Good looking box, too. Since I'm a snake, I might want to consider, but this is nowhere near my budget except for maybe one cigar, if I can even find it. Great review. As always.
another great review. can i also sit in your hammock and share a smoke with you. you are always welcome to sit on my dock and enjoy a smoke if your ever in the tampa area.
Carlos Toraño hails from one of the premier tobacco-growing families of Cuba. When his father and family lost their tobacco farms to nationalization after the Castro revolution, the Toraños spread about the world, sowing tobacco seed in their footsteps. After his father's death in a tobacco field, Toraño entered the family tobacco business, and later began brokering and then making cigars, eventually putting his name on a cigar brand. Today, the Toraños make cigars for a variety of customers and are building their family name into one of the established cigar brands of the modern era. Please see below what the current President of the Torano Charile says about the company: “I was raised in the cigar business. I’m a product of the 1970’s and 80’s. I can tell you that the cigar business today looks nothing like it did when I was growing up. Back then, smoking a handmade cigar was something your grandfather did. You did not see people in their twenties, thirties, or forties enjoying a great cigar. Today, cigars have become a part of the culture, albeit a sub-culture of adult men and women that appreciate the unique experience that comes with smoking a fine cigar. As a young man, as the cigar industry was declining, I was certain that I would be the generation that broke with the tradition and long history of the Toraño family’s involvement in the cigar business. Thanks to you, I was flat wrong! For three generations before me, the Toraño men were leaf growers. My great-grandfather started growing tobacco in Cuba in 1916. My grandfather and his brothers expanded the tobacco growing business and by 1959 the Toraño family owned and operated 17 tobacco farms. After the Cuban revolution, my grandfather started growing tobacco in the Dominican Republic. When my father became involved in tobacco growing, he and his partners grew tobacco in Nicaragua, Mexico and Ecuador.
In early to mid 1980's, my father started a transition from leaf growing to cigar manufacturing. For many years the Toraños made private labels for other cigar distributors. However, by the mid 1990's, we started our own brand of cigars under the Toraño family name. Our cigar blending philosophy is highly influenced by our tobacco growing experience. We love to make complex cigar blends with tobacco from a variety of different countries. Today, I’m blessed to work with some of the finest people in the cigar business. Men like Carlos Llaca-Toraño, Felipe “The Master” Sosa, Bruce “the Aussie” Lewis, and Jack “the Giant” Toraño. We strive everyday to create unique cigar blends that will appeal to every palate. In these pages you will find a variety of different Toraño brands that will deliver an abundance of flavor and remind you of the reasons why you fell in love with smoking premium cigars. Our company motto is “Make Time to Burn”. I hope you will take some time for yourself this week and burn a Toraño Family Cigar.” -Charlie Toraño, President, Toraño Family Cigar Company. [Source: Cigar Afiocinado & Torano Cigar Company] Some time I do not like to smoke any new cigars rather than pick one from my aging vault. This morning I am feeling to smoke an aged Connecticut cigar and I picked one of my favorite Connecticut Carlos Torano Reserva Selecta. This has been aging over three years now. The wrapper is light caramel color; it has some oily sheen, smooth surface and few fine visible veins. The cigars are sealed in glass tube for aging purpose as well as for attractive packaging. It comes in a box of 20 with beautiful presentation. Carlos Torano is one of the rare humble cigar families in the cigar business who really provides excellent value with consistent quality and price. They do not spend a lot of money like Padron, Arturo Fuente into glamorous cigar parties or so-called social work kind of gimmicks. They have been producing tobacco from seeds to a cigar for generations. Carlos and Charile Toranos are genuine people. In fact, they are similar to the Placensia family but not as commercial as some other cigar families. At this point I reserve special respect for Torano family on top of other cigar makers. Anyway, their cigars are simply good and fairly priced with consistent quality and value. Overall, it is straight mild-medium bodied in strength with good complexity and short-dry finish. Some people say this is the best cigar Torano’s ever made but I would say most probably one of their best cigars along with Exodus 1959, vault and Virtuoso. The flavor and aroma profile is a combination of wood(cedar-oak), mild leather, medium black pepper, nut(cashew), toffee-butter scotch and cardamom flavors with strong sweet-aromatic floral note at the back. Though the flavor and aroma profile is limited but it is very enjoyable and relaxing smoke with creamy texture. The draw is perfect with slight uneven burn. Of course, the as usual Connecticut tannic and bitterness is there but with three years of age, the sweet-aromatic floral note helps to dominate some of the bitterness. The retrohale is very pleasant dry with sweet-spicy finish through the nose. A good cigar is a combination of six elements- flavor, aroma, strength, complexity, balanced and finish. This cigar performs very well in six elements with limited flavors and complexity. Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican Republic/Honduras, Nicaragua 1/3: It starts with cedar, mild leather, toffee flavors with sweet-aromatic floral note at the back but the finish is dry. There is also a sweet-mild black peppery finish though the nose. The top of my tongue has a mild peppery bite; the middle of my tongue can feel the creamy texture with above flavors and aroma. The back of my tongue has mild tobacco harshness but not disturbing. At the end of 1/3, the cigar is creamier in texture. Overall, it has balanced flavors and aroma with short-dry finish and average complexity. The strength is mild to medium. 2/3: At this stage, the sweet-aromatic floral note is strong which I really enjoy in a cigar. The cedary flavor is gone and taken over by oaky flavor. The mild leathery flavor is still there. The toffee flavor has been added with a layer of butter scotch and more creamy texture. It deserves an additional point for complexity here. The black peppery finish through the nose is more clean and crispy- very nice. The bitterness is less for the stronger sweet-aromatic note. I am also detecting a mild layer of aromatic cardamom flavor at the end of 2/3. Another twist is the medium nutty (cashew nut) finish. I have to say three years age mellowed out the smoke a lot. I remember it didn't perform this well when I smoked it three years ago. The strength is close to medium now with medium finish. Overall it is performing very well. Final/3: I feel the cigar got stuck in complexity at this stage. I am not detecting any new flavors or aroma. However, the 2/3 full flavor profile is present but the smoke became boring. The only thing keep me going is the wonderful sweet-aromatic floral-mild black peppery finish through the nose. I am still enjoying the retrohale. The back of my tongue has more bitterness- a little unpleasant but not bad. The strength is again mild to medium with short finish.
