More Blind Reviews Cigar #3 - Carlos Torano Tribute '03 Torpedo

[debaire]

Please see http://forums.cigarweekly.com/viewtopic.php?t=131889
for more information.

Thanks to Augie754 for pictures! http://galleries.cigarweekly.com/Augie754/album01

Please post your reviews here following the guidelines you received in your package. The identity of each cigar will not be revealed until all participants have posted their reviews. You don't have to go in order, but try to get them all done within a couple of weeks.

[eagle eyes eric]

as you command - it shall be done.

[DAFU]

Cigar #3

Nice enough looking 6" Torpedo. Firmly rolled with silky, Colorado wrapper. No box press, overall a fine looking specimen.
Clipped clean just above the tip. Lit up easily and produced proper amount of smoke. Stayed lit OK, but started to canoe early on and required a couple of touch-ups. Didn't effect the smokeability much.
Appearance and construction = 2.5
Burn = 2.5
Draw = 3
Aroma = 2
Not much to report in the flavor department............
Started out with a strong metallic taste along with some burnt green wood. It did develop a little sweetness, but the metallic and burnt wood tastes seemed to prevail.
Mild side of medium in body, with a short bittersweet finish.
Flavor = 4
Taste/Aftertaste = 2

THis cigar reminded me of a cheap "House brand" or "Closeout", not unlike a few that I have purchased in the past and have been greatly dissapointed in. NOt much hope for this one IMHO.
Overall quality = 3

TOTAL = 19
2 stars

[Augie754]

Ding, ding, ding, Round 3

Cigar #3, about 6.125 x 54

PRE-SMOKE (20 total)
Appearance and Construction 5
Burn 5
Draw 5
Aroma 4
This cigar had smooth brown wrapper with small veins. This was a silky smooth wrapper, and it really appealed to me. It had consistent coloring throughout and only a tiny bit bumpy at the tip. It had no major blemishes, best looking cigar so far. This cigar just felt right, firm with no soft spots, but not hard as a rock either. The pre-light draw maybe was a little tight, but after lighting it seemed to be good, toward the tight side, but not quite. It had a large amount of smoke and lit evenly. (pic). After the initial light, it burnt great throughout, with a great draw and a straight burn, no touch-ups or relights. (pic) (pic) The gray ash was very solid and held on for about 2 inches. (pic) The construction was awesome through the end. (pic)

SMOKE (20 total)
Flavor 8
Taste/Aftertaste 7
The taste of this cigar kept me guessing. It started out with a mild flavor and was woody and sweet. But as the cigar burnt the intensity increased until the end when it was full bodied without ever becoming harsh. Much of the cigar was a sweet spicy flavor with hints of cream at the beginning and at the end spicy goodness. I’m not a fan of real spicy cigars but this was a good spicy.

SUMMARY(10 total)
Overall Quality 8
General Comments: This has been by far the best cigar yet. It reminds me of a sun grown, but I wouldn't’t know which one (Cuesta Rey?). I really hope this cigar has a good price point because this could find a regular rotation at my house. Of course it would be even greater with more age.

TOTAL 42


My own rating scale
Aesthetics: 8.8
Construction: 9.2
Flavor and Strength: 8.7
Overall Rating: 8.8

Here is a list of Ratings I've given, to put this in perspective. My Ratings Spreadsheet

My rating scale:
10.0 - 9.5 = buy at any price
9.5 - 9.0 = premium price box worthy
9.0 - 8.5 = box worthy
8.5 - 8.0 = single or 5 pack worthy
8.0 - 7.0 = single worthy if dirt cheap
7.0 - 6.0 = will smoke if given for free
6.0 - 5.0 = suffer through if have to
5.0 - 4.0 = unsmokable
4.0 - 2.0 = would rather stick my head in a dirty toilet
2.0 - 0.0 = would rather stick my head in a dirty toilet with my mouth open

Disclaimer: I've never been able to pinpoint the individual tastes like some of you can (like "hints of chocolate"), so I've used to shy away from posting any reviews. I do know when a cigar is good and basic tastes, bitter, sweet, spicy, etc. So I hope my efforts will be helpful to someone.

[Augie754]

I'm amazed on how different 2 people can rate the same cigar. And Cigar 2, I thought we almost had the same review.

[DAFU]

Ooops!

[DAFU]

...............I may just have gotten a bad one. It happens! Don't see how anyone could have possibly enjoyed it!

