A forum for cigar lovers.
phobicsquirrel:Not sure how many have had this stick but I'm going to let you all know how it tastes and how it stacks up to the rest of the line.I've had this since december 08 and it's been living at the bottom of my humi. CAO Tony Soprano: A Honduras with a dark and chewy Brazilian wrapper leaf, blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican and Columbian tobaccos with a Honduran-grown binder. This size is a limited run of the line boasting a 6.5 x 60 size. They were only available in 48 count black trunk humidors or in samplers for the line. After giving the cigar a good look-see I am amazed at how eye popping gorgeous this stick is. The 3 bands that cover the wrapper to the wrapper itself. The construction is top notch. This cigar is by far one of the best looking cigars I've ever seen. While removing the labels I can't help but smell the wrapper, a barnyard-ish aroma is very prominate. I seem to get this with a lot of maduros. I went ahead and used a large punch instead of my small one since the diameter is so big. A few dry puffs and I get tobacco, cocoa, and some spice. Moving on I start to toast the foot and the cigar comes to life!!! Moving into the first few puffs I am getting a lot of flavor. Chocolate, earth, tobacco, and a better sweet roasted flavor. The flavors are really tasty all clumped together. The smoke is plentiful and has a nice rich aroma. For this stick I am enjoying a coca cola vanilla which seems to pair very nicely especially the vanilla which seems to strengthen the sweetness of the cocoa. After moving past the first 1/3rd the flavors stay consistent without changing much. The ash is tight, and seems to be sticking rather nicely. Now one thing about this line is how they burn. I've never had any Soprano burn well, they always seem to burn faster on one side. This stick is no exception. I've had it since December of 08 and it's been in the bottom of my humi since then so the time has not made any difference on the burn. Other than that the flavor and the smoke output is very pleasing. After kicking the first bit of ash the curb (not that it fell but I didn't want it too) the smoke, the flavor and the draw are all top notch. The flavors really haven't changed all the much with the exception of the strength of the cocoa. It seems to have taken over the profile and the vanilla coke is making the taste so much more enjoyable. The burn seems to have started to get better after knocking off the ash but it's still not razor sharp. After moving past the 2nd ash the Tony Soprano is still flavorful and smoky as ever. The Tastes have stayed much the same except more tobacco and some earth have moved in. The cocoa is stepping back a bit. There are some minor hints of wood and spice but the cigar has yet to move into a strong full bodied experience. The cigar has burned slow and cool this entire time which is a welcomed surprise. So many cigars start to get hot around this time but this guy is cool as can be. Moving onto the last stretch of the cigar the strength picks up but not much. The tobacco is stronger and the sweetness has taken a back step. Though hints of sweet are present as is some earth, spice, coffee. I smoked this puppy until it became hard to hold with two fingers but the thing never really got too hot. Overall this cigar was a very nice addition to the line. I feel that this cigar would be my go to Soprano however it's rarity makes that a no go. They pop up at times but at a 20 plus price tag that may not sit well with some people. The soldier/boss is a bit cheaper and though don't last as long I feel they taste very similar. I think the larger ring gauge and size allows the overall flavor come out more. The Tony lasted about 2.25 hours maybe a bit more since I didn't have a stop watch. I suggest if you haven't had any of the sopranos to check them out, however they can be found at a steep price. I'm glad that I have another of these sticks lying around as I'd like to see if they change after another year or so of rest.