Final thought: I think you can tell from my review that this is a simple smoke but when you think about $8 price tag- it is a good smoke. It is much better than many so-called boutique limited edition cigars in the market which cost from $10-15. I do like this cigar time to time and aging definitely improve the performance of this cigar. I have a love and hate relationship with Connecticut wrapper for its tannic and bitterness. Connecticut wrapper can do magic with properly aged sweet binder and fillers. Master blender Daniel Nunez and Henke Kelner are the top performers. I like Connecticut Stradivarius, Macanudo Vintage 2000, Room 101 Connecticut, Davidoff Royal Robusto and other DCs. Lately, Ecuadorian grown Connecticut wrapper reduced the bitterness with local soil and weather which is a good sign.
I would like to talk little bit about the Indonesian tobacco here. Many blenders discriminate Indonesian tobacco because it is simplyone of the cheapest in the market. Well, Indonesian tobacco, particularly from the East Java in Jember and Surabaya provinces produces some rich and fine quality tobaccos. One of them is the Bezuki tobacco- it is thin and light in body but has a lot of flavors. It true they produce a lot of poor quality tobacco but there are also poor quality tobaccos in Nicaragua, DR, Cuba, Honduras and other tobacco producing countries. Swedish match opened a factory there and roll some Indonesian puro. My understanding is the top Indonesian tobaccos are good as a binder and filler but not as a wrapper. Torano utilized a good quality Indonesian binder in this cigar. Maybe I will post a thread about Indonesian tobacco in another day. As I mentioned this earlier that I have a love-hate relationship with Connecticut wrapper but I think I like it when I have a moment like this morning. If you are looking for a good Connecticut with fair price vs value then Carlos Torano Reserva Selecta is a good choice.
You know... You bring reviewing to a whole new level! I mean not only are your pictures superb, and the tidbits about how the thing smoked, but you educate too! I never knew any of that stuff so thanks for that. On the cigar, sounds like a nice smoke, sure looks good.
From all the pictures I've seen do you have a dedicated room for your cigars?
Good looking box, too. Since I'm a snake, I might want to consider, but this is nowhere near my budget except for maybe one cigar, if I can even find it. Great review. As always.
Hi Jeep, of course you are welcome. I will share my best Cuban collection with you. I will also let you know when I am in Tampa next. Usually, I go to Miami, thanks!
jeep edson:
another great review. can i also sit in your hammock and share a smoke with you. you are always welcome to sit on my dock and enjoy a smoke if your ever in the tampa area.
You know... You bring reviewing to a whole new level! I mean not only are your pictures superb, and the tidbits about how the thing smoked, but you educate too! I never knew any of that stuff so thanks for that. On the cigar, sounds like a nice smoke, sure looks good.
From all the pictures I've seen do you have a dedicated room for your cigars?
Hi Glen, I really appreciate your nice comments. I am glad to know that you enjoy reading my reviews. Yes I have a dedicated room for my cigars. It is actually separated from the main house so I have my privacy. Here are some pictures of my decent Man cave. It has a name- Cuba:
“What is Viaje? I get asked this question a lot. Viaje is a boutique cigar company specializing in the small batch approach to cigar making. Viaje represents the idea that quality is better than quantity. That small is better than big. That few are better than many. Why small batch? Well, there are many reasons. Quality, consistency and most importantly, this is where I get my inspiration. If you enjoy mass produced cigars, you are in the wrong place. We use tobacco sparingly to execute our vision of what a cigar should look and taste like. Viaje represents the boutique in every sense of the word. This is what I enjoy, this is what I provide, and this is my promise. Join us in the revolution against mediocrity.” – Andre Farkas, President, Viaje Cigar Co. [Source: Viaje cigar] It is a box pressed perfecto shaped cigar. The interesting part is the embossed white band- very difficult to take a picture without light from the right angle. It is more difficult in the night time. I am not going to wait until the day light for the perfect shot because I want to smoke it now. The wrapper is very dark roasted coffee bean color, smooth in touch with rough appearances. It has some lumps here and there with many visible veins. The cigar feels really good in hand. It has dry leather, hay and barnyard scents. The cold draw has cinnamon, pepper, sweet tobacco and tangy aroma. The draw is good with some burn issues. It is straight a full bodied cigar. It has rich and complex aroma but it has overpowering strength and spice. It also has the metallic finish. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of grass, leather, hickory wood, cocoa, dark bitter chocolate, Italian press espresso coffee shot, cinnamon, nut(peanuts), black pepper with wold floral note and caramel sweet and mint finish to it. It is very rich in flavor but at the same time powerful and complex with long finish. The smoke is lush and thick. The rehtrohale has a ginger like spice through the nose. Wrapper/Binder/Fillers: Nicaragua 1/3: It starts with a blast of black pepper, grass, dry leather flavor with a wild floral note at the back. It also has a caramel sweetness at the back. It is a powerful smoke from the start which turns me off a little. During retrohale I can feel the spicy pain through the nose. The top of my tongue has a strong zing of black pepper, the middle of my tongue can feel the lush, thick smoke but not buttery or creamy because of the overly powered spice, the back of my tongue can feel the metallic harshness. At the same time, it completely woke me up. It is like when we are almost in deep sleep and suddenly wake up with a sound of crying baby- Sh*t. Within 8-10 puffs the power and painful spice settled down a little with more caramel sweetness but rethrohale is still painful with strong black peppery spice. I am also detecting dark bitter chocolate, dark Japanese soy sauce(has a tiny pungent bite of herbs) flavors are coming up front with a nice mild aromatic wild floral note at the back. I don't know if I dislike it but my brain is little busy with different flavors here but I am not happy either. Well, I really don't know what to say but I hope I am able to describe my feeling.
