Carlos Torano Noventa

Country: Handmade in Esteli, Nicaragua

Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Santiago (Robusto) 5 x 50

Price: Purchased a box of 25 from local shop for around $210. Individuals are $9.



Pre-Light:
I purchased a box of these anticipated cigars back in November 2006. These have been "sleeping" for about 6 months now and I am excited to do this review.Looking at this cigar, I seen some small veins present. A very firm cigar as well. After I clipped, flavors present on the pre-draw were a pleasant earthy flavor. Aroma presented to me a nice tobacco smell and the draw was as good as I expected it to be.



1/3:
The initial first couple of puffs produced a fair amount of smoke. Not too thick and not too thin. Flavors picked up were: Nutty, toasty and creamy. Draw was good and the finish was short. The strength on this cigar was a bit strong. Burn happend to be a bit uneven, but not too bad. Ash was a light gray colored ash. Construction so far so good.


2/3:
Getting into the 2/3 of this cigar, it was leaving a tingling sensation in the back of my throat. However, the cigar did tend to mellow out a bit, but it still produced a punch to it. The burn happened to even out as expected, which is always a plus in my book. The ash seemed to hold on forever on this cigar, that was until it fell on my lap. Otherwise, so far so good.


3/3:
Coming down the home stretch, I knew this was going to be a winner. That punch I described earlier had dissapated. I did pick up a small flavor of chocolate towards the end. What shocked me was this cigar did not once get too hot. The ash was still holding strong as was everything else. I did not want this to end.

Conclusion:
I happend to smoke one of these back in November and let me tell you that this cigar has changed drastically for the better. When I tried this in Nov. it was really harsh, had a really bad burn and was just not good at all. I rolled the dice and took a chance on a box hoping they would get better. Well, I am not dissapointed one bit. These cigars need rest. It is kind of tough to say that for a $9/stick cigar, but believe me, they get better with age. If you have the patience to age them, please do it. You will not be let down. If you can find these, pick a couple up and you will see what I mean. A definite must have in your humidor. If you can pony up the extra dough to buy a box, go for it. I am glad that I got my box, it is worth every penny plus more.

Rating: A