Carlos Torano - 50 Years Exodus

Carlos Torano 50 Years Exodus - A little while back I wrote a review discussing the original 1959 Exodus with hopes of writing a comparison to the new "50 Years" cigar. I had heard good things about this cigar and couldn't wait to get my hands on one.
For no reason other than pure curiousity, I'm always excited to try a cigar made with any Brazilian tobacco. Whether it be filler in the blend, binder or wrapper, I'm on the hunt. Well, this cigar has a Brazilian wrapper. That's enough to get me interested.
Well...it took a little longer than expected to get my hands on this cigar. I'd like to thank my local Carlos Torano rep, who gave me one last time he stopped at my local hang-out. The owner has yet to pick up this line of cigars, so the rep took care of me. Thanks!
Anyways, the cigar is covered with a rustic looking, Brazilian sun-grown wrapper. The binder is Nicaraguan and the filler is from Nicaragua's Esteli region. Should be an interesting smoke.

Prelight- This particular cigar is a Toro size. The Brazilian wrapper is a dark chocolate brown and looks a little rough. But that can be expected with a sun-grown wrapper. With that said, the cigar is attractive and the copper band and smaller "50 Years" band really pops when set against the rich shade of the wrapper.
The prelight draw is smooth and tastes of chocolate. The cigar is firm throughout and feels like it is well-made.

Sparking it- The cigar is lit! The cigar opens up with chocolate and roasted coffee beans; flavors that I've come to expect with a Brazilian wrapper. There is also some obvious spice up-front. Not a powerful spice, but a slight pepper that blends well with the chocolately flavoring of the wrapper.
The ash holds firm and burns to a nice light gray.

Smoking it- I have to say that I like this cigar. It isn't amazing, but the flavors are good and the construction is pretty good as well. The most interesting thing with this cigar is the balance and mixture of the wrapper's sweetness and the filler's spice and aroma. The two fight for position on the palatte and it makes for an interesting smoke.
At $7 a cigar, the 50 Years has a lot of value. I can't wait to get my hands on a few more of these cigars. I'll keep a few in my humidor and add them into the rotation of go-to smokes.

Comparison to 1959 Exodus - Much better. check out my original post on the Torano 1959 Exodus -

Overall- A-

Carlos Torano- 1959 Exodus VS. 1959 Exodus 50 Years

In this write up I will compare the 1959 Exodus in a box-press size to the newer 50 Years edition that was released in 2009. The cigars are of a different blend, binder and wrapper. The original "Gold-Label" Exodus came out in 2001. The newer "Copper-Label" 50 Years Edition came out last year. Although they are linked by name, these are two completely different cigars. Lets see how different.



Carlos Torano 1959 Exodus- The manufacturer's website states..."The Exodus 1959 commemorates the Exodus of expert Cuban cigar families and their impact on the cigar industry after the nationalization of all tobacco farms and cigar factories by the Cuban government in 1959. The Toraños were one of those families. This cigar has rich and bold flavors with a dynamic blend of tobaccos from five different countries."-- I couldn't have put it any better than that without plagiarizing, so there you have it.
This stick is packed full of tobacco from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua. The binder is Honduran and the wrapper Nicaraguan.

Prelight- This cigar has an interesting look. Its a box-press, 6" in length, with a nippled foot. I've never seen another cigar with this shape. I like a good box-press, so this should be interesting. The construction feels nice, and the stick is spongy and firm to the touch.
The prelight draw has a weird taste. It tastes of chemicals a little bit. Ewwww, I hope the smoke tastes better than this. The draw itself is a little tight, but that is probably from the nippled foot.

Sparking it- The cigar lights with ease and the nippled end simmers to a nice even burn. The ash is a light grey and solid. This cigar is nicely made. The only problem...I'm not sure if I like the taste. It tastes a little bit like coffee and wood, but that chemical taste from the prelight is lingering in the smoke. Even the resting smoke has a chemical-like aroma to it. I'm not far in to the burn, so we'll see what the rest of the cigar has to offer.

Smoking it- This stick would be great, if it had a completely different blend of filler in it. The cigar burns great, other than a piece of the wrapper lifted up about a 1/3 way through the smoke. Unfortunately, the burn is negated by the fact that it tastes bad. It isn't horrible, but it is bland and tastes like smoke off a campfire. I'm almost certain I got a good cigar...its fresh and from a shop that only carries quality. - I have never read a review on this cigar or spoke to anyone about it, so I'm not sure if this is a popular smoke. But I don't like it.

Overall- C-


COMING SOON - REVIEW OF THE 1959 EXODUS - 50 YEARS!!!!