the privateer

This is a great looking baby, albeit a big one. Beautifully chocolate maduro
wrapper, nice extreme box press and solid construction. Felt awesome in the
hand and I was really excited to smoke this due to its good looks. I've
heard a bit about how good the Gold series is too.

Pre-light draw revealed some sweetened glue on the cap (I think), yuck! Lit
with some difficulty, and first few draws were like smoking flavoured air.
Even as it warmed up, it tasted like one of those flavoured cigars,
artificial vanilla with an obligatory touch of cedar thrown in. Very light
in body, and with hardly any nicotine kick.

Pretty much the same all the way down, leaving a saccharine sweet finish and
plasticky aroma. There were hints of a darker, stronger cocoa at times, but
the cool burn seemed to prevent the true flavours from coming to the fore.
Not quite as bad as I make it sound, but I smoke cigars for the deep
flavours of tobacco and not for the light, artificial tastes I'm getting
here. Where is the nice richness of a true maduro? I'm suspecting this is an
artificially cooked/coloured maduro wrapper...any info from the group?

Anyways tossed it with 2 inches to go, totally unsatisfied. Bland and
uni-dimensional, this was a huge disappointment. Perhaps lovers of
lighter-bodied and sweeter blends will find something to like here, but if
you're accustomed to the richness of Cubans, think twice.


/The Privateer

shaxbeard

Sometimes I read reviews and wonder if the other person and I actually
smoked the same cigar. I had one of these in torpedo size at the recent
Hurrican Herf II. I found it warm, rich, and very flavorful with an
almost chocolaty aftertaste--exactly what I expect out of a maduro. It
even got a little spicy at the end, though not much. This was a
medium-bodied cigar that I enjoyed very much and smoked down to the
last 3/4 inch.

But that's just my opinion, FWIW. Sorry you had such a bad experience.
Rob

the privateer

Thanks for your comments, and yes, I feel the same way too about differing
reviews. Your description is exactly what I was expecting from this cigar.
The person whom I got this cigar from recommends the Robusto size, but I'm a
little sceptical now.

Perhaps it was just a bad stick, but when you get an experience like that
it's unlikely you're ever going back to try it again. Are the non-Cubans
known for poor consistency between sticks like the Cubans are? I've smoked
wildly different Cubans from the same box, but from what I've read,
non-Cubans tend to have excellent quality control.

/Privateer

shoes

I had one lurking in a humidor that by chance got burned yesterday. I
had the same, positive impression that you had. It was the perfect
afternoon smoke. Nice white ash, good construction, even burn, pleasant
aftertaste. I would also classify it as medium bodied and asking to be
smoked to the nub.

ken dixon

I'm slowly working on a box of robustos. Great stick, and when I have
room will add more.

Ken in Miami

time

Smoked a robusto of this cigar on the way home from a fishing trip
on Saturday. Splendid cigar that was smoked to the nub.

ca04

I love Torano 1959 gold and silver, both yummy.

bill berris

I have had a couple of the Silvers and enjoyed them.

--
~Bill Berris
Modesto, CA
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