[Augie754]

Originally Posted by DAFU

...............I may just have gotten a bad one. It happens! Don't see how anyone could have possibly enjoyed it!

Well one thing is for sure, construction isn't that subjective. And you must have gotten a bad one. You can see from my pics on how straight it burned. I feel lucky I got the good one.

[jpweston]

PRE-SMOKE (20 Total)

Appearance and Construction: 3
Burn: 2
Draw: 2
Aroma: 2

A very stout torpedo with a mottled chocolate brown wrapper. There is no noticeable veining, but the stick feels a bit rough. Checking out the foot, the roll looks nice with a few minor gaps here and there. The head looks tightly rolled with a cleanly placed cap. It's a bit bigger than what I normally smoke, but looks inviting. Taking a whiff, I catch aromas of earth and tobacco with a bit of richness in the back. Nothing comes off as really strong, so I'm expecting a medium flavored smoke.

The cigar is firm with no soft spots. I snip the head and check out the cut. Nice and smooth. I can see that the roll at this end is just as tight as at the foot. Pre-light draw is a wee bit loose, but nothing to be concerned about.

Pre-light flavors are lightly earthy with a bit of sweetness.


SMOKE (20 Total)

Flavor: 0
Taste/Aftertaste: 0

Once lit, the first couple of puffs are very light on flavor. This is unexpected - especially since there is a decent amount of smoke. There's just nothing coming along with the smoke. Empty. Nada. Zilch. Zip. And thus it remains for the entire cigar. The most I get is a cerealy aftertaste. That's it. Very disappointing.

The cigar lit well, but a few runners started immediately. I put the stick down to let the burn even out, but it never did. After the halfway point, the burn was severely off and required a touch up. Then another. Then another....

I am honestly amazed at how little flavor this cigar had. If you've ever been to one of those Davidoff tastings where they have three cigars that are rolled with just one kind of tobacco, you have an idea of what this was like. Very bland. Perhaps I was in the control group and got the placebo?


SUMMARY (10 Total)

Overall Quality: 2

My first reaction is; "I don't ever want another one of these." However, the optimist in me hopes that I just got a bad one.

Oh, I did retrace my steps back to my humidor to see if the flavor just fell out somewhere, but I didn't see it....

TOTAL SCORE: 11

j.

[CJ3]

PRE-SMOKE:

Appearance and Construction:
Hmmm…Another large ring gauge torpedo. If these samples are all from the same manufacturer, they certainly don’t want their rollers becoming complacent! The wrapper is medium brown, quite smooth, and apparently well rolled, perhaps a classic Connecticut leaf? This definitely looks like a smoke that promises a smooth, but exciting, ride.

Score 4 out of 5

Burn:
Once again I employ the double guillotine cutter to the pronounced tip. I spark ‘er up, and the cigar burns with a slightly serrated edge, producing a dark gray ash that seems to form “ridges” with each puff I take. The ash clings until fully the half-way point before gently dropping off, completely intact. Very Impressive. With greater care, I’m certain I could have teased it ever further! No touch-ups or re-lights necessary here, that’s for sure!

Score: 4 out of 5

Draw:
The pre-light draw is wonderful, a testament to a well made & evenly rolled cigar. The draw tightens a bit, and continues to slow towards the end, making for a deliberate finish. I’m sure however, that many a fellow BOTL would rate it perfect.

Score: 4 out of 5

Aroma:
Light, tobacco aroma.

Score: 3 out of 5

SMOKE:

Flavor:
The smoke is smooth, light, with a hint of “woodsy” flavor. I sip my afternoon tea (with milk of course, very British). MMmmm, nice complement, that. The first third of the cigar passes pleasantly enough, without much change. The smoke builds some in strength, but the flavor profile remains utterly consistent. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that’s probably exactly what the manufacturer intended.

Score: 7 out of 10

Taste/Aftertaste:
This is a cigar that will rouse you gently from your doldrums, as apposed to jarring you awake! The last third of the smoke becomes slightly peppery, making for a memorable finish. Nice touch that.

Score: 8 out of 10

SUMMARY:

Overall Quality:
Score 8 out of 10

Well, what’s there left to say about this cigar? An attractive, solidly constructed, mild to medium boded cigar that makes for quite a pleasant, enjoyable, smoke. Utterly consistent and smooth from start to finish. Obviously artfully blended and selected to produce exactly that effect.

Quite well done. Bravo.

Final Rating: 38 – 4 Stars, Excellent