These cigars came to me via a surprise route. store out in Denver CO were nice enough to send us a box of these guys. The store is called Whats Knot to Love and they are Denver’s Most Unique Cigar Shop. I’ve never ordered from these guys so I can’t vouch for how good their service is. But any store that will magically make a box of cigars appear on my doorstep without me doing anything can’t be all bad right? So cheers to the folks at Whats Knot to Love!
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Dominican/Honduras/Mexico/Nicaragua/Costa Rican
Now, I’m a Carlos Torano nut. I’m not a big fan of the Casa Torano line but everything in between is outstanding. The best being the 2004 Tribute Series but I’ll save talking about that for another review. If you didn’t know, this cigar commemorates the exodus of expert Cuban cigar families and their impact on the cigar industry after the nationalization of all tobacco farms and factories by the Cuban government in 1959.
The Torano Exodus is a dark stogie. It has very little veins and the oily wrapper makes this beauty standout inside your humidor. Once you open the box you’re hit with a breeze of crisp fresh cedar aromas that make you want to dive right in and with the humidipack that ships inside, you can. The humidipack keeps the stogies at perfect levels letting you enjoy one these guys right out of the box.
The initial draw is a bit tough and the flavors were weak. It takes a few good puffs for this stogie to develop. Once it develops, watch out! The five country blend that makes up the filler really adds to the depth and complexity of this stogie. You can tell when the Nicaraguan part of the blend kicks in at the end as you’re hit with the spicy notes. Most of the way you’re enjoying chocolate flavors that range from sweet, smooth and creamy to a rich chalky chocolate type taste. The finish was very smooth and you have the chocolate notes stay with you like a rich chocolate bar does.
While the wrapper stayed intact my only gripe with this stogie is one that I’ve heard many times before and that’s with the erratic burn that this stogies experiences the first third of the stick. The ash is peppery in color and very loose. Don’t look to the Exodus when you’re in a ash contest. It’s flakey and every movement sends pieces of ash everywhere. You can also notice some tunneling of the filler. While I did toast the foot enough I suspect the tunneling is a result of the erratic burn early on. After the midway point it’s a perfect smoke. No tunneling or burn problems.
This stogie is one of the finest stogies on the market and outside of the Tribute Series is the best of the bunch that Carlos Torano puts out. The five country blend adds that needed complexity that makes this stogie a must try. I’m very grateful to the folks at Whats Knot to Love for taking the time to send these stogies our way.
Holy Moly man!!!!
Did you actually “Toast” that foot for almost a minute with a direct torch? Jeebus…how much butane do you go through a month? Did it taste like charred coffee on the opening draw?
Man, you may want to lighten up on the “toasting”. You don’t stuff a fine steak over direct flame or it gets ruined. The same goes for a cigar. Then again, I am not a Torano fan so it doesn’t matter to me…
You keep calling that thing a double corona. Geez! Looks more like a belicoso to me. Doesn’t seem pointy enough for a torp, but a double corona it isn’t. And a “50 inch ring gauge”? You were havin’ a bad day, right? 🙂
We LOVED your review- read all about it- http://www.cigarfamily.com/cf4/thread.cfm?Room=Cigar&threadId=44165&z=35&MemberID=3680&Remember=1#645300
LOL…now that you mention it…I did toast that foot for a pretty long time. Honestly never trust me to do two things at once. Obviously talking while trying to toast sounds easier than it really is. Chalk it up to being nervous…add to it that I totally screwed up the size. Just wasn’t my day to be using the webcam but hey, in my defense, it was only my second video.
How can you not be a Torano fan? Missing out on some good stuff…
Dick – It was a bad day…it was day 2 or 3 with my webcam so I wasn’t really sure what I was doing…I’m still not sure.
Michael – Thanks for the link. I had actually been following that thread since yesterday. Thanks for flamming me and the site…I guess your site is much better. What is the addy to your cigar website were you are doing something positive for the community? Seriously, I’m open to all remarks and appreciate the legitimate remarks. But you know, no where on this site or in the video does it say I’m a pro at this. The site was designed to share my thoughts and be open to other views. I’m sorry your experience visiting hasn’t been enjoyable like so many others. I hope you and others at Cigar Family will give the site another chance but if not…long ashes to you anyway.
Then you should join, read, & learn. You would be surprised at the breadth of experience there. Everyone starts at the beginning (although most don’t advertise it!)
Nothing personal, just busting balls…
The stogie review guys are good people. Not sure what is up with the folks at cigar family. Normally a good bunch of guys.
Anyway, I think the site is great and the videos are an added bonus. I think in a few months we can all laugh at the videos and see how far you have come.
Guys I love the site. No one knows everything and every cigar tastest different to everyone.
I love the videos and I think its great you guys are putting yourself out on the web like this cause while people are giving you crap you are providing great entertainment.
Sorry Jerry. Don’t pay any attention to these negative people at that forum.
Site is awesome! Reviews are dead on too! Videos are funny as hell!
You have a big fan base in the Blackberry world…thanks for the mobile edition which is very blackberry friendly!