2/3: The overpowering strength settled down with more bearable spiciness at 2/3. The cigar is interesting now. I think I know what happened at the 1/3 mark. All the above flavors and aroma got locked in a small area and I was too busy to identify them individually because of the strength plus the strong black pepper spice and harshness at the back throat. That means the cigar was rich but not balanced. The flavors should be easy to feel with layers and layers but overpower takes away that charm. Now the dominant flavors are sweet leather, hickory wood, grass, Italian press espresso shot, Japanese dark soy sauce, cocoa powder with caramel sweetness at the back. The wild floral note is gone but taken over with aromatic cinnamon. There is also a nutty (peanuts) finish and thickness to the smoke. The metallic harshness is moderately mild at the back of my tongue. The top of my tongue has the black peppery spiciness and middle of my tongue has thick smoke with above flavors and aroma. The draw is great but I am having little burn issue. I had to torch up three times to keep the burn straight. This wrapper is definitely from Esteli tobacco- spicy and powerful. There is also Jalapa's sweetness to it. The cigar is rich in flavors and aroma with long finish but still not balanced. The strength is not bad. Interestingly I am able to retrohale now and enjoying the ginger like spiciness through the nose. Ginger is an interesting spice which has slight vegetal, floral and spicy taste. The cigar definitely adds points for rich complexity at this stage. I am missing Nicaraguan zesty-sweet mocha flavor here. This is blend is mix of aged and new tobaccos. I believe there is at least 60% ligeros in it. The strength is full bodied and bold. I forgot to take a picture of 2/3. Final/3: As I moved to final/3, the cigar has a up front Coca Cola flavor. Again, another twist in complexity. The dominant flavors are Coca Cola, aromatic cinnamon, Italian press espresso shot, black pepper, sweet dark chocolate with caramel sweet finish at the back. There is also a refreshing minty finish at the back, another twist. This is an interesting smoke. Though it is 100% Nicaraguan puro but it has her unique appearance. This is where this cigar is interesting. The top of my tongue got a spicy frozen feel, the middle of my tongue is full of thick texture and my back of my tongue has medium young tobacco harshness. The cigar is definitely rich and complex but it is not balanced at all. The overpowering strength and spiciness is really bothering me and I am not going to finish the smoke. Cigars supposed to be relaxing but definitely I am not having a relaxing feeling here.
Final thought: I know people love or hate Viaje cigars. I am a huge fan of Viaje Oro Reserva # 4 and Viaje Platino Reserva #5 but they are very balanced. My personal opinion is Viaje failed to release a proper and balanced 5th Anniversary cigar. However, I do understand that this cigar has aging potential. Usually, cigar makers try to use their best tobaccos to their anniversary releases. I also believe, I am not going to search for this cigar in the future because there are many excellent balanced Nicaraguan Puros in the market. A $14 cigar should be balanced and this is not.
Sounds like that's the amount of time it needs. I'm guessing they dont have stocks of aged tobacco, if you believe their small scale production mentality. That's fine I agree in some ways, just not adding a high price tag to the cigar. Oh well great review sir.
Thanks Roman. I am also a big fan of Viaje Oro Reserva #5, 2010 release and Viaje Platino Reserva #6. These are the cigars made me a Viaje smoker but this cigar not even close to those. I missed the balance during the entire smoke. You should smoke it now and see. You may like it.
Trident:
Great review. I am a Viaje whore, but I haven't smoked this one yet. Maybe i will let it age until their 10 year?
Hi Jared, I believe Viaje is still remembered and respected by its fame of Oro Reserva # 5(the number 2 cigar of 2010). However, after that they came up with many blends but I keep missing the balanced and complexity. Well, many cigar makers use the small batch jab but a good cigar is always a good consistent cigar. A large scale regular production cigar can also be excellent- example many Padron cigar Cuban Cohiba Siglo VI. If Viaje keep producing $10+ full bodied and bold cigar under small batch marketing without consistency and quality then sooner or later many customer will start questioning about their cigars. It is just the matter of time. Many people already start questioning about tatuaje. Usually, I am careful with small batch, Limited Edition, Regional Edition hype. A good cigar maker always sticks with a core line so they can control the quality with consistency.
blurr:
Sounds like that's the amount of time it needs. I'm guessing they dont have stocks of aged tobacco, if you believe their small scale production mentality. That's fine I agree in some ways, just not adding a high price tag to the cigar. Oh well great review sir.
Herrman Upmann was a banker from Germany who admired Cuban cigars so much that he moved to Havana in 1844 where he worked as a banker and cigar producer since. His bank had to close down shortly after 1920s, but his cigars continue as an excellent example for a Habano of mild to medium strong taste. All leafs for the H. Upman cigars are grown in the tobacco region Vuelta Abajo. Besides Upman's signature, the cigar boxes are adorned with eleven gold medals gained at international exhibitions during the 19th century.
History of H. Upman brand:
In 1922 both the H. Upman Bank and the cigar business went bankrupt, the bank because of speculation in German marks and Mexican oil properties. A British firm, J. Frankau & Co., bought the brand name and continued production until 1935, when the company was sold to the recently established Menéndez y García Co., makers of the Montecristo brand. This new ownership group continued production of H. Upman cigars until the nationalization of the tobacco industry after the Cuban Revolution. The favorite cigar of US President John F. Kennedy was the H. Upman Petit Upman. The night before the embargo was signed, he had aide Pierre Salinger procure every box he could gather from Washington, DC tobacconists, for a total of 1,200 cigars- Hypocrite Politicians.
