Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge / $5.78, UPtown's Smoke Shop
Am I the last blogger to get my hands on the Torano Master? Judging from my Google search it would seem that way...although I still beat Torano to adding it to their website. From a variety of other blogs I learned that the filler for the Master is from the Esteli and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua, the binder is also from Esteli, and the wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano. I also learned that the Master was developed jointly by Carlos Torano and Felipe Sosa. What I did not discover anywhere is if this would be followed up by a cigar called "Servant" and a sponsorship of a Depeche Mode reunion tour (yes, that was a bad joke, fueled by my growing up in the 1980s--deal with it! LOL). This review sample was the first time I smoked the Master.
The Master had a rather minimalist look with a simple band, but I think it works better than the similar minimalism of the Single Region. Despite shipping in cello (and being held there in my own humidor), the wrapper leaf was a bit banged up with a chunk missing along a seam. The color was a medium brown with just a bit of mottling, but a couple of larger veins. It did have a nice oily look and feel. On the wrapper, I got mostly barnyardy, earthy scents; on the foot, I got more of the same, but much stronger and richer. The prelight draw was nice and open, but strangely there was not a huge amount of flavor in the cold draw--just a little bit of natural tobacco.
Initial puffs were somewhat earthy with a lot of natural tobacco flavor as well; the retrohale was nutty, but had a very spicy pepper burn at the start as well. As the first third developed a little more, I got increased natural tobacco and some hay flavor to go along with the earthiness. There was also a little pepper spice on the palate during the finish to go along with the spiciness on the nose. So far, the body seemed pretty much a straightforward medium.
The second third was more of the same as the first, but with less spice. The draw was perfect so far and the burn line was very even with no need of touching up.
The only significant change in the last third was the introduction of a bit of sourness that did not do much for my enjoyment. Overall, I enjoyed the Master and found it to be worth the price tag, but I have to say it did not blow me away. The flavor was very good the majority of the time and the body and strength were medium and should not be enough to scare away novice smokers. I guess the thing that really bothered me, though, was that I just was expecting more for a cigar with a name like "Master."
Body: 5/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 6/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
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