Thanks for the invite Michael but no sense being where the crowd passes judegement. I accept that the folks at Cigar Family don’t enjoy the site and won’t be visiting. Like I said earlier…long ashes to you and your community.
Jacob & Vic – Thanks for stopping by and the encouraging words. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and when we started this project we knew not everyone would agree with everything we say. In fact it would be rather boring if they did. Nonetheless thanks again for taking the time on your comments.
You are a better person than I am bro and you are surrounded by good people.
Keep them coming!
Jerry,
I think you’re wrong, I’m a member of Cigar Family and actually really liked the review, it was very funny and I had a great time watching it. I don’t care if you are a rookie, you are putting yourself out there and having fun doing it, I don’t think you should take it personal. I was just surprised reading that you have been smoking 2-3 cigars for that last 10 years. Also, if you are putting your stuff on the net you must accept the response that comes with that, you can’t expect to publish something, have people read it or view it and only get positive feedback.
Just so you know, without mentioning any names, many of the guys that post at Cigar Family are the best in the industry. I look forward to your future video reviews.
cigar family guy – you’re absoluetly correct. I did not mean to lump all the cigar family members together. So my apologies for that…
I have been smoking for at least 10 years but new to actually reviewing stogies and cigar etiquette. I smoke the way I’ve always smoked. I’ve never paid too much attention to etiquette or techniques.
You’re also totally right on expectations. I don’t expect everyone to agree with us 100% of the time. In fact I expect people to disagree with us 99.9% of the time since cigars are such a personal view. There is no one size fits all in the cigar world.
Thanks very much for taking the time to leave a constructive comment. Its very much appreciated. I’m glad you find the videos funny…if anything, this is all for entertainment.
to be honest, after watching your first video I was hooked, there are a lot of people doing reviews out there but your have a special flare to them, don’t change them because then they will just be boring.
I love this website. As a new cigar smoker, I find it interesting and like to hear your thoughts on cigars in an honest and personal manner. By personal, I mean, how much more personal then video can you get without us actually meeting in person? Keep up the great work and I’ll be here often.
Dave
I had as near as I can tell, an epiphany while smoking this cigar! The cigar is the Carlos Torano 1959 Exodus Torpedo. It started with the ritual of the light and built from from first draw to the last. I thoroughly toasted the foot of this cigar and constantly rotated it until lit prior to cutting the head with my Perdomo cutter. This procedure produced one of the best and most consistent burns I’ve ever had. There was no tunneling or uneven burn. Nice draw. This is a mild to moderate strength cigar for me. As I smoked this stick It changed in its’ complexity. I was pleasantly surprised with its’ smoothness and character. This cigar has a mild,long mellow finish I thoroughly enjoyed. I imagined during this smoke everything that went into the soil to nurture the many tobaccos that make the Exodus. Five different countries! How much more complex can one get? Did I taste toasted bannana leafs? A mild wood taste? Vanilla? Earth? Light white pepper? I could sense flavors my palate couldn’t identify. I wasn’t perplexed by my lack of recognition, but rather amused. When I touched this stick to my lips I felt the union between the paper thin wrapper and my lips dissapear. The moisture in my lips rejuvinating the dried leaf restoring it to the day it was hung in the barn. This sensation occured on each and every draw and I found myself excitedly waiting for the next embrace! A first kiss on each draw, Fantastic!
This cigar is a box pressed torpedo. I think this shape suits me. The torpedo tip itself inserted its’ presence in my thoughts on every draw.I found the shape felt strong in my grasp. The flat top and bottom providing a nice shelf for my fingers. First off it feels solid, substantial. This stick is a tactile delight. The sense of touch on this cigar far surpasses any I’ve held to date. I was surprised that the sense of touch could make my enjoyment so much better.There were no burn problems on this cigar. No tunneling. Consistant from start to finish. I smoked this one in the garage during the month of December. I heated the garage for an hour prior to smoking this stick. Nice & cozy. Captain Morgans spiced Rum and Pepsi complimented this cigar nicely. At $5.75 a stick this is a fantastic bargain for the smoke, no the epiphany I experianced!
Whats knot to love is a total rip off .They will send you cigars with tobacco beatles and then refuse to refund your money and will hang up on you .Seems to be a real jerk in general and I have hear many other bad things about this shop all over the web. Many other great shops out there to serve you ….they do look tasty though …Wouldnt put em in my humido though and risk contaminating it with his garbage products.
i like the review.. however, i gotta be honest. I tried one of these sticks tonight and was greatly dissapointed. i’ve heard nothing but good about torano so i grabbed one along with a few RP’s when i went shopping. I must have gotten a bad one cus on a 1-10 the draw was about a 3 and produced minimal smoke. i got about a third of the way through it and tossed it out… i was kinda left scratchin my head cus i have heard great things about this particular cigar. the little flavor i got out of it was great.. and it burned nice with a nice strong ash.. but no draw. i just couldnt smoke this cigar… i believe in 2nd chances and will definitely try one again.. maybe not the same size to see if it makes any difference(??)i had the robusto. thanks for the review, -kevin
Just had my fourth exodus this week – Exodus1959, 50th Anniversay, and Two of the Silver edition All burned perfect – Silver most enjoyable to me.
Quite Pleased!!!!