After the revolution, Menéndez and García moved the brand first to the Canary Islands, then the Dominican Republic, where production of this brand still continues for the American market under the ownership of Altadis SA. He name H. Upman 1844 is used for the non-Cuban Upman cigar. The Cuban-made brand still remains a popular cigar in the world market, where it is made in a variety of fully handmade, hand-finished, and machine-made vitolas. In 2002, when Altadis SA bought a controlling share in Habanos SA, numerous changes were made to the Upmann lineup. The vast array of Upman sizes was rationalized, with redundant and poor selling sizes among the company's more than 30 vitolas eliminated. By 2006, according to the company, the H. Upman line had been whittled down to just seven handmade and five machine-made sized. In 2005, Habanos SA made an uncharacteristic move by releasing a new H. Upman size as part of their annual Edición Limitada release. This is odd because the rule of the past has been that only the five globally distributed marques (Cohíba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Partagás, and Hoyo de Monterrey) have been used for Edición Limitada releases, whereas H. Upman is a multi-locally distributed brand. This limited edition size was the large Magnum 50, thought to be an enticement to smokers with whom the Magnum 46 is very popular. Shortly afterwards, Quintero was demoted to a multi-local brand in the Habanos portfolio and H. Upman was raised to a global brand, with distribution in every nation that imports Habanos cigars. H. Upman also produces two machine-made cigarillos (the Mini and the Purito) and a brand of cigarettes under the direction of ICT. [Source: Casa del Habano & Wikipedia] In 2009, Casa del Habano (CDH) released three Limited Edition cigars- Romeo y Julieta Dukes, Boliver petit corona along with H. Upman Magnum 48. All three brands tobaccos have been aged full two years that means from 2007 harvest. CDH's LE series have been very popular and utilizing the aged tobacco concept for some time. Again, not all LE cigars are better than regular Cuban cigars. It is sad but I am very careful with LE and Regional releases. I picked up this box in Cuba because I smoked them before and liked its extreme rich sweet chocolate flavor. In fact, this is my favorite H. Upman in Magnum Series. The one I am smoking now has full three years of age and they are simply better than before. It is still aging but ready to smoke. It is a short robusto size cigar with few soft spots here and there. The wrapper is dark brown with many visible veins. It has dry wood, nutty note on the foot. The cold draw is perfect- neither tight nor loose. It has clean cocoa powder and mild black peppery aroma. The draw is perfect with minor burn issues. It is medium body in strength. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of wood (cedar), earth, cocoa, black pepper, vanilla-biscuits, extremely rich creamy chocolate, café latte (50% coffee & 50 % milk), Cappuccino, signature strong Cuban fruity-floral aroma and clean and crispy sugarcane sweetness after each puff. In fact, from the start to finish the cigars has rich chocolaty-sugarcane sweetness to it. Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba 1/3: It starts with a blast of rich-creamy-malty-sweet chocolate flavor- wow! I can't recall this intensity when I smoked it in 2009. There are also sweet cedar, damp earth, sweet cocoa powder flavors, super mild black peppery spice and rich fruity-floral aroma, clean, crispy and sharp sugarcane sweetness at the back. The cigar is super smooth without any harshness. I do remember it had a little young tobacco harshness when I smoked in in 2009. I have started rethrohale from the first puff and enjoying the delicate black pepper powder spiciness through the nose. This is a five stars start. The best part of this cigar at this stage is its dominating rich, malty and sweet chocolate flavor. The top of my tongue has a mild black peppery zing, the middle of my tongue is full of round, mouthful and creamy smoke, the back of my tongue is clean. The flavors and aroma is very rich and intense. The strength is medium with rich and balanced complex flavors, aroma and long finish. My mouth is full of long sweet finish. I can practically think of smoking a chocolate bar. Usually, I concentrate a lot on rethrohale at this stage but the intense chocolaty flavor is attracting me the most not the delicate black peppery spiciness through the nose. This is simply amazing!!! 2/3: In the second third, the strength is picking up more power but still within medium body range. The 1/3 damp earthiness and cocoa powder sweetness is weak but the rest of the flavor and aroma profile is still there with extreme rich-sweet chocolate flavor. In addition, I am also picking up vanilla-biscuits, cafe latte (50:50% Coffee: Milk) flavors in it. I am also detecting a nutty (cashew nut) finish at the back. The cigar deserves two points in complexity here. This cigar just got more richer-fabulous! The retrohale has the nice mild black peppery powder finish through the nose but I am completely captivated with its rich-malty chocolate, vanilla-biscuits, cafe latte flavors with strong aromatic fruity-floral aroma and clean sugarcane sweetness at the finish. Retrohale became secondary to me. It is truly mind-blowing- Of course, in a positive way. This cigar is tiny in size but it is a flavors bomb. It reminds me of Thai bird chilies- it is small but packed with sharp spiciness. The cigar has a little tobacco harshness at the back now but nothing to undermine its quality. It is the sign of longer aging potential. I simply cannot ask more from a cigar at this stage. Final/3: While I approach to the final third, the strength is straight medium. The damp earthiness is back to the front again with the rich-malty chocolate, vanilla-biscuits flavors. In addition, there is also a freshly brewed cappuccino flavor with strong signature fruity-floral aroma at the back. The clean and crispy sugarcane sweetness is creamier with a layer of honey-sugarcane sweetness. The retrohale has a delicate black pepper spice-sweet finish through the nose. The cigar receives another point in complexity here. This cigar is all about rich multi-dimensional sweetness with a shield of delicate black pepper spicy circle. It is a tiny cigar but packed with rich, complex and balanced flavors and aroma, stable medium strength with long finish. My entire mouth is full of sweetness and delicate spicy tingly feeling. I am in love and glad to have a full box of 25 cigars- BRAVO H. UPMAN!!!
Final thoughts: This is not only the best Limited Edition release from 2009 but one of the best LE release from Casa del Habano. It will perform even better with longer aging. I do like Magnum 46 and 50 but by far magnum 48 is my favorite vitola. I also smoked the H. Upman LE 2012 in Cuba. It just came to the market back then. It was very good but not as good as LE 2009. My only complain about this cigar is the size. The fun is too short. This is a $10 cigar and I can say that very few non-Cuban and also Cuban can deliver this value similar to H. Upman Magnum LE 2009. If you are looking for a moderately priced Cuban then please go for it. Enjoy the rest of the day; I know that I am recharged and ready for go to work tomorrow. Thank you!
Thanks Rain. I think they are still available. It was a slow sell in 2009 and 2010 then suddenly smokers started paying attention to it. Please contact Dustin he has good connection. I do not buy Cuban on-line so I have no idea. I bought this box in Cuba.
