Car. Torano Virtuoso Encore

My partner at work brought a couple of these and off to our smoking spot we went. Real bold and rich. I tasted coco and pleasent spice with earthyness. Great even and very slow burn with a nice draw. Great construction as I have found with all CR cigars. Overall I would say a bold and rich cigar. Good thing that we did not get interruped and have to do any work while smoking this one.

The Encore needs a good year in the humidor to realize most of it's potential (IMHO). After trying this cigar at the age of three months I realized that there is a reward for those who wait. After a year this cigar was more complex, with lots of dark chocolate and cocoa. There were hints of leather, spice and even a little cream. The burn and draw were solid. If you don't mind the wait, this is an interesting cigar, in a very good way.

Started out very tasty and slightly sweet: definite chocolate & earth, with a little bit of pleasant spice. Past the halfway point, I tasted medical gauze. The second hand smoke was acrid, and burned my eyes. A short finish, with an aftertaste of smoky wood like a campfire. Med/full body, but relatively mild in strength. I'll try this again after about 6 months.

This has been floating around the top of my humidor since christmas I think- not even sure where i got it. Well constructed dark oily wrapper, burnt well but uneven at first, nice white ash that held to over 2". Nice chocolate/spice flavor that remained consitant to the nub. I'll be looking for more of these.

Having never been a fan of Torano cigars I was quite surprised to find this an easy smoking expertly constructed cigar. It was very dense and tightly packed but with a perfect draw. White ash was very strong and held on for over 2". Flavors were leathery with some spice and cedar and underlying mild bitterness. Aroma was fabulous and it kept me puffing. For the most part this cigar held up while I puffed away. Many cigars would have overheated. Finish was nice and short and the perfect burn produced tons of aromatic smoke. This cigar was not nearly as strong as I expected to be. Recommended.

A mixed bag of reviews for sure. Several mentioned the "hype" although I have heard nothing of this stick; I just bought a couple 8 or 9 months ago because I like other CT smokes and this looke great. A perfectly made pair with a very pretty dark chocolate wrapper oozing with oily goodness. Perhaps it was the few months in the humi but I found there to be ample complexity and depth with a very rich taste for a medium bodied smoke. Plenty of rich smoke coating my palate in a variety of spices, coffee, and earth. Top notch.

This cigar started off with a nice taste, but as it approached the middle, it became noticeably harsher. In addition, the burn became quite uneven. There WERE hints of chocolate and leather, but by the time I got within an inch of the ring, the tastes had become indistinguishable.

The CAO Virtuoso Encore is an interesting cigar with it's hints of cocoa and dark chocolate with a trace of nuts and fruit. Sounds like it would be wonderful. Unfortunately, the Encore doesn't quite live up to the sum of it's parts. This cigar proves that complexity doesn't always equal delicious. Something goes wrong and none of the flavors are particularly good individually or blended. This stick just couldn't quite get it together to make the move from good to very good. Don't get me wrong it's a little above average, but all that hype ... . Maybe it needs more time in the humidor, I've only had it a couple of months. Right now this gar is no more a virtuoso than my nephew in the high school band.

Age definitely helped on this stick , but it didn't make it all that great. I found this to be a medium/full bodied smoke with a nice appearance and rather faint pre-light aroma. The smoke was rather dry and earthy with some notes of dark chocolate and a woodsy flavor. Draw was a tad tight, but was okay, while the burn was razor sharp. It smoked okay until the last inch and a half when it hit a plug and just wouldn't stay lit, which, for some reason, happens to me on Carlos Toranos at a bit of a frequency. This was okay, but not something I'd make as a staple in my humodor.

aged 13 months appearance-nice even color on the wrapper.all in all a great looking cigarconstuction-impeccable.burn was perfect.nice solid ash,no burn problems,and not a soft spot in it.flavor-the flavor had some cedar and slight hints of chocolate.not as spicy as ive had before of course with age but still good.value-its definetly priced nice.its a great value for the grade of smoke your getting.overall-its still one of my favorite smokes.great Carlos Torano quality!!!

Smoked two so far. Spicey-choco-coffee flavors prevalent in both. Appearance and construction fine in both. Body was mostly medium in the first and near full in the second. I liked it but nothing mindblowing. The first had about 3 months of aging the second had about 6 months. Paid approx. 5.00 per.

Nice loking cigar. Toothy and oily wrapper. Nice and dark. Started off with straight forward tobacco and leather. Cocoa flavors came and went throughout. Nice and strong with moderate to long finish. Nice price and highly recommended. This was my first one and I can't wait to try the other after a month or so in the humi.

I found a good 5-pack deal on this after trying the torpedo which I liked. I felt the robusto was not as good... less sweet n tasty. Predominantly earthy with a slightly expresso flavor and definately a strong spicy taste. The middle didn't develp as nicely as the torpedo, but it is constucted well and burned without complaints. Give it a try

This is one of Torano's more stronger cigars, but even given that it isn't all that strong. I noticed after trying almost all the Toranos that they all sort of have that sugary almost like "candy" taste to them. Not that this is bad, but some of these cigars almost taste like they're borderline flavored (Even though they're not), so take that into account if you don't like sugary-tasting cigars.
The virtuoso has a lot of a chocolate and coffee taste to it, mixed with sugar and a little spice. The wrapper is a dark and somewhat stingy on the mouth. This is a decent tasting cigar, but not anything I would go nuts over. I tend to like Nicaraguan puros of which this cigar couldn't be farther from. It just always seems to me something is missing from all the Toranos, but I can't figure out what it is. Maybe it's the sugar taste, I don't know.
Burn and construction are typical Torano which is very good. Draw is very tight. Overall an OK cigar, worth trying by anyone.

