The BFC 6×60 is the fifth vitola to be introduced by the family in this line, which has become a true staple of the Toraño portfolio. The Exodus 1959 50 Years has received many accolades, including being awarded a 93 rating by Cigar Aficionado and ranked number 12 on their list of top 25 cigars of the year in 2010.

“The popularity of larger ring gauges continues and we felt that the Exodus 1959 50 Years blend worked very favorably in a 6×60,” said Charlie Toraño, President of Toraño Family Cigar Company.

The Exodus 1959 50 Years is dressed in a Brazilian Arapiraca sun-grown wrapper, that is accompanied by a Honduran binder with fillers from Estelí and Pueblo Nuevo Nicaragua. The blend offers a unique and flavorful profile which provides sweet, creamy notes that dominate the palate with subtle hints of spice, dark chocolate, and raisin. This line is also available in a 5×50 Robusto, 51/2×52 Torpedo, 6×48 Short Churchill and a 5×55 Box Press. For those still unclear what “BFC” stands for, the Toraño’s have left that up to the creative minds of cigar smokers…

The new line extension for the Exodus 1959 50 years isn’t the only new product Toraño is working on for the upcoming IPCPR. Charlie Toraño and the gang are currently putting finishing touches on two new exciting brands which are sure to turn heads in Las Vegas. When asked to elaborate on the new brands Charlie Toraño can hardly hide his grin and simply says, “Would love to talk about it but all I can say is that they are currently under lock and key”.

While there I got to speak with Abe Flores and he offered me up some smoke to try and one of which was the PDR 1878. Before I left I purchased a few more of these to show my support and for the simple fact that I enjoyed them.

Cigar: PDR 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Madura
Size:5 x 52 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Brazillian
Binder: Dominican Criollo ’98
Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican Criollo
Strength: Full
Twitter: @pdrcigars
Facebook: Pinar Del Rio
Official Site: http://www.pdrcigar.com/

PDR 1878

Appearance and Construction: A dark looking cigar with a lot of oils and an incredible looking Brazilian wrapper that has one vein of note and a seamless roll. The cigar had a nice weight to it with no soft spots and a well packed foot. The band on it is a dark gray with silver lettering and bordering. The dark band on a dark cigar looks modern, but classy. The top of the cigar has a beautiful big tail which I decided to unravel and took a picture of the stick holding it by the rat tail.

Flavor & Notes: Once the cap is removed which came off cleanly using my Xikar Multi Tool Scissor I put the cigar through the pre-light ritual. The draw offers up a nice raisin while the foot is slightly musky with some notes of hickory. Once the cigar is lit the there is a some spice, that is noticeable more so through the nose and some wood notes with a touch of leather. As we enter the second third of the cigar there is some complexity as the notes become a little citric and remind me of orange peel as the wood continues and some bitter chocolate begins to develop as well. As we close out of the the final third of the cigar the wood remains, and the bitter chocolate smooths out some with a slightly leather like finish.

Smoking Characteristics: The PDR 1878 Capa Madura is a well made cigar with a perfect burn all the way through with one of the best holding ashes I am come across. If I didn’t have to remove the bands I felt as if the ash would of remained for the entire stick. The draw was ideal and the cigar produced massive amounts of smoke so be sure you are in a well ventilated area if that isn’t your thing.

Conclusion: Don Leoncio is a place I miss in New Orleans but thankfully I can reminisce about the experience by lighting one of these up. The MSRP of these make it an affordable cigar and the profile of the cigar is enjoyable to say the least. To me it seems as if Pinar Del Rio has really stepped up their game a notch and it is very noticeable in this stick.

Rating: 90
Price: $5.00

PDR 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Madura

According to the Panacea website, PANACEA Red was released in April of 2009, eighteen months after the launch of their first cigar. Their Red label cigars will be stronger than their Black label blends.  This Red label is a Habano/Maduro.  A Brazilian Maduro wrapper with a Dominican Habano binder. The interior is Seco Cubano, Ligero Piloto Cubano, Ligero Olor Dominicano, and Ligero Nicaragua.  The blend gives you a stronger PANACEA cigar, but maintains the smooth balance we are known for.  No bite, no harshness.  A full body, medium-strong in the strength department.  Mellow enough to enjoy mid-day, but can stand up to a steak dinner too.

