It is hard to believe nearly three years have passed since General Cigar Company acquired all the brands of Toraño Family Cigars including Vault. An announcement that took many by surprise, especially the employees of the company, due to the abruptness of the announcement. The next year under General turned out to be a pretty slow year for the brand, but 2016 marked a much different year with lines revamped and extended and Jack Toraño, former marketing manager for Toraño Family Cigars, being brought on board as Brand Ambassador. And there are no signs of slowing down in 2017.

Earlier this year, General Cigar Co. expanded the Vault line with two new releases: Vault E-021 and Vault W-009. The W-009 features a Nicaraguan Sungrown wrapper over Honduran binder and filler tobaccos. Available in 5 ½ by 54 and 6 by 50, the W-009 comes with a reasonable price tag of $6.49 for both sizes.

The Casas Fumando crew has previously reviewed the Vault A-008 and Vault D-042.

THE FACTS

Price: $6.49
Size: 5 ½ by 54
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa Sungrown
Binder: Honduran Jamastran
Filler: Honduran Jamastran and La Entrada
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 15 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Toraño Vault W-009 is dressed in a medium brown, mottled Nicaraguan Sungrown wrapper leaf. Oils glisten in the light from the wrapper that has a few medium sized veins and tons of small web like veins. As I examine the cigar for any soft spots, I can easily feel the oils on my fingertips. The cigar is evenly and firmly filled from top to bottom.

Aromas of chocolate, barnyard, and graham cracker are found on the wrapper, while chocolate, cedar, and raisin are come across from the foot of the cigar. After a quick cut through the cap, big notes of rich cedar show up on the cold draw and a faint cinnamon flavor, but there is hardly any type of spice. Two additional cuts are required to open up a manageable draw. 

FIRST THIRD

The Vault W-009 opens with a combination of damp earth, sweet bread and heavy black pepper. The spice heat is minimal in the mouth, but picks up a little as I retrohale the smoke. A saltiness also make an appearance on the retrohale. The burn, which started off with a slight wave, is nice and even now, forming a black and white layered ash.

MIDDLE THIRD

Starting out the second third of the Vault W-009, the earth and black pepper gain ground with the sweetness trying to keep up. A more woodsy flavor has also arrived, along with a sour quality in the profile. With the new sour quality, the profile has lost some of its balance. Leather and coffee are heavy on the finish and lingers for quite some time. Finishing up the second third, I am beginning to feel a bit of strength. The burn isn’t as even as earlier, but nowhere near requiring any type of attention.

FINAL THIRD

The sweetness has returned kicking out the sourness and rounding out the profile and is now back on par with the earth and leather that is still holding strong . The finish remains dark and is a bit dry as I near the end of this 5 1/2 by 54 Toraño Vault W-009. There is an added touch of pencil shavings in the final inch that sticks around to the final puff. 

WRAP-UP

The Toraño Vault W-009 presents flavors one may expect from the Nicaraguan wrapper and Honduran internals with the earth/leather and spice that were noted throughout the smoke. But the sweet bread rounded out the profile and added a bit of uniqueness to the blend. The cigar lost some of its rhythm in the second third when the sour quality moved in, but it was short lived as the sweetness came back around shortly after and balanced out the cigar for the remainder of the smoke. In one of the cigars smoked for review, the sweetness dropped out in the second third and never really made a full recovery, leaving the profile lacking and off balanced. Good smoke production, a mostly even burn, and a firm ash characterized the performance of the Toraño Vault W-009. With such a reasonable price point, I wouldn’t mind sitting on a handful of these to see how the profile develops over time.