New Carlos Toraño Tribute 2008 - Four Years in the Making

Highly anticipated since its last release in 2004, a new Tribute has once again made its appearance for Summer, 2008. Tribute is the company's limited edition cigar, and honors company chairman Carlos Toraño's late father Carlos Toraño, Sr. The elder Toraño pioneered the 1962 introduction of Cuban-seed tobacco into the Dominican Republic, now the world's largest premium cigar producer.

"The Tribute series began in 2003," reports company president Charlie Toraño. "Only 1,000 to 1,200 boxes of each of the three shapes were offered, and they sold out rapidly, as did the 2004 release of a new blend. This year, we are offering just 1,200 boxes in each shape. This is due to the scarcity of this extra-select tobacco, and the five years of aging it needed to become what we had hoped it would. My father and I only accepted tobacco that would reward smokers with a cigar worthy of my grandfather's name, and then we had to wait until it told us it was ready. These limitations make it impossible to create a new Tribute annually, but connoisseurs who recognize its extraordinary character and quality are willing to wait for each next release.

Tribute's suggested retail pricing is $9.00 to $10.00 a cigar," Toraño continues. "The long search for the tobacco, the painstaking attention we had to give in working with it, plus having to store it for years all were costly factors. But, we feel the result is a superlative cigar."

Tribute is offered in Robusto (5" x 50), Churchill (7" x 47), and Torpedo (6-1/8" x 52). The filler consists of tobaccos from Nicaragua's Esteli and Jalapa growing regions, while the wrapper is a rich, oily Brazilian Mata Fina. This leaf has gained popularity over the recent past, for its sweet but spicy hints. It is a beautiful dark wrapper, which has undergone three very careful fermentations. The Toraños feel the blending of wrapper and filler tobaccos, plus the latter's five-year aging, give the cigar outstanding balance. Medium to medium-full bodied Tribute is aged more than six months, to harmonize and stabilize the marriage of tobaccos.

The eye-catching presentation follows that of the earlier Tribute releases, with some modification. The signature trait of the different wood inlays which have created a distinct look for the brand is coming back in a new and innovative way. A plaque identifies the individual serialized box number. A paper inside tells the story of Carlos Toraño, Sr., and his early contribution to the Dominican tobacco industry.

Next, Toraño Cigars showed a 5-cigar Sampler of their flagship Exodus cigars ... with a surprise. Packaged in a visually striking box, the five cigars include two original Exodus; and two Exodus Silver cigars, each blend in two unique shapes ... a 5-3/4" x 52 parejo and a 6" x 60 Perfecto. But, most startling is the inclusion of what will be the new Exodus blend for 2009, commemorating the half-century since the expatriation of the major cigar- and tobacco-producing families from Cuba. The cigar is a recreation of the very old Cuban 7-1/4" x 57 "Salomon" shape, with a seductively fascinating presentation. It is banded exactly as the factory sent it to the Toraños as one of the numerous sample blends, wearing a plain white paper ring, hand-written with the coded designations of its brand and blend. Explains Charlie Toraño, "We want to bring consumers into the factory by showing them how our cigar blends are labeled as we move through the blending process. More importantly, now that the blend has been selected, we want them to try our new Exodus blend before it is officially launched next year."

Finally, Toraño showed three new line extensions. They include a new Exodus (Gold) Churchill (6-3/4" x 47), and a Toro Gordo (5-1/2" x 55) for their Exodus Silver line. The third is a new Virtuoso shape, which the Toraños have named "Baton." It is a classic Cuban 7-1/2" x 38 Lancero, whose small ring gauge emphasizes the sweet, spicy character of the wrapper. This wrapper is sun-grown on the company's small farm in Pueblo Nuevo, Nicaragua.

All products will be available at tobacco retailers this Fall.