Torano Casa Torano Robusto: a thoroughly underwhelming cigar

[StewNasty69]

https://imgur.com/a/u9XJeKg

Alright, today we have the Casa Torano. Visually, it's not the most impressive cigar. The CT wrapper is pretty veiny and almost loosely applied in places. The cigar was firm, but had some soft spot, leaving something to be desired as far as construction goes. Using my Xikar Xi, I struggled just a bit in actually getting the cap cut and removed; a problem that I rarely have. It's almost as if the tobacco in the cap was way overpacked and a bit too dry.

Cold draw: a bit meh. Just the taste of mild tobacco, with a bit of barnyard and the La Croix version of creaminess. The draw is noticeably very snug.

First third: Upon lighting, the snug draw becomes more pronounced. First few puffs are incredibly mild, a bit bitter and the barnyard grassiness is at the forefront. I can get enough smoke production to make it work, but it's not quite what I prefer. Not much development happens until near the end of the first third, where the faint creaminess takes the lead as the predominate note. Ash holds on for most of the first third, but this is the most staying power it'll have for the rest of the cigar.

Second third: Still snug, but just a hair more smokable now. Body has increased from a 1/5 to a 1.5/5. The creaminess is still the lead note, but a dollar store version of the Cohiba grassy note makes itself present in the distant background. A bit of spice pops up about halfway through. It took me quite a long time to pinpoint it, but it most reminds me of the aromatic, tingly numbing effect of Szechuan peppercorn. It's admitted pleasant because it's not the same two notes I've been shown so far. The ash falls off every half inch now and the construction issues of the cigar are making themselves more known. This could also be, in part, due to the bit of windiness at the waterfront I was walking, though other cigars have managed to hang on better under similar conditions.

Final third: Same draw as before, though smoke production is a bit better. The grassiness has left and is replaced by barnyard notes. The creaminess falls back and the Szechuan peppercorn turns into something more akin to a ginger note. At this point, the body has bumped up to a 2.5/5. On the last inch, a red pepper flake note comes in and it finishes off with as much of a bang as such a mild cigar can offer. I really can't tell you why I smoked it all the way to the nub. Maybe I'm just a gluten for the punishment of mediocrity. One pleasant thing to note is that it did give a nice, relaxed body feel, so at least a little bit of Vitamin N there, but not much.

Overall score: meh out of eh.

 

[cabaiguan juan]

https://imgur.com/a/u9XJeKg

Alright, today we have the Casa Torano. Visually, it's not the most impressive cigar. The CT wrapper is pretty veiny and almost loosely applied in places. The cigar was firm, but had some soft spot, leaving something to be desired as far as construction goes. Using my Xikar Xi, I struggled just a bit in actually getting the cap cut and removed; a problem that I rarely have. It's almost as if the tobacco in the cap was way overpacked and a bit too dry.

Cold draw: a bit meh. Just the taste of mild tobacco, with a bit of barnyard and the La Croix version of creaminess. The draw is noticeably very snug.

First third: Upon lighting, the snug draw becomes more pronounced. First few puffs are incredibly mild, a bit bitter and the barnyard grassiness is at the forefront. I can get enough smoke production to make it work, but it's not quite what I prefer. Not much development happens until near the end of the first third, where the faint creaminess takes the lead as the predominate note. Ash holds on for most of the first third, but this is the most staying power it'll have for the rest of the cigar.

Second third: Still snug, but just a hair more smokable now. Body has increased from a 1/5 to a 1.5/5. The creaminess is still the lead note, but a dollar store version of the Cohiba grassy note makes itself present in the distant background. A bit of spice pops up about halfway through. It took me quite a long time to pinpoint it, but it most reminds me of the aromatic, tingly numbing effect of Szechuan peppercorn. It's admitted pleasant because it's not the same two notes I've been shown so far. The ash falls off every half inch now and the construction issues of the cigar are making themselves more known. This could also be, in part, due to the bit of windiness at the waterfront I was walking, though other cigars have managed to hang on better under similar conditions.

Final third: Same draw as before, though smoke production is a bit better. The grassiness has left and is replaced by barnyard notes. The creaminess falls back and the Szechuan peppercorn turns into something more akin to a ginger note. At this point, the body has bumped up to a 2.5/5. On the last inch, a red pepper flake note comes in and it finishes off with as much of a bang as such a mild cigar can offer. I really can't tell you why I smoked it all the way to the nub. Maybe I'm just a gluten for the punishment of mediocrity. One pleasant thing to note is that it did give a nice, relaxed body feel, so at least a little bit of Vitamin N there, but not much.

Overall score: meh out of eh.

15 years ago, back when the Toranos owned the brand, that was a great cigar. Nowadays I feel like it is a poorly maintained brand that doesn’t treat it with the live that the Toranos did. Same with the current owners of CAO.

 

[Mizicke5273]

15 years ago, back when the Toranos owned the brand, that was a great cigar. Nowadays I feel like it is a poorly maintained brand that doesn’t treat it with the live that the Toranos did. Same with the current owners of CAO.

Agreed. I used to smoke a lot of Torano cigars in the past. They were always excellent smokes. Now I have not touched one since the first batches after the sale. They just lost everything that made them good.

This same story has played out with too many good brands. It is always sad to see someone sell a cigar brand, cause you know its death knell has just rang.