Rain:
4.3 X 48? YES PLEASE!!!!Rip, how hard are these to get ahold off?Thank you for another quality review.
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
LOL...I only review what I smoke. I do not buy any cigar for review. That is the reason you will not see me reviewing Cuban Romep y Julieta tubos, Quintero, Troya, Gunateramera, Belinda and some others. It takes some effort to collect Cuban cigars so I am very selective. In fact, there are few non-Cuban cigars I reviewed are bad. My motto is life is too short and I try not to smoke bad cigar( in my standard). However, at the same time I respect others choice and you will hardly see me criticizing others choice. I remain silence. Finally, my review is my personal opinion and I do it for fun. I have preference and others have their own- that what make this hobby so interesting. However at the end- there is good, moderate and bad cigars. The choice is individual.
blurr:
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
One more thing, this a reason I never score cigar rather than write up my smoking feeling. I believe I only scored twice and both were 98- Nicaraguan Padron Millennium and Cohiba Siglo VI.
rzaman:
LOL...I only review what I smoke. I do not buy any cigar for review. That is the reason you will not see me reviewing Cuban Romep y Julieta tubos, Quintero, Troya, Gunateramera, Belinda and some others. It takes some effort to collect Cuban cigars so I am very selective. In fact, there are few non-Cuban cigars I reviewed are bad. My motto is life is too short and I try not to smoke bad cigar( in my standard). However, at the same time I respect others choice and you will hardly see me criticizing others choice. I remain silence. Finally, my review is my personal opinion and I do it for fun. I have preference and others have their own- that what make this hobby so interesting. However at the end- there is good, moderate and bad cigars. The choice is individual.
blurr:
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
i haven't had many bad Cubans really. I've had some that had construction issues, too young, or I didn't like the profile. But I've yet to have one that I'd call a bad smoke, while I've had plenty of bad smokes from other regions.
Dustin, you hit the nails on the head. I try to be little more diplomatic. I try not to argue about the issue. It requires some time and smoking experience to understand the differences.
catfishbluezz:
blurr:
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
i haven't had many bad Cubans really. I've had some that had construction issues, too young, or I didn't like the profile. But I've yet to have one that I'd call a bad smoke, while I've had plenty of bad smokes from other regions.
You mean the entire box got blue mold? Man you need to check the entire humidor.
catfishbluezz:
Havent had this yet, had on resting that was in a box that got bit by blue mold. Guess I need a box lol
long story, but I'm good. I did loose a good 15-20 smokes, it was like nothing I'd ever seen. I have pics saved. The consistency was very sticky and stained the wrappers if it came off, nothing like white mold. I still have some of them in a bag somewhere, need to toss them as Im afraid to smoke them really.
And it wasnt my humi, was storing them elsewhere, it was a bummer.
Dustin, you hit the nails on the head. I try to be little more diplomatic. I try not to argue about the issue. It requires some time and smoking experience to understand the differences.
catfishbluezz:
blurr:
Your reviews tend to rave on Cuban smokes. Is there a bad Cuban you could review for us. Just so we can get a not lopsided Cuban promoter viewpoint. I know that's what you like rip, but give me a bad Cuban review. Not quintero, something bad.
i haven't had many bad Cubans really. I've had some that had construction issues, too young, or I didn't like the profile. But I've yet to have one that I'd call a bad smoke, while I've had plenty of bad smokes from other regions.
i even like some of the short filler stuff. Even though they burn funky, they still have a decent finish.
It is risky to smoke them. Just forget about them though I know it's hard. Hey if you can't find the Upman LE 09 let me know. I really want you to smoke one. it is very different than as usual Cubans. It reminds me little bit of the Paratags Series E no. 2 which also has completely different flavors and complexity. Kyle, Chris and Alan smoked with me when they were in my place.
catfishbluezz:
rzaman:
You mean the entire box got blue mold? Man you need to check the entire humidor.
catfishbluezz:
Havent had this yet, had on resting that was in a box that got bit by blue mold. Guess I need a box lol
long story, but I'm good. I did loose a good 15-20 smokes, it was like nothing I'd ever seen. I have pics saved. The consistency was very sticky and stained the wrappers if it came off, nothing like white mold. I still have some of them in a bag somewhere, need to toss them as Im afraid to smoke them really.
And it wasnt my humi, was storing them elsewhere, it was a bummer.
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Carlos Toraño hails from one of the premier tobacco-growing families of Cuba. When his father and family lost their tobacco farms to nationalization after the Castro revolution, the Toraños spread about the world, sowing tobacco seed in their footsteps. After his father's death in a tobacco field, Toraño entered the family tobacco business, and later began brokering and then making cigars, eventually putting his name on a cigar brand. Today, the Toraños make cigars for a variety of customers and are building their family name into one of the established cigar brands of the modern era. Please see below what the current President of the Torano Charile says about the company:
“I was raised in the cigar business. I’m a product of the 1970’s and 80’s. I can tell you that the cigar business today looks nothing like it did when I was growing up. Back then, smoking a handmade cigar was something your grandfather did. You did not see people in their twenties, thirties, or forties enjoying a great cigar. Today, cigars have become a part of the culture, albeit a sub-culture of adult men and women that appreciate the unique experience that comes with smoking a fine cigar. As a young man, as the cigar industry was declining, I was certain that I would be the generation that broke with the tradition and long history of the Toraño family’s involvement in the cigar business. Thanks to you, I was flat wrong! For three generations before me, the Toraño men were leaf growers. My great-grandfather started growing tobacco in Cuba in 1916. My grandfather and his brothers expanded the tobacco growing business and by 1959 the Toraño family owned and operated 17 tobacco farms. After the Cuban revolution, my grandfather started growing tobacco in the Dominican Republic. When my father became involved in tobacco growing, he and his partners grew tobacco in Nicaragua, Mexico and Ecuador.