This is a nice stick. Nothing great mid-full in strenght and fairly complex. It's the strongest Torano the i've smoked. Outstanding construction with a perfect burn. it has a lovely white ash that holds very well too. Rich and taste.

A pleasant medium bodied cigar. A nice pre light aroma, and even burn throughout. It had an oily wrapper with minimal veins. It tasted great, not harsh, smooth, medium bodied, getting a bit fuller towards the nub. I would recommend this cigar. I was happy with it and even happier that i got 5 for 13 bucks at auction, oh yeah babe. A well blended cigar from Torano, probably the best Torano I've smoked, up there with the Signature perfecto, even better. With new years coming up it should fall into the new years' tasting along with the gurkha regent torpedo, fonseca 5-50 (for the newbie in the group) indian tabac classic boxer, patel 1990 robusto, pueblo dominicano II, puros indios viejo 1999 robusto, and many more. Happy New Year my fellow "brothers of the leaf!"

This stick is definitely in my top 5 favorites of all time. It had a beautiful dark oily wrapper and burned with a white razor sharp ash. The flavor reminded me of a Monte Platinum only perhaps better. This IS the spicy, chocolatey flavor I seek in all cigars.

A very oily wrapper covers this short and thick cigar. It burns consistently and leaves behind a solid tube of ash that's almost as white as the band and is a nice contrast against the dark wrapper. While the draw is on the firm side, it's more than acceptable. This is a spicy, leathery smoke that leaves a sweet licorice aftertaste on the finish. It's stronger than most Toranos but it's far from overpowering, and I'd classify it as slightly more than medium-bodied. Not super complex either, but I liked it.

After letting these sit for 4 months I did not enjoy this smoke any more than the first time. In fact, it seemed more powerful and a bit harsh. These are too full bodied to really enjoy even if you take your time. Some cigar companies go a little too far on full smokes that they lose that balance that is needed for a great cigar. But I guess they do make something for everyones tastes!

A very nice smoke! This robusto is wrapped in a lush, rich, oily, mildly toothy chocolate wrapper with hardly any veins. Construction was excellent, as expected, without any soft spots. Easy light. Slightly firm draw. Even burn without the need for corrections or relights. White-gray ash. Started immediately with pepper and spice, which then transitioned into a cornucopia of flavors in the first third, including cocoa, burnt leather, nutmeg, earth, nuts, and a grassy flavor which was fairly unique to this cigar. The grassiness picked up in the second third and was joined by fruity notes, wood (particularly oak), and game with a whipser of red bean ice cream (no other way to describe that taste!). The last third saw a slightly sour taste that danced in and out, along with charred wood and a hint of dark chocolate. All in all, this full-bodied, complex, 1 hour smoke was a nice offering from Torano. I was pleased with the medley of flavors presented, though I still feel additional time may be necessary to allow some of the sourness at the end to fade. Would buy more.

this is one of the best cigars ive ever tried.it was glowing with oils. this is one that excited me to look at.and when smoked did not disappoint.very full bodied and spicy.excellent!!!

A straightforward cigar full of power and spice. Nicely constructed like most Toranos, much like the earthy character of many of their lines. Not a cigar for the beginner, and maybe not enough complexity for the seasoned smoker.

This smoke is definetly a little sparkplug! Full-bodied with just enough spice. It is kinda strong so don't smoke it too fast. A+ construction so it does draw very well, thus the large volume of smoke thru the sensitive nostrils! Wrapper is beautiful with plenty of tar and nicotine. Aging may do wonders!

just smoked the first 2 right out of the box. excellent smoke and very chocolatley and a little hint of spice. not nearly as full bodied as i expected but i love all the toranos line and these are just as good if not better than the exodus and exodus silver. these are very rich and satisfying, like eating a big piece of really good cheesecake. only downside is the price. i paid $5.oo a pop.

These are nice looking cigars with a sungrown wrapper. As expected, the draw and burn were perfect ... Torano rolls a pretty mean cigar. The taste started off with some of the sungown character that I really love. After a quarter inch, the strength started showing, I didn't find much change as it burned down. I didn't find the tasty character I find in Fuente SGs ... tasted strong without a lot of flavor or balance. I think they have potential but need a nappie for a while to smoothen out the taste. Among smokes I've had recently, I prefer the strength-taste balance of the Bolivar Cofradias that Lew is peddling, but check these out if you like a full power cigar.

Large volumes of smoke. Nice looking wrapper. A little soft with a squeeze. Easy draw. Needed to hold off a little to keep it cool. Particularly noticed the bright white ash. Medium+ bodied and flavored smoke. It got nubbed while in the store.