MEGA Review: Carlos Torano Tribute 2004 Torpedo

**buzz** · 11-06-2010, 02:26 PM

About the cigar:

Brand: ...... Carlos Torano ........... Color: ...... Maduro
Name: ....... Tribute 2004 ............ Wrapper: .... Costa Rican Maduro
Country: .... Nicaragua ............... Binder: ..... Nicaragua
Type: ....... Torpedo ................. Filler: ..... Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
Size: ....... 6.25x52 ................. Price: ...... $10.91
Strength: ... Medium-Full ............. Website: .... http://www.torano.com

Information from Camino Viejo Tabacos:
This top of the line maduro wrapped cigar is one of the best the Torano factory has ever produced. Aged 5 or more years, the premium tobacco used in the manufacturing of this cigar provides a medium to full bodied smoke with exquisite flavors. Each cigar is individually numbered and packaged in beautifully finished Spanish cedar boxes.

**buzz** · 11-06-2010, 02:26 PM

ashauler: Working with the tobacco in the garage.

badwhale: The Tribute looks promising with a nice Maduro Oscuro wrapper. Great construction on the torpedo shape with a bumpy pretzel looking surface to the wrapper. Smells of sweet tobacco.

buzz: Nice and cool outside – played some more guitar trying to learn some new chords.

Mangyrat: Watching the cats fight over a toy.

Mizicke5273: Cool 57 degrees outside.

Tdre977: Just relaxin’.

**buzz** · 11-06-2010, 02:27 PM

| 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... |
| Eville........ | ........... | ....... | ..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** · 11-06-2010, 02:27 PM

| 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... | ........... | ....... | ....... |
| Eville........ | ....... | ....... | .....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** · 11-06-2010, 02:28 PM

prelight taste:

abyr: kind of bland smelling, with some tobacco smell.

ashauler: nice dark tobacco flavor on the cold draw.

badwhale: sweet leather taste & tobacco on the cut prelight taste.

buzz: sweet and pepper, very nice.

daigz: slightly sweet with a little bit of pepper.

egq: earthy, a bit sweet.

irish79: nada.

mangyrat: tobacco and a hint of something i can’t put in to words kind of a fruity hint.

mizicke5273: couldn't pick up any real scent to but i could taste some light coco or coffee taste.

mrplatypus: not much there.

tdre977: i may just be a damn fool, but i taste licorice.

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

taste (1/3):

abyr: tastes about the same as it smells, fairly bland.

ashauler: slight bite on the initial draws. Deep flavor that has a slight woody note. Lots of smoke.

badwhale: right off the light, a nice oily rich tobacco flavor. A tiny bit of spice and smooth leather. This is going well so far.

buzz: soft and mellow, little bit of spice, cedar – very good taste.

daigz: started off smooth with some light sweetness.

egq: i like this one - nice flavor - rich smoke.

heftysmokes: earthy, a touch of mint on lighting... Getting the chocolate, heavy flavors of the maduro wrapper.

irish79: complex. A lot going on that i am unable to describe.

mangyrat: started out on the mild side with not much going for it.

mizicke5273: this stick started out with a strong robust coco flavor with a nice amount of smoke trailing off into the night. The ash was solid and a lightish gray color with an even burn. A slight hint of spice developed after a bit, though the coco was still strong and the dominate flavor. The taste is smooth and very good.

mrplatypus: has a very earthy/dark roasted coffee taste to it, but it's like one of those really rich good tasting coffees. No bitterness, very smooth through the nose.

tdre977: cedar and chocolate, a little peppery, love it.

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

taste (2/3):

abyr: a little better, but not by much.

ashauler: here we go. The bite has gone away, replaced by a heavy tobacco flavor with a distinct woody taste on the finish. Nice long finish.

badwhale: rich tobacco flavors. Nice leather ring and smooth. Medium body. Oily flavors mixed in. Nice.

buzz: spice went away, still nice taste though – sweet / coffee maybe.

daigz: picked up some pepper and lost some of the sweetness.

egq: i loved the amount of smoke coming off of this - billowing.

heftysmokes: less chocolate into the 2/3... More leather, little bit of pepper. Smooth, heavy.

mangyrat: getting better tobacco, leather and a hint of and cedar.

mizicke5273: by this point the coco flavor has started to die down some and the spice has picked up. Though the taste is still smooth as can be.

mrplatypus: if you could smoke coffee, i imagine it would be like this. A little stronger than the first part, but also a little richer.

tdre977: wrapper lifted a little, still very cedary, maybe nutty, earthy, great tasting stick.

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

taste (3/3):

abyr: same.

ashauler: more of the 2nd third. The balance of deep sweet flavor, with the wood on the finish is very nice. I very much like this cigar and have a few more resting.

badwhale: oily, musky, tobacco, leather, smooth. Nice overall.

buzz: flavor stayed consistent to the end, didn’t get bitter at all.

daigz: got bitter a little into the last third, i pitched it with about 1.5" left.

egq: there was a nice rich flavor thru the full smoke. Really enjoyed it.

heftysmokes: same same... Good, not great. Unremarkable.

mangyrat: it finished up much better than it started out now it has a little pepper and the leather is more pronounced.

mizicke5273: by the end of this cigar; the coco and spice has begun to disappear, leaving behind a slight harsh taste.

mrplatypus: got stronger, and developed a very spicy side, but still had that coffee flavor. Reminds me of the best coffee i've ever had, and i like my coffee!

tdre977: stayed pretty consistent for me, delicious to the nub.

**buzz** · 11-06-2010, 02:28 PM

| 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** · 11-06-2010, 02:29 PM

PICTURES:

**buzz** · 11-06-2010, 02:29 PM

PICTURES (CONTINUED):

**buzz** · 11-06-2010, 02:30 PM

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