A limited production-per-year type of cigar with a five-year-old Habano Sun Grown Oscuro wrapper and Dominican ligero filler in a habano style cigar, I was looking forward to this!

Wow, the initial light and puff from this is pretty spicy, similair to the Cohiba cigars. It quickly mellows out however before the first-third is up. A definite mocha taste is present as is a smoked-wood and nut mix. The aftertaste leaves behind a sweetness, almost chocolaty or caramel-like, that tempers the smoky taste into a smoked meat sense. Retrohaling this is a bit difficult for me as any smoke going through the nose is very peppery, though not hot. It does reward with a more smoked meat taste, some chocolate and dry nut flavours as well as a herbal taste with a very subtle salty aftertaste on the tongue.

The aroma…wow! Even at first light, this cigar makes haste establishing its warm, rich and lush presence. While hot to the nose if inhaled too deeply or closely, it’s filled with warm layers of sweet vanilla and caramel, a distinct herbal tobacco quality, a subtle citrus-note and just a great combination of other notes that pop up now and then. This cigar’s idle scent is equally great, bring out a more citrus and caramel and chocolate creamy scent.

After the initial lighting, I found this is a cigar best enjoyed slowly, as the warmth gradually tones down the peppery aspect of it. Eventually, retrohaling through the nose becomes easier; a good thing as holding the smoke in the mouth momentarily reveals more subtle tastes. While prices are at $7 a stick, or $120 per box for the Torpedo, it’s well worth it. Maybe not a whole box; it’s a strong cigar that needs to be enjoyed slowly, but well worth the price.