Toraño Noventa 90 Santiago
Toraño Noventa 90 Santiago
I got this particular cigar again in some some crazy bargain from Cigars International. It was something like 8 cigars and a Cigar Caddy travel humidor (which I will be reviewing at some point) for $15. Like I said, it was an absolute bargin. I've heard of Toraño cigars before, but never actually got the pleasure to smoke one, until now. Noventa means 90 in Spanish and this particular stick was made in 2006 to commemorate the Toraño family's 90 years in the cigar industry.
First impressions of the Noventa are impressive. Featuring a nice reddish/brown colour, there were no soft or hard spots, but the cigar was firm all the way around, a indication of some quality construction. There were also no veins running through it, so overall it looked like a really nice smoke.
I decided to use my Xikar cutter for a change from the normal punch cut I usually use. On the first light, there was a strong creamy tobacco flavour, but the strength died off fairly quickly. Still a decent cream flavour though. There's a really decent amount of smoke amount, which I really like. It started to burn a little uneven, but it was nothing to worry about as it straightened itself out with no touch ups required at all throughout the smoke. It was fairly sweet with slight floral notes at first. Unfortunately the ash didn't sit very long on the end and it ended up in between my feet. I started to get very very slight citrusy flavours coming through with the sweetness as I entered the middle.
The second third started to bring on the spice and show a bit of power; ever so slightly. Not what I was expecting for a Nicaraguan puro. The creaminess is still there with a hint of cocoa as well now. The finish was oh so very creamy, and brought back the sweetness flavours, almost like honey.
Probably one the creamiest cigars I've ever smoked. Personally I'd class this as a light or light-medium cigar. It's not normally my type of cigar, but it was enjoyable, especially having it in the morning with a cup of coffee to start the day. It took me about 50 minutes to smoke this one through. If you want a nice morning cigar, this is definately one to buy I'd say. I think the coffee really helped accentuate the flavours, and made a nice addition to the cigar; something I've never tried before. I'd have it again, but probably not something I'd smoke regularly.
Something to note, Cigars International seems to have these much cheaper than anywhere else, a box of 25 for $60, or 5 for $15. Somehow they got a crazy good deal on these, and I don't believe they're made anymore as they were a "one time release" type deal. I believe Pipes and Cigars also sell them in single sticks for $7.50 or the same prices as CI.
Toraño Noventa 90 Santiago
Strength: Medium
Shapes: Robusto (5" x 50)
Wrapper: Habano
Origin: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaraguan
Bought from: Cigars International
Price: Roughly $5 per cigar
My Rating: 87
