La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale
Monday, October 17th, 2011Not too long ago General Cigars send me a fiver of the cigar up for review today. I appreciate it, as I have yet to find any in the area to try. I know what your thinking, this is a Connecticut wrapped cigar so it should be a pretty mild, boring experience. I’ve noticed a small trend of re-inventing the Connecticut wrapped cigar by a few companies, which is a good thing. As always, I paired with water.
Wrapper: Connecticut seed grown in Honduras
Binder: Mexican
Filer: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Size: 5.75 x 47
Price: $7.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper had a velvety brown appearance, with a couple medium sized veins. The smell of the wrapper was similar to compost. The cigar was well packed, but had a few minor soft spots here and there. The pre-light draw had some resistance, but fell within my tolerances. The pre-light flavor was earthy and natural tobacco.
The burn required no corrections, and the ash held solid for around an inch.
Flavor:
The first third started with a smooth earthiness, natural tobacco, and mild pepper. That pepper didn’t have any burning sensation like you’d get in black pepper. You could basically pass an entire draw through the nose with no problem. The smoke became somewhat creamy as I got further into this third. At the same time, the pepper developed a slight zing. There was some woodiness mixed in as well.
The second third became more creamy and had a tinge of sweetness. A nice spice appeared at about the half way point. It wasn’t strong but it left a tingly coating in the mouth. Like before, there was woodiness and some earth.
There isn’t a lot to say about the last third in terms of change. It was basically like the second third. The body and strength picked up a little, but that’s about it. It may sound boring, but it was quite good.
Conclusion:
This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. I know I said this recently in another review, but this is a Connecticut wrapped cigar with a twist. It had some of the typical flavors I’d expect, but with an added strength in flavors and body. For many, this wouldn’t be a good morning cigar. For the seasoned smoker, this could fit almost any time of the day. I say give these a try.
