[Note: The SF5 review is of a cigar that I have featured on the Stogie Fresh 5 podcast. This cigar will be reviewed again after aging another year in the Stogie Fresh humidors (i.e., "Postscript Review."]

TIME IN HUMIDOR: 3.0 weeks

LOOK AND FEEL: 89

FLAVOR AND AROMA: 90

BURN AND CONSTRUCTION: 88

OVERALL SCORE: 89.2

STORAGE CONDITIONS: These black beauties come in a box of 25 with each cigar wrapped in cellophane. I have stored them with cello intact in their original wood box in my Aristocrat Cabinet humidor. The set-and -forget system is set at 68%RH and the temperatures vary between 65-72°F.

This is the first of two Stogie Fresh 5 podcast reviews. The cigars have been resting for 3-weeks in my humidor prior to this review.

BACKGROUND: In 2001, to commemorate the exodus of cigar makers from Cuba and their impact on the cigar industry, Carlos Toraño Jr. and his son, Charlie, created a cigar in Honduras called, Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959. I featured the Exodus 1959, also known as the Exodus gold, way back in May of 2007 in episode 63 of the Stogie Fresh 5 podcast. Then, as a followup in episode 199, I featured the Exodus Silver Edition. This cigar, which was released in 2002 became the subject of my 199th podcast.

But today my attention is turned to the Toraño Exodus 1959 50-Years, which has seen its national launch this summer amid a number of other strategic moves by the Toraño Company.

The Exodus 1959 50-years sports a filler blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos from Esteli & Pueblo Nuevo. The filler is wrapped in a Honduran binder and then graced in a shimmering Brazilian Arapiraca Maduro wrapper.

According to Charlie Toraño, the Exodus 1959 Gold and Silver introductions were meant to remind the cigar world of the physical and emotional agony that the Cuban compatriots suffered. Today, however, the company message is one of celebration. Many Cuban tobacco families have realized their dreams after 50 years of dedicated work, in recreating the industry throughout the Caribbean and Central America, most notably in Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

The Exodus 50-year cigar band is trimmed in a warm, old-style copper color and the cigar is presented in boxes of 24.

The 50-year is available in three vitolas: a 5" x 50 Robusto, a 5-1/2" x 52 Torpedo, and the cigar I'm featuring today a 6" x 48 ring Toro.

The wrapper on this stick is dark. Real dark. It's almost a coal black in color. This particular cigar has a medium sized vein that runs almost the length of the cigar and it extrudes from the surface of the wrapper. In fact, when I run my hand over it, it feels sharp. Other than that, the surface of the cigar ripples and undulates.

The nose is big time chicken coop. Very pungent aroma and very ripe, if you know what I mean. Aesthetically, I'd give the cigar a B+/A-.

TASTING NOTES: The Exodus 50-years starts off with a huge dose of espresso and Baker's cocoa on the palate. The flavors are enhanced when I retrohale: I note something akin to mocha, or perhaps Kahlua. I like the great tobacco sweetness shown by this stick. It reminds me of what a good maduro should be: thick and flavorful with plenty of bittersweet flavors. I'm talking about Baker's cocoa and the hit you get when biting into a chocolate-covered espresso bean. The flavor would rate a B+ /A- in my book.

The draw on this stick is a bit stiff. It's not plugged, by any means, but not as loose as I'd like it. The burn line is ragged and blistered, but otherwise even. The performance in the first half would get a B-.

This Exodus 50-years just keeps getting better and better throughout the smoke. By the time I got to the last third, this sucker was lip-smacking good, with rich and lasting flavors on the palate and wonderfully intense tobacco sweetness. This is the way I like my maduro's and this one is a classic. The only negative was a slightly tight draw that persisted throughout the smoke, however I can tell you that this is not a regular feature of this cigar in general, nor in this batch of cigars in specific.

And, the best part is that these cigars can be had for a smidgen over $5.00 per stick. As a result, I can recommend this cigar highly. If you like maduro's, I think you'll love the Exodus 1959.

~Doc