In early to mid 1980's, my father started a transition from leaf growing to cigar manufacturing. For many years the Toraños made private labels for other cigar distributors. However, by the mid 1990's, we started our own brand of cigars under the Toraño family name. Our cigar blending philosophy is highly influenced by our tobacco growing experience. We love to make complex cigar blends with tobacco from a variety of different countries. Today, I’m blessed to work with some of the finest people in the cigar business. Men like Carlos Llaca-Toraño, Felipe “The Master” Sosa, Bruce “the Aussie” Lewis, and Jack “the Giant” Toraño. We strive everyday to create unique cigar blends that will appeal to every palate. In these pages you will find a variety of different Toraño brands that will deliver an abundance of flavor and remind you of the reasons why you fell in love with smoking premium cigars. Our company motto is “Make Time to Burn”. I hope you will take some time for yourself this week and burn a Toraño Family Cigar.” -Charlie Toraño, President, Toraño Family Cigar Company. [Source: Cigar Afiocinado & Torano Cigar Company]
Some time I do not like to smoke any new cigars rather than pick one from my aging vault. This morning I am feeling to smoke an aged Connecticut cigar and I picked one of my favorite Connecticut Carlos Torano Reserva Selecta. This has been aging over three years now. The wrapper is light caramel color; it has some oily sheen, smooth surface and few fine visible veins. The cigars are sealed in glass tube for aging purpose as well as for attractive packaging. It comes in a box of 20 with beautiful presentation. Carlos Torano is one of the rare humble cigar families in the cigar business who really provides excellent value with consistent quality and price. They do not spend a lot of money like Padron, Arturo Fuente into glamorous cigar parties or so-called social work kind of gimmicks. They have been producing tobacco from seeds to a cigar for generations. Carlos and Charile Toranos are genuine people. In fact, they are similar to the Placensia family but not as commercial as some other cigar families. At this point I reserve special respect for Torano family on top of other cigar makers. Anyway, their cigars are simply good and fairly priced with consistent quality and value. Overall, it is straight mild-medium bodied in strength with good complexity and short-dry finish. Some people say this is the best cigar Torano’s ever made but I would say most probably one of their best cigars along with Exodus 1959, vault and Virtuoso. The flavor and aroma profile is a combination of wood(cedar-oak), mild leather, medium black pepper, nut(cashew), toffee-butter scotch and cardamom flavors with strong sweet-aromatic floral note at the back. Though the flavor and aroma profile is limited but it is very enjoyable and relaxing smoke with creamy texture. The draw is perfect with slight uneven burn. Of course, the as usual Connecticut tannic and bitterness is there but with three years of age, the sweet-aromatic floral note helps to dominate some of the bitterness. The retrohale is very pleasant dry with sweet-spicy finish through the nose. A good cigar is a combination of six elements- flavor, aroma, strength, complexity, balanced and finish. This cigar performs very well in six elements with limited flavors and complexity.
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican Republic/Honduras, Nicaragua
1/3: It starts with cedar, mild leather, toffee flavors with sweet-aromatic floral note at the back but the finish is dry. There is also a sweet-mild black peppery finish though the nose. The top of my tongue has a mild peppery bite; the middle of my tongue can feel the creamy texture with above flavors and aroma. The back of my tongue has mild tobacco harshness but not disturbing. At the end of 1/3, the cigar is creamier in texture. Overall, it has balanced flavors and aroma with short-dry finish and average complexity. The strength is mild to medium.
2/3: At this stage, the sweet-aromatic floral note is strong which I really enjoy in a cigar. The cedary flavor is gone and taken over by oaky flavor. The mild leathery flavor is still there. The toffee flavor has been added with a layer of butter scotch and more creamy texture. It deserves an additional point for complexity here. The black peppery finish through the nose is more clean and crispy- very nice. The bitterness is less for the stronger sweet-aromatic note. I am also detecting a mild layer of aromatic cardamom flavor at the end of 2/3. Another twist is the medium nutty (cashew nut) finish. I have to say three years age mellowed out the smoke a lot. I remember it didn't perform this well when I smoked it three years ago. The strength is close to medium now with medium finish. Overall it is performing very well.
Final/3: I feel the cigar got stuck in complexity at this stage. I am not detecting any new flavors or aroma. However, the 2/3 full flavor profile is present but the smoke became boring. The only thing keep me going is the wonderful sweet-aromatic floral-mild black peppery finish through the nose. I am still enjoying the retrohale. The back of my tongue has more bitterness- a little unpleasant but not bad. The strength is again mild to medium with short finish.
Final thought: I think you can tell from my review that this is a simple smoke but when you think about $8 price tag- it is a good smoke. It is much better than many so-called boutique limited edition cigars in the market which cost from $10-15. I do like this cigar time to time and aging definitely improve the performance of this cigar. I have a love and hate relationship with Connecticut wrapper for its tannic and bitterness. Connecticut wrapper can do magic with properly aged sweet binder and fillers. Master blender Daniel Nunez and Henke Kelner are the top performers. I like Connecticut Stradivarius, Macanudo Vintage 2000, Room 101 Connecticut, Davidoff Royal Robusto and other DCs. Lately, Ecuadorian grown Connecticut wrapper reduced the bitterness with local soil and weather which is a good sign.
I would like to talk little bit about the Indonesian tobacco here. Many blenders discriminate Indonesian tobacco because it is simplyone of the cheapest in the market. Well, Indonesian tobacco, particularly from the East Java in Jember and Surabaya provinces produces some rich and fine quality tobaccos. One of them is the Bezuki tobacco- it is thin and light in body but has a lot of flavors. It true they produce a lot of poor quality tobacco but there are also poor quality tobaccos in Nicaragua, DR, Cuba, Honduras and other tobacco producing countries. Swedish match opened a factory there and roll some Indonesian puro. My understanding is the top Indonesian tobaccos are good as a binder and filler but not as a wrapper. Torano utilized a good quality Indonesian binder in this cigar. Maybe I will post a thread about Indonesian tobacco in another day. As I mentioned this earlier that I have a love-hate relationship with Connecticut wrapper but I think I like it when I have a moment like this morning. If you are looking for a good Connecticut with fair price vs value then Carlos Torano Reserva Selecta is a good choice.
From all the pictures I've seen do you have a dedicated room for your cigars?
“What is Viaje? I get asked this question a lot. Viaje is a boutique cigar company specializing in the small batch approach to cigar making. Viaje represents the idea that quality is better than quantity. That small is better than big. That few are better than many. Why small batch? Well, there are many reasons. Quality, consistency and most importantly, this is where I get my inspiration. If you enjoy mass produced cigars, you are in the wrong place. We use tobacco sparingly to execute our vision of what a cigar should look and taste like. Viaje represents the boutique in every sense of the word. This is what I enjoy, this is what I provide, and this is my promise. Join us in the revolution against mediocrity.” – Andre Farkas, President, Viaje Cigar Co. [Source: Viaje cigar]
It is a box pressed perfecto shaped cigar. The interesting part is the embossed white band- very difficult to take a picture without light from the right angle. It is more difficult in the night time. I am not going to wait until the day light for the perfect shot because I want to smoke it now. The wrapper is very dark roasted coffee bean color, smooth in touch with rough appearances. It has some lumps here and there with many visible veins. The cigar feels really good in hand. It has dry leather, hay and barnyard scents. The cold draw has cinnamon, pepper, sweet tobacco and tangy aroma. The draw is good with some burn issues. It is straight a full bodied cigar. It has rich and complex aroma but it has overpowering strength and spice. It also has the metallic finish. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of grass, leather, hickory wood, cocoa, dark bitter chocolate, Italian press espresso coffee shot, cinnamon, nut(peanuts), black pepper with wold floral note and caramel sweet and mint finish to it. It is very rich in flavor but at the same time powerful and complex with long finish. The smoke is lush and thick. The rehtrohale has a ginger like spice through the nose.
