MEGA Review: Carlos Torano Virtuoso Maestro Churchill

[buzz]

About the cigar:

Brand: ...... Carlos Torano ........... Color: ...... Natural
Name: ....... Virtuoso Maestro ........ Wrapper: .... Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Country: .... Nicaragua ............... Binder: ..... Honduras
Type: ....... Churchill ............... Filler: ..... Nicaragua/Honduras/Panama
Size: ....... 7x50 .................... Price: ...... $5.20
Strength: ... Full .................... Website: .... http://www.torano.com

Information from Camino Viejo Tabacos:
The Carlos Torano Virtuoso was introduced at the RTDA 2005 tradeshow in New Orleans. It is the strongest cigar produced by the Torano family. Handmade with filler grown in the Condega Valley in Nicaragua, this full-flavored, full-bodied cigar is not for the faint hearted.

[buzz]

| GENERAL:... | .Experience. | Date Smoked | .Where Smoked. | Duration | ..Smoked.. |
| Abyr....... | Newbie...... | Oct 3...... | Home.......... | 1.5 hrs. | Nubbed it. |
| ashauler... | Newbie...... | Oct 3...... | Kansas Speedwy | 1.5 hrs. | Most of it |
| badwhale... | Amateur..... | Sept 30.... | Basement...... | 1.25 hrs | Nubbed it. |
| buzz....... | Newbie...... | Oct 1...... | Front porch... | 1.5 hrs. | Most of it |
| Daigz...... | Newbie...... | Oct 13..... | Porch......... | 1.5 hrs. | Most of it |
| EGQ........ | Been around. | Oct 5...... | Car........... | 1 hour.. | Most of it |
| Eville..... | FOG......... | Oct 3...... | Parking lot... | ........ | .......... |
| heftysmokes | Amateur..... | Sept 27.... | Back patio.... | 1.5 hrs. | Nubbed it. |
| Irish79.... | Newbie...... | Sept 23.... | Deck.......... | 1.25 hrs | Most of it |
| Mangyrat... | Amateur..... | Oct 3...... | Front porch... | 1.25 hrs | Nubbed it. |
| Mizicke5273 | Amateur..... | Sept 10.... | Back deck..... | 1.5 hrs. | Most of it |
| MrPlatypus. | Newbie...... | Oct 1...... | Outside....... | 1.25 hrs | Nubbed it. |
| Tdre977.... | Newbie...... | Sept 24.... | Living room... | 1.75 hrs | Most of it |

| OTHER INFO: | .......Food...... | .........Drink........ | ........Music........ |
| Abyr....... | N/A.............. | Diet Dr. Pepper....... | Harry Potter 2....... |
| ashauler... | N/A.............. | American beer......... | N/A.................. |
| badwhale... | N/A.............. | Dogfishead 60min IPA.. | Eagles Greatest Hits. |
| buzz....... | Chicken.......... | Alaska White.......... | My wifey............. |
| Daigz...... | N/A.............. | Woodford Reserve...... | The Fray............. |
| EGQ........ | N/A.............. | Water................. | Violent Femmes....... |
| Eville..... | N/A.............. | Hoosier Honey Wheat... | Gaelic Storm......... |
| heftysmokes | N/A.............. | Water................. | Crickets............. |
| Irish79.... | N/A.............. | Water................. | Nature............... |
| Mangyrat... | N/A.............. | Wild Turkey Honey..... | N/A.................. |
| Mizicke5273 | N/A.............. | Diet Coke & Sam Adams. | The Transporter...... |
| MrPlatypus. | N/A.............. | Water................. | The Prodigy.......... |
| Tdre977.... | N/A.............. | Pepsi throwback....... | N/A.................. |

MISCELLANEOUS:

ashauler: Smoked this on the front stretch, pit road, and the infield at the Sprint races. Watched 38 Special perform the pre race concert.

badwhale: Coincidently had a different churchill vitola earlier in the day, so a second one seems a little daunting, but whatever. Nice Construction with a Colorado shade wrapper. Pronounced veins.

buzz: Sat our front with the wifey, talking about life.

