Event: Torano @ Cigar King

There will be no cigar review today due to the fact my allergies are in full force and I have not been able to  taste a thing over the last couple of days…

Last night I did however take a ride up to Nanuet, NY where Cigar King hosted an event for Torano cigars.

Located at130 Rockland Plaza in Nanuet, NY Cigar King is located in the Rockland Plaza mall right next to Starbucks coffee shop. From the outside the store’s cluttered windows make it seem like a Bodega, but once inside you are in an oasis for tobacco lovers.

The store features an endless array of wall unit humidors which while I am not a fan works very well for the Cigar King. This huge store features an amazing array of cigars I have not seen before in one location. You name the brand you can find it here.

Since I arrived a little early for the event I was like a kid in a candy store figuring out what cigar to buy. I settled on a Tatuaje West Coast and for my second cigar a Carlos Torano Noventa. It was a shame that I am so congested that I could not truly enjoy these cigars.

Charlie Torano, Barry, Steve

In the back of the store is seating for 20 with comfortable chairs and tables with a well stocked bar behind a glass partition. While at the event I drank some Oban which is a hard to find single malt scotch which was reasonably priced for a 14 year old. The local clientele were very friendly and welcoming  which is a plu as well.

At 5pm Steve the local CAO rep who is the best in the business arrived with Charlie Torano from Torano cigars. Steve is one of the funniest people you will meet, and he is able to switch gears from salesman to one of the guys in the blink of an eye which has him adored by shop owners, customers and friends alike.

Also present at the event were many cigarlive.com members who agreed that the selection at Cigar King was amazing and the lounge area was comfortable and inviting.

So if your in the Rockland County area make sure you stop by Cigar King for great selection with fair prices and be sure to tell the cigar prince Barry from acigarsmoker.com sent you

Cigar Review: Carlos Torano Casa Torano

Carlos Torano Casa Torano

Just a random thought to start with, right now I am craving apple cider. It is the fall, the leaves are changing colors and I am craving apple cider.

Today’s smoke is from Carlos Torano, and lately I have become a fan of this cigar company. I’ll admit I am a bit of a boutique whore, but every now and then I visit an old reliable and I get hooked on them again. After all it is the everyday brand of cigar that got me hooked on cigars, and a lot of them deserve their praise. Is this particular cigar one of them? Let’s find out shall we?

The Skinny:

Cigar: Carlos Torano Casa Torano
Origin: Honduras
Size: 6.25 x 50
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
Strength: Medium

Pre-Light: The maduro wrapper is very oily and it has the appearance of being dyed to make it look darker. The wrapper is very toothy and the foot offers notes of cocoa and wood. While the prelight draw was that of wood with slight notes of nuts. The cigar while very oily seemed like it was a little brittle to the touch, but I was able to find a few soft spots in the roll.

Smoke: One thing I like about Torano cigars is the quality of the burn. The cigar had a nice tight white ash throughout and the first third was notes of wood with coffee and a slight earth. I didn’t lose my ash til the second third of the cigar which revealed notes of coffee with subtle chocolate and nut notes in the background. The final third was a burnt coffee and some pepper.

Overall: The final third of this cigar knocked off some points for me as it lost some of its luster for me. This cigar reminds me a lot of the Signature line especially in the appearance department. The finish of the cigar was burnt coffee.  The cigar was good, but it just misses in my book. The original Casa Torano is much better, and I will follow up with that review in a few days.

Rating: 87
Price: $88.00 a box of 25

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Cigar Review: Carlos Torano Tribute 2008

I have been blessed with having the local CAO International Rep as a fan of my website. I shall leave him without a name at his request, but when I first started the blog, he was very supportive of my endeavor. Recently, I reviewed the Carlos Torano Noventa which was a stick I obtained from friends. When the local CAO International rep saw the review, he let his bosses know over at Carlos Torano and they contacted me offering to send me today’s cigar for review.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Carlos Torano Tribute 2008
Size: 5 x 48
Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina Triple Fermented
Binder: Nicaragua (Pueblo Nuevo)
Filler: Nicaragua (Esteli & Jalapa)

The Tribute is not due to hit shelves for about a month, so I consider myself very lucky to have obtained one to smoke. The cigar is limited to 72,000 sticks and will be available in 3 sizes in which 1,200 boxes of 20 cigars each will be released. Each box of this release is individually numbered.

Pre-Smoke: The wrapper on this cigar looked like chocolate candy which was visually pleasing to me since I am on a diet. The cigar had some veins but none of them were more than surface veins so they did not detract from the beauty. The roll was seamless, and I cut the cap with my idiot proof hippotech cutter. The wrapper offered very faint notes of mocha, while the foot was a strong mocha note with some pepper. The cigar itself was very firm to the touch, with the exception of one soft spot/pocket about 1/4 inch from the foot.  The pre-light draw was great with notes of mocha and some spices.

Smoke: It was a beautiful morning to light this cigar up. There was a gentle breeze coming in off the water which was looking very rough with white caps as far as the eye can see. The sky was sprinkled with clouds, and visibility was endless. I found myself thinking, that I could realize how they thought the world was flat at one time. As I lit the cigar I took my first pull I verbally said out loud, “Wow!” The strength of flavors that came off this cigar was incredible. In the initial third I picked up notes of mocha, with some nuttiness and coffee that was occasionally joined with some raspberries. As the middle third arrived the raspberries were gone and I had strong coffee notes with some mocha and nuts. The final third of the cigar became a little bitter for me; however this bitterness was an enjoyable mix of coffee, nuts and leather.

Overall: This is yet another great Torano cigar which I am enjoying more and more as a company. The burn line was great, the ash was tight and light while the draw was perfection defined. I look forward to smoking some more Torano cigars as the year winds down including the new sizes they offered at the trade show for existing lines. The Exodus 1959 has added an Exodus Churchill (6.75 x 47). The regular Carlos Torano line has added the Virtuoso Baton (7.5 x 38) and finally the Exodus 1959 Silver Edition has added a Toro Elegante (5.5 x 55).

Rating: 91
Price: $Unknown