Last week while hanging out at my local cigar shop, the owner mentioned that he had a few cigar reps stop in during the week. One of them was the local CAO rep stopping bye to schedule a future event. While there the CAO rep left a couple of Torano cigars for my local to enjoy.
Due to my status of “Shop Regular” I get a perk from time to time and recieve samples of different cigars that flow through the shop. This time around I was gifted a Carlos Torano Virtuoso. It has been a considerable amount of time since I’ve had any Torano, not to mention the Virtuoso, so I fired it up for this weeks Short Ashes video.
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http://youtu.be/sRe-wAAH5_Q
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Carlos Torano Review
Great review Walt. I love your short ashes segments. To the point 🙂
I have to agree with you on the Virtuoso. I wouldn’t pay $5 for them but they can be obtained for less fairly regularily on Cbid. That being said, they are a basic one dimensional cigar with just enough pizzazz to take them to Medium or a tad higher. Just a plain decent smoke. Not a wow cigar. Now, an interesting thought that I thought you were going to expand on is how you compared it to the Oliva Series G Maduro?
Dave
Good work as always. These are the worst cigars I’ve ever had from Torano. I couldn’t even get past the first 2 inches of it. I commend you for even finishing it.
Nice review Walt. I’ve made it through a 5 pack of Virtuosos and found them to be consistent in construction, and well-made, but maybe a little inconsistent in flavor. A couple have been lackluster and a little “blah,” as I think you called it, while a couple have had more dimension to the flavor. The last one I had was a little bland, so I haven’t picked up more, and probably won’t, at least for a while. You hit the basic flavors on the head – bitter coffee, wood…and I’d add, maybe a touch of dry cocoa.
so CAO took over the brand?
will they get rid of the CT label now or something??
I think the Virtuoso is one of the best cigars out there if you like strong, full cigars. Notes of coffee, wood, earth, moss and even a touch of sweetness. I enjoy this more than the Oliva V. The Encore, which is the smallest size, seems to have the least complexity and some inconsistencies from stick to stick. I’ve never had an issue with the Forte size (5.5×56). They do benefit from a rest after shipping. At least a couple of weeks.
Who said anything about a CAO takeover? Reps contract to sell more than one line. CAO and Torano share a factory in Esteli.