Eville: Tid bit nippely.

Irish79: Out on the deck enjoying the warm weather.

Mizicke5273: Random thoughts about life... nothing really. ;).

Tdre977: Just chillin’.

[buzz]

| APPEARANCE:... | Poor. | Fair. | Good. | Outstanding | Perfect |
| Abyr.......... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| ashauler...... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| badwhale...... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| buzz.......... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Daigz......... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| EGQ........... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Eville........ | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| heftysmokes... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| Irish79....... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| Mangyrat...... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Mizicke5273... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| MrPlatypus.... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Tdre977....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |

| CONSTRUCTION:. | Poor. | Fair. | Good. | Outstanding | Perfect |
| Abyr.......... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| ashauler...... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| badwhale...... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| buzz.......... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Daigz......... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| EGQ........... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Eville........ | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| heftysmokes... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| Irish79....... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| Mangyrat...... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |
| Mizicke5273... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| MrPlatypus.... | ..... | ..... | ..... | .....X..... | ....... |
| Tdre977....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ........... | ....... |

| BURN:......... | Very Uneven | Uneven. | Even. | Perfect |
| Abyr.......... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| ashauler...... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| badwhale...... | .....X..... | ....... | ..... | ....... |
| buzz.......... | ........... | ...X... | ..... | ....... |
| Daigz......... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| EGQ........... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| heftysmokes... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| Irish79....... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| Mangyrat...... | ........... | ...X... | ..... | ....... |
| Mizicke5273... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| MrPlatypus.... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |
| Tdre977....... | ........... | ....... | ..X.. | ....... |

| DRAW:......... | Too Easy. | Easy. | Perfect | Tight | Too Tight |
| Abyr.......... | ......... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. | ......... |
| ashauler...... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| badwhale...... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| buzz.......... | ......... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. | ......... |
| Daigz......... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| EGQ........... | ......... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. | ......... |
| Eville........ | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| heftysmokes... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| Irish79....... | ......... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. | ......... |
| Mangyrat...... | ......... | ..X.. | ....... | ..... | ......... |
| Mizicke5273... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| MrPlatypus.... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |
| Tdre977....... | ......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... | ......... |

[buzz]

| ASH COLOR:.... | Black | Dark Gray | Gray. | Light Gray. | White |
| Abyr.......... | ..... | ......... | ..X.. | ........... | ..... |
| ashauler...... | ..... | ......... | ..X.. | ........... | ..... |
| badwhale...... | ..... | ......... | ..... | .....X..... | ..... |
| buzz.......... | ..... | ......... | ..... | .....X..... | ..... |
| Daigz......... | ..... | ......... | ..... | .....X..... | ..... |
| EGQ........... | ..... | ......... | ..... | .....X..... | ..... |
| Eville........ | ..... | ......... | ..X.. | ........... | ..... |
| heftysmokes... | ..... | ......... | ..... | ........... | ..X.. |
| Irish79....... | ..... | ......... | ..... | .....X..... | ..... |
| Mangyrat...... | ..... | ....X.... | ..... | ........... | ..... |
| Mizicke5273... | ..... | ......... | ..... | ........... | ..X.. |
| MrPlatypus.... | ..... | ......... | ..... | .....X..... | ..... |
| Tdre977....... | ..... | ......... | ..... | .....X..... | ..... |

| ASH STRUCTURE: | Flaky | Typical | Solid |
| Abyr.......... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. |
| ashauler...... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| badwhale...... | ..X.. | ....... | ..... |
| buzz.......... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| Daigz......... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. |
| EGQ........... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| Eville........ | ..X.. | ....... | ..... |
| heftysmokes... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. |
| Irish79....... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| Mangyrat...... | ..... | ...X... | ..... |
| Mizicke5273... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. |
| MrPlatypus.... | ..... | ....... | ..X.. |
| Tdre977....... | ..X.. | ....... | ..... |

