The Best Cigar Manufacturer in the Business
Now this is strictly opinion, but I have smoked enough cigars to confidently put it in writing: The Torano family is “it” in my book, hands down. I have to stress the word manufacturer. To their credit, the Toranos have their own branded cigar line, including some fine cigars, and they are generally very fairly priced. My favorites are the Torano Signature and the Exodus Silver, but I have not smoked all of them yet. However, this “best” comment is not about tobacco blends, sizes, or taste – it’s about construction of the cigar.
In my cigar reviews, I almost always assess the construction of the cigar both before the smoke (look and feel) and during the smoke (burn, the ash, etc.), because a well-constructed cigar can enhance the overall experience of a smoke (the opposite is also true). My recommendation is to pick up a Torano cigar at your local brick and mortar cigar store and smoke it. Be sure to speak to the tobacconist on staff to pick one that matches your flavor profile. Note the appearance, then light up and focus a little on the carefree, slow burn and smoke of a well-constructed cigar. Think back on the frustration caused by another cigar that kept going out or kept unraveling as you smoked it – we have all had these, even from good cigar brands. Now you can appreciate one of the key dimensions of cigar smoking – good construction.
In fact, some of my favorite cigars and brands turn out to be rolled by Torano, who provide these services to the industry. Two very well known brands that come to mind (which are manufactured by Torano) are CAO and Dunhill. Rocky Patel and Gurkha, personal favorites, use Torano for certain lines. In fact, I can smoke a cigar and — based on the overall experience — can fairly accurately determine whether it was a Torano-built cigar or not.
So, lets get smokin’!
Cigar Review:
Torano – 1959 Exodus Silver
Size: Corona Grande (6 inches long, 46 Ring Gauge)
Price: $5.50 to $7 range
The Torano name is a mainstay in the cigar industry. In fact, they are one of, if not the only company, to have factories in each of the top three cigar growing regions in the free world – The Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras. The Torano family farm was seized by Castro in 1959, hence their Gold and Silver lines of the 1959 Exodus commemorating this unfortunate event.
Tobacco blend:
Wrapper: Criollo
Filler: Mexican, Costa Rican, Honduran
Context
I smoked the Silver Exodus sitting on a hotel balcony in Century City, Calif., after a long day and evening of business activity, the lights of L.A. going on forever on this comfortable Southern Cal autumn night. Not a bad setting.
Look and feel
It’s a Torano – so it certainly looks and feels top notch.
Aroma and Taste
The pre-lit aroma was fine, and the cigar’s medium-bodied flavor was just right. It was a straightforward smoke, with only a little bit of variety in flavors. The predominant flavors were of cedar wood and nuts, but a lingering sweetness was sometimes evident. The burn was absolutely maintenance free and even. I never had to relight, despite being on a breezy deck, five stories up. It was a very good smoke.
RATING: 9.0 (on a scale of 1 to 10) – the construction drove the overall experience into the 9.0 range.
I’ve certainly had better tasting cigars beyond the Toranos, though this Silver was intriguing and enjoyable. The corona size (not my favorite cigar size – too thin for me) that I smoked was good, but it left me wanting the fatter torpedo size to enjoy more of its flavor.
By Bob Hritsko
Cigar Quote
“A good cigar is as great a comfort to a man as a good cry to a woman” – Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton, British Politician