Car. Torano Noventa Santiago

Cigar had a few bitter sections. Draw was very good, burn was razor sharp, appearance was tops, taste was crappy.

Review was done blind so I didn't know what I was smoking until I was done.

This was an intensely peppery smoke! Flavors of earth and straight-forward tobacco came through only after the pepper subsided on each draw. Consistent throughout. Tingly, toasty finish. Sharp burn, but a tighter draw than I like. Looked nice, and the bright orange band was unusual. Overall this was a surprising cigar for a CT--if it wasn't for the band, I would have thought it was a DPG blend.

Not bad. It was a spicy smoke with enjoyable flavor. The construction was great. I'd try one again.

I'm not sure why Torano would be the target of anyone's distaste. This cigar, like so many other Torano offerings, is built extremely well. The burn is perfection. The flavors here are more subtle than most Torano's I have tried, but the power is there for sure. I will admit that I do like more flavor in such a strong cigar, but I simply do not agree with previous posters on the overall quality of this and other Torano cigars.

I am cursed with a very discriminating taste where food, drink, and cigars are concerned. I love a good mesomorph smoke, like the Opus X and the Cuban Bolivars, as well as I do the endomorph Maximus , Decadas, and VSGs and even the ectomorph smokes like Leon Jimenes Maduros and Robert Burns Black Watch!!! All of those smokes offer a full-bodied palate of flavors in their respective strength ranges. A cigar does not have to be strong to be an enjoyable smoke, but it does need a full-bodied palate of flavor as well as match your particular strength mood at that time. I agree with jermball's review (below) that the flavor profile is peppery strong tobacco and earth, and that makes this Noventa equal to every three dollar "factory select" smoke I have ever tried, to my great disappointment. I really hate to see appearance and construction given equal weighting in a cigar review, because I had to give these Noventas 8 and 9 respectively, even though they are a disappointment I will not buy again. A truly enjoyable cigar does not have to burn evenly or have the most perfect and evenly colored wrapper. That is not what we smoke cigars for,..............is it?

This was an interesting smoke. When looking at the filler it is a very dark leaf, even some black leaf in there, while the wrapper is a very light tan colour. When you take a sniff of the foot it causes you to sneeze due to the spice. Once lit you are welcomed by a blast of spice, but the weird thing is there is a very dry mild taste on your lips. Honestly I got confused here. Usually the wrapper of a full bodied smoke will match, but the wrapper left a very mild flavor on my lips. The flavor profile is that of peppery spice, strong tobacco, and earth. Overall a great smoke. A little different so you need to give it a while so you can adjust.