| ASH LENGTH:... | <1 inch | 1 inch. | 1-1/2 inch. | 2 inch. | >2 inch |
| Abyr.......... | ...X... | ....... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| ashauler...... | ....... | ....... | .....X..... | ....... | ....... |
| badwhale...... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| buzz.......... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| Daigz......... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| EGQ........... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| heftysmokes... | ....... | ....... | ........... | ...X... | ....... |
| Irish79....... | ....... | ....... | ........... | ...X... | ....... |
| Mangyrat...... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| Mizicke5273... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| MrPlatypus.... | ....... | ....... | .....X..... | ....... | ....... |
| Tdre977....... | ....... | ...X... | ........... | ....... | ....... |

| AROMA:........ | Horrid. | Poor. | Fair. | Good. | Great |
| Abyr.......... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| ashauler...... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| badwhale...... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| buzz.......... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| Daigz......... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| EGQ........... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| Eville........ | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. |
| heftysmokes... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. |
| Irish79....... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| Mangyrat...... | ....... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... | ..... |
| Mizicke5273... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |
| MrPlatypus.... | ....... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... | ..... |
| Tdre977....... | ....... | ..... | ..... | ..X.. | ..... |

| STRENGTH:..... | Mild. | Mild-Med. | Medium. | Med-Full. | Full. |
| Abyr.......... | ..... | ......... | ...X... | ......... | ..... |
| ashauler...... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| badwhale...... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| buzz.......... | ..... | ......... | ...X... | ......... | ..... |
| Daigz......... | ..... | ......... | ...X... | ......... | ..... |
| EGQ........... | ..... | ......... | ...X... | ......... | ..... |
| Eville........ | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| heftysmokes... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| Irish79....... | ..... | ......... | ...X... | ......... | ..... |
| Mangyrat...... | ..... | ......... | ...X... | ......... | ..... |
| Mizicke5273... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| MrPlatypus.... | ..... | ......... | ....... | ....X.... | ..... |
| Tdre977....... | ..... | ......... | ...X... | ......... | ..... |

[buzz]

prelight taste:

abyr: tobacco, and maybe a little leather, smells real good.

ashauler: there is some age on this stick judging by the cello having yellowed. Nice tobacco flavor.

badwhale: not much prelight flavor, and i missed logging the scent.

buzz: nice hint of spice, maybe some leather and cedar.

daigz: slight spice with a decent woodsy taste.

egq: a little sweet.

eville: sweet tobacco and straw. Slight spiciness.

heftysmokes: light tobacco taste. Nothing stands out prelight.

irish79: faint tobacco taste. Snipped & lit easily.

mangyrat: earthy, tobacco and a very light sweet taste. But that may be due to the wild turkey honey i was drinking.

mizicke5273: musty tobacco?!

mrplatypus: some leathery tastes on the lips.

tdre977: very veiny looking. Sweet, woodsy.

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taste (1/3):

abyr: it tastes how it smells. If it stays this way, i'm going to enjoy it quite a bit.

ashauler: very nice med-full maduro'ish flavor. Some dry toasty notes as well.

badwhale: toasted nuts (yeah yeah), woodsy, some leather and a tad of spice, but not a peppery spice. It's holding my interest very well.

buzz: little bit of spice, but died off by the end of the 1st third. Great amount of smoke despite the tight draw and windy conditions (burn suffered from the wind). Draw was probably tight due to my horrific clip, but i was too lazy to go back inside to re clip it.

daigz: good woodsy flavor with very mild spice. Has a decent creamy finish.

egq: nice oily wrapper, a tad spicy and sweet. Stronger than i had expected.

eville: nice and mellow, but full flavored. Some good dark chocolate notes coming through.

heftysmokes: rich and creamy...

irish79: some spice. Other stuff going on that i can't put a finger on. Woodsy on the exhale. Good amount of smoke. Some kick off the bat.

mangyrat: earthy and a little coffee hint.

mizicke5273: this smoke starts out with a smooth, mellow taste but no real flavor comes fruit. After a bit a woody-earthy taste appeared that is still smooth and mellow. I can discern what the flavor is.

mrplatypus: has a smooth mellow chocolate slightly woody taste to it. Smooth through the nose, and all in all a very pleasant opening. Developing coffee like flavors, but mellow, not bitter or sharp. Like smoking a really good cup of coffee, but being able to shoot it through my nose. This is a very, very pleasant first third.

tdre977: first few pulls burn the nostrils, calms down to some woody notes, maybe some cocoa.

