigars on the market. Like Illusione or Camacho.

The flavors, in descending order: Sweetness, honey, creaminess, cocoa, espresso, spice, nuts, leather, and wood. Not bad for such a kick ass blend.
My hands now have tremors from the nicotine and I make lots of typos.

The cigar ended beautifully. I’m a mess. The cigar took a good two hours. And now I have to go lay down.

I highly recommend this cigar for those smokers who want to enter that tunnel of darkness and find their way out with a single match. It was worth it.