3 Regular Guys Review - Toraño Exodus 1959 –Silver Edition

Super 8 Sampler Review Courtesy of the 3 Regular Guys at Thompson Cigar.

I recall a lecture I sat through in business school in which some venture capitalists shared insights into their world with us. These guys were horse-traders of companies. It was pure glamour or a money-fueled corporate chop-shop depending on your outlook. One pearl of wisdom was as an entrepreneur you wanted to avoid putting your own name on a business. Reason being when you sell it you’d likely lose rights to your name and control over your presumed reputation thereafter. Valid point and a huge contrast to the world of handmade cigars.

Most of the finest players in the premium tobacco business now bear the singular surname of the founders and current ownership prominently embossed on the cigar’s band. This is because there is an abundance of pride in their product and the highest dedication and most deliberate intent to carry the brand name, family business and legacy forward through successive generations. Countless examples of this exist -perhaps none more fitting than that of Torano.

Don Santiago -the first Toraño cigar man- came to Cuba in 1916. The Toraño reputation then flourished like their fields of tobacco, with their holdings numbering 17 farms. In 1959 Castro’s revolution and subsequent nationalization of the Cuban tobacco industry caused the emigration of Carlos and his family to the Dominican Republic. There Toraño is heralded for introducing Cuban seed to Dominican tobacco growing and taught farmers to grow Piloto Cubano leaf. This impressive agricultural pedigree has branched out to Nicaragua, Mexico and Ecuador and been aptly matched by Toraño factories in Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

From this lineage and in commemoration of the Castro caused exodus emerged the Toraño Exodus 1959 –Silver Edition. This cigar brings together Costa Rican, Mexican and Honduran long-filler with a Costa Rican binder and dresses it out with a smooth Criollo wrapper. We all found the draw of our cigars to be a little tight starting out. Dave liked the double-cap which accented an overall attractive well-constructed cigar. The Exodus burned evenly and generally tasted cedary and toasty with subtle tones of citrus accenting the medium-length dry finish. While none of us really found the ’59 Silver Edition to be overtly complex we unanimously pegged it as a great little noon-time or afternoon smoke. Spice notes of nutmeg and bits of cinnamon punctuate your palate as the flavors of this blend linger politely.

The biography of this cigar maker would dwarf most any stick so we weren’t too upset that the Exodus 1959 didn’t wow and amaze us. However wearing the band of Toraño commands a lot of deserved credibility. We’ve smoked plenty of Exodus and lots of Toraños in general. Scott and Dave have a pretty decent personal stash of them in their humidors and Colm seldom turns one away –although he doesn’t often let any lay around and age because he’s a little concerned Carlito might catch wind that he was betraying his humidor’s Opus X and Don Carlo cache.

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