cigar review
BRAND: Carlos Toraño
NAME: Tribute 2003
TYPE: Robusto
LENGTH/RING GAUGE: 5 x 50
WRAPPER: Connecticut Seed
BINDER AND FILLER: Nicaragua, Dominican
DATE OF PURCHASE: 4/24/2006
DATE OF RATING: 5/27/2007
TIME IN HUMIDOR (months): 13.3
LOOK AND FEEL: 90
FLAVOR AND AROMA: 90
BURN: 90
OVERALL SCORE: 90
STORAGE CONDITIONS: This is the third in a four-part review of the 2003 Tribute. I transferred these cigars from my chest humidor to my Aristocrat humidor, which is maintained at 71%RH at 72°F. The cigar box itself was designed as a desktop humidor and finished in a parquet style using oak, maple and walnut. Only 6600 boxes were produced of the 2003 Tribute with this cigar being from box 493/1000 in the robusto size.
TASTING NOTES: This cigar uses a 7-year-old Connecticut wrapper that is a rich chestnut color. A pre-light snort gives off the heavy aroma of hay. The wrapper is smooth to the touch and shiny with very light veining. The cigar feels packed with tobacco goodness with no soft spots or under-filling detected.
I trimmed the cap with my Palío cutter and took a pre-light draw. The flavor of wood and notes of hay were apparent with this blend. I then toasted the foot with my Zippo/Z-Plus lighter until I had an even burn.
This smoke begins with light, woody flavors with nuances of nuts. The nuttiness is short-lived and replaced with a light spiciness in the smoke. The woody flavor remains the main theme of this cigar, with the spicy notes disappearing somewhere after the first third. Although the main flavor builds somewhat at the halfway point, this cigar remained a medium-bodied smoke with a lingering “Woodsy” finish.
The burn was almost effortless to maintain. It remained even for the majority of the experience, producing a gray, but slightly cracked ash. Rotating the cigar seemed to control any tendency for it to burn unevenly.
This is a pleasant medium-bodied smoke that doesn’t overpower while still providing some subtle characters. This would be great as a morning cigar, possibly with coffee. We’ll rate this one again is six months, and assign it a “Aging Potential Score”
~Blake
Carlos Toraño: Tribute 2003
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