Cigar: Panacea Red
Size: 6 x 52 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Brazillian Maduro
Binder: Dominican Habano
Filler: Seco Cubano, Ligero Piloto Cubano, Ligero Olor Dominicano, and Ligero Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Twitter: @Panacea_Cigars

Panacea Red

Appearance and Construction: It seems to me that most Brazilian tobacco have character. This wrapper is no different as it has few prominent veins. The stick feels bumpy in ones hand with a lot of peaks and valleys under the fingers. However the cigar is well rolled where this does not effect the cigar. There are no soft spots but the foot seems loosely packed. The label is an oversized label but it remains simple which is well done.

Flavor & Notes: Before lighting up the cigar I put it through my pre-light ritual. The cold draw of the cigar had some earth notes with a slight nuttiness. The foot of the cigar offered up some earth and spice. Once lit the cigar started off with some roasted coffee notes with some wood and pepper through the nose. As the cigar approaches the second third it mellows out some in terms of strength but kicks it up a notch in terms of taste. The notes off coffee are joined by some caramel that adds to the experience. The final third of the cigar the strength kicks back up a notch with notes of coffee and earth.

Smoking Characteristics: The cigar had a slight jagged burn line but nothing that ever caused an alarm to go off and it was thin and crisp troughout. The ash was incredibly strong that held for more then half the cigar. It was dark gray in color with zero flake and it appeared to be incredibly smooth. The draw was slightly loose but acceptable. The smoke produced a pleasant aroma with espresso like qualities. Normally I have a hard time picking something like that up so it had to be pretty strong that I noticed it.

Conclusion: When I mentioned I was smoking this I got mixed reactions from the people on Twitter, but for me it turned out to be a well balanced cigar that was extremely enjoyable. In a week or so I will review another Panacea blend. If you enjoy a Brazilian wrapper this cigar is worth a shot.

Price: $32.00 a 5 pack a Dream Valley Cigar Company
Score: 88

CAO Sopranos Soldier

Well it is time for yet another contest here at acigarsmoker.com and once again it is for some CAO cigars. To receive a 5 pack of CAO Soprano Soldiers are you have to do is leave a comment in the style of a limerick. The theme is cigar smoking, or this review. A winner will be chosen by our laugh o meter. The bigger the laugh, the more likely you are to win… The cut off date for this contest is March 28th at 12noon eastern time zone, with the winner announced on March 29th.

Cigar: CAO Sopranos Soldier
Size: 6 x 54
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Brazil
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Columbia
Strength: Full

Appearance & Construction (17/20): A dark cigar with a lot of tooth sums up this cigar. Covered in oils this cigar has a heavy weight to it and a well packed foot. The Brazilian wrapper looks similar to; if not darker then the CAO Brazillia. It also features some major league veins. The dark band with CAO in red does not stand out well on this cigar. What makes this cigar attractive is the box they come in and the name of the cigar itself.

Flavor & Notes (27/30): The prelight draw of the cigar offers some well defined coffee bean notes. Unable to find my  lighter I lit this baby up rather easily with some wooden matches. It is important to wait a second or two until the sulfer subsides before you bring the match to your cigar. If you don’t wait you can get the taste of sulfur which is not pleasant. With the cigar lit, there was some salty notes that came and went, but the dominant flavors here were coffee and chocolate. As we approach the 2nd third of the cigar, the salty notes come back for a short while and the notes of the cigar are leather and coffee. The final third of the smoke is still occasionally salty with notes of leather.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): The burn for almost the entire cigar was perfect as you can see from the photos below. The ash was a nice white color that held very tight during first third of the cigar. The second half however the ash became a little flaky and at the finish the wrapper ran into some issues. The draw with just a bullet punch was exquisite.

Overall (23/25): I always stayed away from the Sopranos cigar because it is not a cigar that should be as expensive as it is. Unfortunately the price of licensing fees are wrapped up in the price of the cigar. Sure CAO tries to give us something for that in a fancy box, but if you buy cigars individually that box is just a nice item in the Brick & Mortar instead of your own personal collection. Despite this, I regret that I waited so long to have my first experience with the CAO Soprano.

Rating: 90
Price: $38.25 for a 3 Pack @ Famous Cigars

Some people asked me to show the burn of the cigar, and while I am not looking to rip off Brian Hewitt and his town of burn I asked him for permission and he agreed that I could do something similar on my blog. So here is the experience of a cigar smoker.