Wrapper/Binder/Fillers: Nicaragua
1/3: It starts with a blast of black pepper, grass, dry leather flavor with a wild floral note at the back. It also has a caramel sweetness at the back. It is a powerful smoke from the start which turns me off a little. During retrohale I can feel the spicy pain through the nose. The top of my tongue has a strong zing of black pepper, the middle of my tongue can feel the lush, thick smoke but not buttery or creamy because of the overly powered spice, the back of my tongue can feel the metallic harshness. At the same time, it completely woke me up. It is like when we are almost in deep sleep and suddenly wake up with a sound of crying baby- Sh*t. Within 8-10 puffs the power and painful spice settled down a little with more caramel sweetness but rethrohale is still painful with strong black peppery spice. I am also detecting dark bitter chocolate, dark Japanese soy sauce(has a tiny pungent bite of herbs) flavors are coming up front with a nice mild aromatic wild floral note at the back. I don't know if I dislike it but my brain is little busy with different flavors here but I am not happy either. Well, I really don't know what to say but I hope I am able to describe my feeling.
2/3: The overpowering strength settled down with more bearable spiciness at 2/3. The cigar is interesting now. I think I know what happened at the 1/3 mark. All the above flavors and aroma got locked in a small area and I was too busy to identify them individually because of the strength plus the strong black pepper spice and harshness at the back throat. That means the cigar was rich but not balanced. The flavors should be easy to feel with layers and layers but overpower takes away that charm. Now the dominant flavors are sweet leather, hickory wood, grass, Italian press espresso shot, Japanese dark soy sauce, cocoa powder with caramel sweetness at the back. The wild floral note is gone but taken over with aromatic cinnamon. There is also a nutty (peanuts) finish and thickness to the smoke. The metallic harshness is moderately mild at the back of my tongue. The top of my tongue has the black peppery spiciness and middle of my tongue has thick smoke with above flavors and aroma. The draw is great but I am having little burn issue. I had to torch up three times to keep the burn straight. This wrapper is definitely from Esteli tobacco- spicy and powerful. There is also Jalapa's sweetness to it. The cigar is rich in flavors and aroma with long finish but still not balanced. The strength is not bad. Interestingly I am able to retrohale now and enjoying the ginger like spiciness through the nose. Ginger is an interesting spice which has slight vegetal, floral and spicy taste. The cigar definitely adds points for rich complexity at this stage. I am missing Nicaraguan zesty-sweet mocha flavor here. This is blend is mix of aged and new tobaccos. I believe there is at least 60% ligeros in it. The strength is full bodied and bold. I forgot to take a picture of 2/3.
Final/3: As I moved to final/3, the cigar has a up front Coca Cola flavor. Again, another twist in complexity. The dominant flavors are Coca Cola, aromatic cinnamon, Italian press espresso shot, black pepper, sweet dark chocolate with caramel sweet finish at the back. There is also a refreshing minty finish at the back, another twist. This is an interesting smoke. Though it is 100% Nicaraguan puro but it has her unique appearance. This is where this cigar is interesting. The top of my tongue got a spicy frozen feel, the middle of my tongue is full of thick texture and my back of my tongue has medium young tobacco harshness. The cigar is definitely rich and complex but it is not balanced at all. The overpowering strength and spiciness is really bothering me and I am not going to finish the smoke. Cigars supposed to be relaxing but definitely I am not having a relaxing feeling here.
Final thought: I know people love or hate Viaje cigars. I am a huge fan of Viaje Oro Reserva # 4 and Viaje Platino Reserva #5 but they are very balanced. My personal opinion is Viaje failed to release a proper and balanced 5th Anniversary cigar. However, I do understand that this cigar has aging potential. Usually, cigar makers try to use their best tobaccos to their anniversary releases. I also believe, I am not going to search for this cigar in the future because there are many excellent balanced Nicaraguan Puros in the market. A $14 cigar should be balanced and this is not.
Your cigar man-house is amazing!
Herrman Upmann was a banker from Germany who admired Cuban cigars so much that he moved to Havana in 1844 where he worked as a banker and cigar producer since. His bank had to close down shortly after 1920s, but his cigars continue as an excellent example for a Habano of mild to medium strong taste. All leafs for the H. Upman cigars are grown in the tobacco region Vuelta Abajo. Besides Upman's signature, the cigar boxes are adorned with eleven gold medals gained at international exhibitions during the 19th century.
History of H. Upman brand:
In 1922 both the H. Upman Bank and the cigar business went bankrupt, the bank because of speculation in German marks and Mexican oil properties. A British firm, J. Frankau & Co., bought the brand name and continued production until 1935, when the company was sold to the recently established Menéndez y García Co., makers of the Montecristo brand. This new ownership group continued production of H. Upman cigars until the nationalization of the tobacco industry after the Cuban Revolution. The favorite cigar of US President John F. Kennedy was the H. Upman Petit Upman. The night before the embargo was signed, he had aide Pierre Salinger procure every box he could gather from Washington, DC tobacconists, for a total of 1,200 cigars- Hypocrite Politicians.
