MEGA Review: Carlos Torano Tribute 2004 Torpedo

[buzz]

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

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

LAST WORDS:

Abyr: I was disappointed in this stick, I guess I was hoping for too much. It's not a bad smoke, but I won't be having another.

ashauler: Winner.

badwhale: Tastes similar to the '59 50th anniversary I had last night.

buzz: Wasn’t as strong as I would have liked, and the pepper/spice could have held out longer – but it was a very nice stick. Next time I’ll pair it up with a more chocolate-coffee type drink.

Daigz: This was a really good smoke, I was a little upset it got bitter at the end but up until then it was really good. This would have been a solid A if the flavors held up. IMO a little bit expensive.

EGQ: Nice smoke.

Eville: Unfortunately I lost my notes on this one so am going off memory for this review. I remember the Tribute as being fairly spicy/peppery. It started out sort of harsh for the first 1/4 to 1/2 inch but mellowed out quickly and continued to improve until I put it out. I don't remember it as being very complex.

heftysmokes: A good cigar, probably the best of this lineup... the price point on this was high for the cigar. Overall, I'd smoke a Torano 59 Gold or even a Casa over any of the lot. An interesting experiment, nonetheless.

Mangyrat: It developed a small crack at the half way point, nothing that distracted me from the enjoyment I got out of this cigar.

Mizicke5273: I really liked this cigar, as it had a very strong coco flavor with a hint of spice that developed into a spicy flavor with some hints of coco. It was smooth throughout the cigar till about the end when the harsh flavor began to appear. Simply, I'm a fan!

MrPlatypus: At this moment in time in my smoking career, I would definitely have to say this is among the best cigars I've ever gotten to smoke. Might have been the age, or the tobacco, or both, but whatever it was, it was a wonderful mix.

Tdre977: Great smoke, loved it from beginning to end. I'll keep my eyes open for a 5er' of these.

[buzz]

PICTURES:

[buzz]

PICTURES (CONTINUED):

[buzz]

EDITOR’S NOTE:
The last cigar in the Carlos Torano Review series, and we definitely saved the best for last. These cigars came in a hinged-top box, well presented and looked delicious. The top and bottom layers of cigars were separated with a cedar sheet. Great appearance and construction, and a fantastic burn across the board. Ash length, color, and type varied, as did the estimate of strength. Good aroma and great taste.

It was interesting to see the differences and similarities in the cigars of this Carlos Torano lineup. What surprises me a little is that there really were no surprises as far as value goes, with the exception of the Virtuoso. Seems like the low-end cheap stick was just that, and the high-end stick delivered. Here is a breakdown of Price vs. Overall Grade:

Stick ............ Price . Grade
Dominicos ........ $ 1.80 ... B-
Cameroon 1916 .... $ 4.24 ... B+
Virtuoso Maestro . $ 5.20 ... A-
Reserva Selecta .. $ 6.29 ... B
Tribute 2004 ..... $10.00 ... A-

I had a great time smoking these cigars and putting together the reviews. Huge thanks to Hex and Camino Viejo Tabacos for providing all the cigars completely free of charge to me so that I could make a really nice profit off all the participants! Of course I am kidding... or am I? Mwuhahaha! Seriously though, Hex got those cigars shipped out to me faster than any other cigar shipment that I have received from other vendors, and his prices were absolutely fantastic. Don’t believe me – just go check it out for yourself then: http://www.caminoviejo.com. Tell him that the MEGA Review sent you!

-Buzz