When I think of a vault I think of one of two things. First, an impregnable fortress or safe that armies of men crash upon with futility hoping to exploit non-existent weakness. Second, a competition in female gymnastics in which huge amounts of speed explode into a dazzling array of aerial tricks before rapidly finding ground again. Obviously a cigar is likely difficult to compare to either on of these perceptions, but they are what my oft wandering brain conjure at this point. For the purposes of the cigar I believe the Torano's intention was simple. They opened a vault containing some rare and tasty tobaccos and made a cigar out of it. Not as imaginative and only effective if the tobacco is in fact tasty.
The cigar presents well. The wrapper is enticing and contains a nice sheen with few veins. An examination leads me to believe that the roll may be too loose, but we will see what happens as the smoke progresses. The pre light aroma is of sweet fruit and light spice. The pre light draw is floral and sweet with some hints of raisin.
The cigar opens with a profile that is very sweet. The core profile has flavors of sweet berries and some light spice that I can't quite put my finger on. The complexity is fair and the depth is acceptable, but I am not sated with the presentations of flavor and feel like there could be more. At the back of the palate there is some more sweetness and some light wood character that is interesting, but not really adding to the experience at this juncture. The draw is a touch loose and I can already tell that there will be some heat in the draw if I don't slow this smoke down. The burn is wonky and the ash is a heavy gray.
The first half of the cigar does not really develop much. The profile stays sweet and reminiscent of berries, there are also some darker and more bitter fruit flavors here but they are not hurting the experience at this point. At the back of the palate there are some woody notes that hold on, but there are also some strange spice notes that seem a touch dry to me. The flavor is almost like what pot pourri smells like when Grandma puts it in the bowl in her living room. The draw is still loose, but I have slowed considerably to compensate accordingly. The burn is more even, but the ash is flaky.
The final half of the cigar develops nicely, but it is just a touch too late for me. The core profile loses the sweetness and takes on a more earthy and spicy presentation, but there is not much complexity or depth involved in this transition. The flavors leave me feeling a little too flat for this stage in a cigar. At the back of the palate a nice cedar tone has taken over and it provides some much needed oomph in the back end of the smoke. The draw stays too lose all the way to the end. The burn is still acceptable, but the ash continues to flake my shirt.
The finish was sweet and lingering earth and floral impressions hold on.
This is one of the better Torano offerings I have smoked, but that is not saying much as I don't usually smoke Torano anyway.
Appearance- 87 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 86 I just can't give it any more, to flat and lacking in depth
Construction- 83 a loose draw cost me time and caused some re-lights as I slowed it down
Strength- 86 a complementary mild/medium
Overall- 85.25 slightly above average, slightly below an acceptable enjoyment quotient
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