After the revolution, Menéndez and García moved the brand first to the Canary Islands, then the Dominican Republic, where production of this brand still continues for the American market under the ownership of Altadis SA. He name H. Upman 1844 is used for the non-Cuban Upman cigar. The Cuban-made brand still remains a popular cigar in the world market, where it is made in a variety of fully handmade, hand-finished, and machine-made vitolas. In 2002, when Altadis SA bought a controlling share in Habanos SA, numerous changes were made to the Upmann lineup. The vast array of Upman sizes was rationalized, with redundant and poor selling sizes among the company's more than 30 vitolas eliminated. By 2006, according to the company, the H. Upman line had been whittled down to just seven handmade and five machine-made sized. In 2005, Habanos SA made an uncharacteristic move by releasing a new H. Upman size as part of their annual Edición Limitada release. This is odd because the rule of the past has been that only the five globally distributed marques (Cohíba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Partagás, and Hoyo de Monterrey) have been used for Edición Limitada releases, whereas H. Upman is a multi-locally distributed brand. This limited edition size was the large Magnum 50, thought to be an enticement to smokers with whom the Magnum 46 is very popular. Shortly afterwards, Quintero was demoted to a multi-local brand in the Habanos portfolio and H. Upman was raised to a global brand, with distribution in every nation that imports Habanos cigars. H. Upman also produces two machine-made cigarillos (the Mini and the Purito) and a brand of cigarettes under the direction of ICT. [Source: Casa del Habano & Wikipedia]
In 2009, Casa del Habano (CDH) released three Limited Edition cigars- Romeo y Julieta Dukes, Boliver petit corona along with H. Upman Magnum 48. All three brands tobaccos have been aged full two years that means from 2007 harvest. CDH's LE series have been very popular and utilizing the aged tobacco concept for some time. Again, not all LE cigars are better than regular Cuban cigars. It is sad but I am very careful with LE and Regional releases. I picked up this box in Cuba because I smoked them before and liked its extreme rich sweet chocolate flavor. In fact, this is my favorite H. Upman in Magnum Series. The one I am smoking now has full three years of age and they are simply better than before. It is still aging but ready to smoke. It is a short robusto size cigar with few soft spots here and there. The wrapper is dark brown with many visible veins. It has dry wood, nutty note on the foot. The cold draw is perfect- neither tight nor loose. It has clean cocoa powder and mild black peppery aroma. The draw is perfect with minor burn issues. It is medium body in strength. The flavor and aroma profile is the combination of wood (cedar), earth, cocoa, black pepper, vanilla-biscuits, extremely rich creamy chocolate, café latte (50% coffee & 50 % milk), Cappuccino, signature strong Cuban fruity-floral aroma and clean and crispy sugarcane sweetness after each puff. In fact, from the start to finish the cigars has rich chocolaty-sugarcane sweetness to it.
Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba
1/3: It starts with a blast of rich-creamy-malty-sweet chocolate flavor- wow! I can't recall this intensity when I smoked it in 2009. There are also sweet cedar, damp earth, sweet cocoa powder flavors, super mild black peppery spice and rich fruity-floral aroma, clean, crispy and sharp sugarcane sweetness at the back. The cigar is super smooth without any harshness. I do remember it had a little young tobacco harshness when I smoked in in 2009. I have started rethrohale from the first puff and enjoying the delicate black pepper powder spiciness through the nose. This is a five stars start. The best part of this cigar at this stage is its dominating rich, malty and sweet chocolate flavor. The top of my tongue has a mild black peppery zing, the middle of my tongue is full of round, mouthful and creamy smoke, the back of my tongue is clean. The flavors and aroma is very rich and intense. The strength is medium with rich and balanced complex flavors, aroma and long finish. My mouth is full of long sweet finish. I can practically think of smoking a chocolate bar. Usually, I concentrate a lot on rethrohale at this stage but the intense chocolaty flavor is attracting me the most not the delicate black peppery spiciness through the nose. This is simply amazing!!!
2/3: In the second third, the strength is picking up more power but still within medium body range. The 1/3 damp earthiness and cocoa powder sweetness is weak but the rest of the flavor and aroma profile is still there with extreme rich-sweet chocolate flavor. In addition, I am also picking up vanilla-biscuits, cafe latte (50:50% Coffee: Milk) flavors in it. I am also detecting a nutty (cashew nut) finish at the back. The cigar deserves two points in complexity here. This cigar just got more richer-fabulous! The retrohale has the nice mild black peppery powder finish through the nose but I am completely captivated with its rich-malty chocolate, vanilla-biscuits, cafe latte flavors with strong aromatic fruity-floral aroma and clean sugarcane sweetness at the finish. Retrohale became secondary to me. It is truly mind-blowing- Of course, in a positive way. This cigar is tiny in size but it is a flavors bomb. It reminds me of Thai bird chilies- it is small but packed with sharp spiciness. The cigar has a little tobacco harshness at the back now but nothing to undermine its quality. It is the sign of longer aging potential. I simply cannot ask more from a cigar at this stage.
Final/3: While I approach to the final third, the strength is straight medium. The damp earthiness is back to the front again with the rich-malty chocolate, vanilla-biscuits flavors. In addition, there is also a freshly brewed cappuccino flavor with strong signature fruity-floral aroma at the back. The clean and crispy sugarcane sweetness is creamier with a layer of honey-sugarcane sweetness. The retrohale has a delicate black pepper spice-sweet finish through the nose. The cigar receives another point in complexity here. This cigar is all about rich multi-dimensional sweetness with a shield of delicate black pepper spicy circle. It is a tiny cigar but packed with rich, complex and balanced flavors and aroma, stable medium strength with long finish. My entire mouth is full of sweetness and delicate spicy tingly feeling. I am in love and glad to have a full box of 25 cigars- BRAVO H. UPMAN!!!
Final thoughts: This is not only the best Limited Edition release from 2009 but one of the best LE release from Casa del Habano. It will perform even better with longer aging. I do like Magnum 46 and 50 but by far magnum 48 is my favorite vitola. I also smoked the H. Upman LE 2012 in Cuba. It just came to the market back then. It was very good but not as good as LE 2009. My only complain about this cigar is the size. The fun is too short. This is a $10 cigar and I can say that very few non-Cuban and also Cuban can deliver this value similar to H. Upman Magnum LE 2009. If you are looking for a moderately priced Cuban then please go for it. Enjoy the rest of the day; I know that I am recharged and ready for go to work tomorrow. Thank you!
And it wasnt my humi, was storing them elsewhere, it was a bummer.