BlackIrish
10-06-2009, 01:41 PM
The cigar: Casa Torano maduro lancero
Nutritional information
Serving size: 7x38 lancero
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Age: 4 months in my custody
The marketing
From CI: The darker variety of Torano’s mellow giant. Casa Torano is a nice little story. What was once used as the family’s house blend, and a cigar only handed out at Torano rolling events, has now become one of Carlos Torano’s top-selling brands. So much so, it was only necessary to give it a maduro-wrapped counterpart. And so, Casa Torano Maduro was born, a mellow blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers wrapped in a dark and toothy maduro leaf. Complex, yet balanced, this mild to medium-bodied mixture results in a creamy, spicy, earthy smoke with a rich, naturally sweet aftertaste. It’s mild enough to pair with your morning cup of coffee and flavorful enough to top off a hearty steak dinner.
Good news! In addition to ’Humidor Selection’ honors, the Casa Torano Maduro was named one of the Top 25 Cigars of the Year. Here’s what the 91-point rating said: A dark and oily cigar that burns well, producing a flaky ash. The smoke is nutty and delicious, with notes of sweet wood, caramel, and cherry.
From the manufacturer: "The naturally fermented Connecticut- Broadleaf Maduro wrapper brings a sweet, rich flavor and aroma to this medium-bodied smoke. The Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican filler complete this bold and enticing blend. The Maduro is sweet and satisfying, great for any time of the day." http://www.torano.com/toranobrands/casamaduro
Prelight: This cigar is a bit rough looking. It's not quite straight, the cap is pretty sloppy, and the broadleaf wrapper is dry and veiny. The wrapper doesn't give off much aroma, but from the foot I get dark barnyard. There's a little damage near the foot, but the bunching looks good.
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3185.jpg
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3189.jpg
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3183.jpg
Construction/burn: Although it's ugly, the cap slices cleanly and holds together well. The cold draw is tight, so I try taking off a little more, without much effect. It lights easily and burns slow and beautifully, producing a tight white ash, very straight. The draw remains a problem. Sipping doesn't get me much smoke, but I don't want to suck too hard. I resign myself to some hard sipping. The smoke lasts a little longer than an hour and a quarter.
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3190.jpg
Flavor: This lancero opens with dark chocolate and cedar. It's smooth, with virtually no pepper or spice. For the first half inch, I get more cedar than chocolate, then, forcing myself to sip more gently, I get more chocolate and less cedar. I like the flavor; it's mellow dark baker's chocolate, without much sweetness. It stays like this, without much change, through four inches or so. Not a lot of complexity, but easy to smoke. In the last two and a half or three inches, however, a funky, musty note creeps in. I don't like that. I hope that it will go away, but it doesn't, so I pitch the cigar before I reach the band.
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3192.jpg
Overall, I'm disappointed in this cigar. The chocolate flavor is good, but the draw problems and the funkiness in the second half ruined the experience. I've got a few more in the humidor, and also a torpedo somewhere, so I'll revisit this review in a few months.
Nutritional information
Serving size: 7x38 lancero
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Age: 4 months in my custody
The marketing
From CI: The darker variety of Torano’s mellow giant. Casa Torano is a nice little story. What was once used as the family’s house blend, and a cigar only handed out at Torano rolling events, has now become one of Carlos Torano’s top-selling brands. So much so, it was only necessary to give it a maduro-wrapped counterpart. And so, Casa Torano Maduro was born, a mellow blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers wrapped in a dark and toothy maduro leaf. Complex, yet balanced, this mild to medium-bodied mixture results in a creamy, spicy, earthy smoke with a rich, naturally sweet aftertaste. It’s mild enough to pair with your morning cup of coffee and flavorful enough to top off a hearty steak dinner.
Good news! In addition to ’Humidor Selection’ honors, the Casa Torano Maduro was named one of the Top 25 Cigars of the Year. Here’s what the 91-point rating said: A dark and oily cigar that burns well, producing a flaky ash. The smoke is nutty and delicious, with notes of sweet wood, caramel, and cherry.
From the manufacturer: "The naturally fermented Connecticut- Broadleaf Maduro wrapper brings a sweet, rich flavor and aroma to this medium-bodied smoke. The Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican filler complete this bold and enticing blend. The Maduro is sweet and satisfying, great for any time of the day." http://www.torano.com/toranobrands/casamaduro
Prelight: This cigar is a bit rough looking. It's not quite straight, the cap is pretty sloppy, and the broadleaf wrapper is dry and veiny. The wrapper doesn't give off much aroma, but from the foot I get dark barnyard. There's a little damage near the foot, but the bunching looks good.
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3185.jpg
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3189.jpg
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3183.jpg
Construction/burn: Although it's ugly, the cap slices cleanly and holds together well. The cold draw is tight, so I try taking off a little more, without much effect. It lights easily and burns slow and beautifully, producing a tight white ash, very straight. The draw remains a problem. Sipping doesn't get me much smoke, but I don't want to suck too hard. I resign myself to some hard sipping. The smoke lasts a little longer than an hour and a quarter.
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3190.jpg
Flavor: This lancero opens with dark chocolate and cedar. It's smooth, with virtually no pepper or spice. For the first half inch, I get more cedar than chocolate, then, forcing myself to sip more gently, I get more chocolate and less cedar. I like the flavor; it's mellow dark baker's chocolate, without much sweetness. It stays like this, without much change, through four inches or so. Not a lot of complexity, but easy to smoke. In the last two and a half or three inches, however, a funky, musty note creeps in. I don't like that. I hope that it will go away, but it doesn't, so I pitch the cigar before I reach the band.
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo227/ejnaughton/IMG_3192.jpg
Overall, I'm disappointed in this cigar. The chocolate flavor is good, but the draw problems and the funkiness in the second half ruined the experience. I've got a few more in the humidor, and also a torpedo somewhere, so I'll revisit this review in a few months.