-------------------------------------------------------------

taste (2/3):

abyr: same as before, maybe a little stronger.

ashauler: flavor gets more rounded as the cigar heats up... Strength goes up a notch to a solid med-full.

badwhale: similar to the first third. Nutty, woodsy, leather and that spice. I wouldn't describe it as "smooth" but it has a buttery component. Enjoyable.

buzz: great amount of smoke still, and nice aroma. Taste is muted cedar wood and a toasty aftertaste.

daigz: same as the first third, maybe picked up a little spice and lost the smooth cream.

egq: similar to first 1/3 - a tad more spice, but the draw is annoyingly tight.

eville: having trouble keeping it lit, flavor is suffering as a result. Tasting a bit ashy now.

heftysmokes: mellow and smooth... Tobacco, cream, light toast.

irish79: draw has loosened up. Mellowed some, not as strong.

mangyrat: seemed to get milder and lost most of the taste but still has a little earthy taste.

mizicke5273: still smooth and mellow. No real flavor at this point, at least none that i can tell of.

mrplatypus: very mellow, and very flavorful. Nice smooth notes of coffee and chocolate, little wood overtones. A nice second 3rd.

tdre977: still woodsy/earthy, its ok, but not really my cup of tea.

-------------------------------------------------------------

taste (3/3):

abyr: the flavor stayed even throughout the stick.

ashauler: more of the same, nice, well rounded slightly sweet and woody profile. Still some "dry" type flavors on the finish that lingers nicely. Got bitter and hot with about 1/5" remaining... I dropped it then.

badwhale: like the first two thirds, but a little stronger, and more flavorful. Very nice. Has a creamy minty draw, and the nutty woodsy leather exhale through nose and mouth. Excellent.

buzz: more wood and some earthy leather, and the pepper came back just a little bit. Got a little hot at the end, but i was bored with it by then anyway so i was ready to lay it down. Churchills aren’t my vitola.

daigz: more spice in the last third but overall still a generally woodsy flavor.

egq: the draw seem to be getting worse - otherwise a very pleasant cigar.

eville: burning better now, cocoa is back.

heftysmokes: heating up a little, toast more pronounced. Good tobacco flavor, strength coming up in this last third.

mangyrat: taste is improving again but not like it started out. Slight peppery hint on the finish.

mizicke5273: still pretty much the same here. Though a hearty "thick" flavor has appeared closer to the end that i cant describe. The only relation i can make to it is that of a good quality steak cooked to a rare perfection.

mrplatypus: very flavorful, but very sharp towards the end. A nice enjoyable smoke.

tdre977: some more of the same, kind of a bitter taste on the finish.

[buzz]

| GRADING:... | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Overall |
| Abyr....... | .A. | .A. | .A. | ...A... |
| ashauler... | .A- | .A- | .A- | ...A-.. |
| badwhale... | .B+ | .B+ | .A- | ...B+.. |
| buzz....... | .B. | .B- | .B- | ...B-.. |
| Daigz...... | .B- | .B. | .B+ | ...B... |
| EGQ........ | .B+ | .B+ | .B. | ...B+.. |
| Eville..... | .A. | .B. | .B. | ...B+.. |
| heftysmokes | .A- | .A. | .A. | ...A... |
| Irish79.... | .A- | .A- | .A- | ...A-.. |
| Mangyrat... | .B+ | .B- | .B. | ...B... |
| Mizicke5273 | .A- | .B- | .B+ | ...B... |
| MrPlatypus. | .A. | .A. | .B+ | ...A-.. |
| Tdre977.... | .B+ | .B- | .B. | ...B-.. |
| AVERAGE.... | .A- | .A- | .A- | ...A-.. |

