Stogie Reviews: Toraño 1916 Cameroon Robusto
3 Jan 2007
After you slip a Toraño 1916 Cameroon from the cellophane wrapper and peel the cedar sleeve away, take a moment to enjoy the cigar’s aroma. The fragrance is a wonderful earthy, woody mix certain to make your mouth water and set the tone for what is to follow.
The 1916 has the spice often associated with Cameroon tobacco, an abundance of smoke common to Toraño blends and a satisfying, slow-burning smoothness from start to finish. Along the way, there are touches of sweetness and a bit of pepper. It isn’t a particularly complex cigar that demands attention. Rather, it’s the type I think of as a fine companion for relaxing activities such as watching a bowl game on TV, reading, or listening to music.
I got a five pack of Robustos (five and ½ inches by 52 ring gauge) on CigarBid for $17, a little more than the rate they go for by the box of 25 – and more than you can sometimes find a fiver for on the Internet. So far, I’ve had two of them. They were remarkably consistent in everything except appearance. The first was rough with crinkles at the cap and a small crack in the wrapper about halfway down. But the clip went fine, and while there was a small burn problem at the wrapper tear, it quickly corrected itself. The second stick looked – and smoked – fine from top to bottom.
One aspect you might want to consider is what, if anything, you drink with these. The finish is a little dry. Between the two, I sipped coffee, a citrus-based soft drink, and water. I enjoyed the cigar most with the water.
I was curious about the origin of the wrapper so I called Toraño in Miami. There, a spokesman told me it is not from Central Africa but is grown in Nicaragua. The Havana seed binder is grown there as well, while the filler is a mixture of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos.
While I wouldn’t want a steady diet of 1916s, I would recommend adding some to your humidor. I’d bet you will find numerous occasions when that Cameroon spice and smooth smoke are a great fit for what you’re planning.
On the Stogie Guys scale, I give the Toraño 1916 Cameroon Robusto three and ½ out of five stogies.
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Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Good idea when doing a review to have multiple tastings to really get a solid feel for the rating. Some cigars within a box can be quite different. I would suggest having a minimum of three sticks per cigar rating to really cement the final review. After all, some of our favorite cigars are our favorites because of their consistency and quality.
Sam,
We try, and are often able to accomplish, smoking more than one stick in a particular line and size before writing a review. You're correct in noting that consistency is important.
If you come to different conclusions after smoking a cigar we have reviewed, please leave a comment. All StogieGuys.com readers benefit from such feedback.
Happy smoking!
Hey Stogie Guys, glad to see you're back! Here's to another great year…
Nice review to kick off 2007!
The 1916 is noce but I prefer the signature or the gold series fromTorano.
A Cammie wrapper grown in Nicaragua… I learned something new today.