| THOUGHTS:.. | ..Smoke Again.. | ...Buy a Box... | ...Recommend... |
| Abyr....... | Yes............ | Maybe.......... | Yes............ |
| ashauler... | Definitely..... | Maybe.......... | Definitely..... |
| badwhale... | Definitely..... | Maybe.......... | Definitely..... |
| buzz....... | Yes............ | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| Daigz...... | Maybe.......... | Probably not... | Maybe.......... |
| EGQ........ | Maybe.......... | Maybe.......... | Maybe.......... |
| Eville..... | Definitely..... | Maybe.......... | Yes............ |
| heftysmokes | Definitely..... | Maybe.......... | Yes............ |
| Irish79.... | Yes............ | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| Mangyrat... | Maybe.......... | Probably not... | Yes............ |
| Mizicke5273 | Definitely..... | Yes............ | Definitely..... |
| MrPlatypus. | Definitely..... | Yes............ | Yes............ |
| Tdre977.... | Maybe.......... | Probably not... | Probably not... |

LAST WORDS:

Abyr: Normally enjoy strong cigars, this seemed more medium body to me, but I liked it quite a bit. It had good flavor, and was very smooth throughout.

ashauler: I have the remainders of a box purchased last year in the cooler. When it is gone, I'll most likely replace with a couple of fivers... but, for the right price a box wouldn't be out of the question. Not this vitola of course.

badwhale: I think I was late on this review.

buzz: I’ll be trying the robusto soon. The flavors were interesting and good, with great smoke quantity and aroma. Burn was pretty bad but I’ll blame that on the wind and the draw was a tad too tight but I’ll blame that on... badwhale.

Daigz: Not a bad smoke but not a really stand out in my mind. I've read some reviews on these and they all say that age works wonders on these sticks. I may pick up a 5 pack and throw them in the humidor for the next year or so and see if it works wonders.

EGQ: I'd take a Dominico over this one...

Eville: The flavor profile did not change much, but that's ok, because I really liked what it did give. If it weren't for the burn problems, I would have given this a solid A and gladly pay $6-7 for one of these.

heftysmokes: The Virtuoso has slipped under my radar in the Torano lineup, until now. Excellent cigar.

Irish79: I'm not a fan of the churchill size, so I'd pick them up in other sizes. Great smoke.

Mangyrat: I had to touch up the burn a few times. Over all I was a little let down after it started out so well then lost most of the taste.

Mizicke5273: A cigar that tastes like a top choice steak?! Hell yeah I like it! On a side note, I have a box of these with a few years, ~2, and as far as I can tell this is the first time I have encountered such a flavor in these. The ones I have smoked before have had more taste to them than this did. So who knows, could have just been my taste buds that day.

MrPlatypus: A flavorful Churchill. Definitely one I would keep in my humidor no questions asked. Flavorful, tasty, and just plain good.

Tdre977: It was an alright smoke, not really to my liking, maybe if I grab it in a sampler Id smoke another, but I wouldn’t search this one out. Sorry for the lack of pics this go around.

[buzz]

PICTURES:

[buzz]

PICTURES (CONTINUED):

[buzz]

EDITOR’S NOTE:
These cigars came in a very nice hinge-top box, each cigar in cellophane. The reviews show good appearance and construction, a decent burn and draw. The ash information was all over the place, but everyone seemed to agree on a good aroma and med to med-full strength. Everyone enjoyed this cigar enough to try it again and we even have a few box-buyers. At a price of ~$5/stick, these may be the best value in the review lineup. I agree with some other reviewers about the Churchill not being my favorite size, but I think it is interesting to try out different vitolas.

For those looking for a robusto size, check out the Virtuoso Encore (4.75x50): http://www.caminoviejo.com/cigars/ca...orano_virtuoso

-Buzz

[Eville]

FYI the monster has fivers of these in the robusto size for $15 right now.