La Herencia Cubana CORE
La Herencia Cubana CORE
Some brands make an impression, yet some enhance our appreciation for the craft of premium boutique cigars. Core is the latter, producing an unadulterated cigar experience with every toast of the foot.
The blend....
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador sun-grown ligero
Binder: Esteli Habano viso
Filler: Esteli ligero, Jamastran ligero, Pennsylvania Broadleaf, Nicaraguan Ometepe ligero
Appearance....
- Dark, smooth wrapper with minimal veins
- Impressive oils casting a nice shine
- A gentle box-press finishes each vitola
The experience....
- Noble richness with a hearty, rustic core of genuine tobacco flavor
- A supporting cast of earth, leather, cream, and black pepper
- Bold yet elegant with superior balance and a lengthy, toasty finish
- Smooth through the nose
- Satisfying elevation of strength during the burn
- Warm aroma full of rich oak and toast
- Bold, earthy finish with ample zest
The blend....
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador sun-grown ligero
Binder: Esteli Habano viso
Filler: Esteli ligero, Jamastran ligero, Pennsylvania Broadleaf, Nicaraguan Ometepe ligero
Appearance....
- Dark, smooth wrapper with minimal veins
- Impressive oils casting a nice shine
- A gentle box-press finishes each vitola
The experience....
- Noble richness with a hearty, rustic core of genuine tobacco flavor
- A supporting cast of earth, leather, cream, and black pepper
- Bold yet elegant with superior balance and a lengthy, toasty finish
- Smooth through the nose
- Satisfying elevation of strength during the burn
- Warm aroma full of rich oak and toast
- Bold, earthy finish with ample zest
Showing 1-19 of 19 Reviews
Customer Reviews of “La Herencia Cubana CORE” “If the situation ever arose in which I had to choose to smoke one cigar for the rest of my life this would be a serious contender. It's incredible!”
GR of Staten Island, NY
“Now this is a great cigar. Lots of coffee and cocoa flavors and super smooth. A very refined smoke. I would have a difficult time understanding how anyone would not enjoy these.”
GG of Florence, OR
“Wow!!! The best smoke I've had all year. I picked up 3 of these in a 12 pack sampler and these are the best out of all of them. This smoke reminds me of the "old" Padron Aniversarios back in the late 1990's. Even burn, great taste from the get-go and even gets better. Clearly a "top-shelf" premium cigar and for less than $10 a stick, blows away many smokes for twice the price. Heck, get the 12 pack sampler just for these 3 sticks alone. Cheers!”
TZ of Everett, WA
“I lit this cigar and I swear after about a 1/2 inch of burn, I thought I was smoking rolled up dirt! Or should I say earth? I've seen plenty of reviews on many cigars that stated 'hints of earth', but never experienced it, UNTIL now! Nuff of that...this cigar changes flavor throughout. It pairs well with Cognac and Prog Rock music. Dang, wish they cost a bit less...I'd buy a plethora!”
KC of Brandon, FL
“After you read so many staff reviews of cigars, you wonder if ANY are true. I am yet to find a cigar that remotely fits their poetic imaginations. Words like "chewy" are totally abused and "oily" over exaggerated. But the C.I. catalog pic flattering the color and construction of this stick pursuaded me to try a fiver in the Robusto size - and I am glad I did. It has an earthy flavor and body right from the git-go and it grows admirably throughout its burn. The initial taste, maturing flavor, and peak strength are all very nicely fused into a good smoke. The burn was even and its white ash was dense like the blend - not powdery or thin. The draw was nice too - not too easy like a loose roll, but correctly tuned allowing the smoke to weave the fillers and bring the total flavors to the mouth without effort. The strength is ample but it doesn't leave you dizzy. I found the experience consistent and enjoyable - even with a minimal of seasoning ( 5 days?) in my humidor. I recommend this to anyone who likes med/full darker tobaccos - and desires the rich taste to mature in its progression - right down to the nub.”
MJ of Lusby, MD
“Man O' War, Oliva serie "V", Pepin JJ serie, and Rocky Patels' The Edge. Need to know there's a bully in the play ground! Now dont get me wrong, I do so enjoy all the cigars I mention, but this cigar stands alone. I first tried them in the the Delicious Dozen"2" Sampler. I enjoyed them so much I had to get more. Try them in the sampler and you to will be buying a box.”
RW of Utica, NY
“Ok now that i have just smoked the last one i had i see there on backorder! Awwwwwww man this sucks. This is one very well made cigar. Its full flaviored with an easy draw, and it is very consistent. The burn is dead on and cool clowns of taste smoke you will enjoy down to the nub..... Hope the Belicoso are back soon, but no need to rush them if they are not ready!”
RW of Utica, NY
“One of the finest from this year. Perfect draw and burn, especially for a box pressed cigar. Very complex and flavorful! Spicy, oak, coffee, powdered cocoa, creamy and buttery. Thanks AJ! ”
MF of Rincon, PR
“Excellent in all categories.Everything is right about this cigar.It needs no aging but imagine if you do!Wonderful,well done!CI,you da man!”
RK of College Park, MD
“Just fired up my first La Herencia Core..........whooo, why call this the core, This is the whole apple!!! Now this is a cigar, perhaps one of the best I have smoked in a few years, plenty of chewy stuff in this cigar. Ok, so they ain't round, but box-pressed sticks have advantages too. No more waiting until the drapes catch fire to locate a roller after a few beers, these stay at the edge of a table when placed there, rollers now are a thing of the past. Too bad I didn't run into these smokes before my wife left me, she would have liked them too. Excellent smoke.”
JS of Whitehall, MI
“WOW !!! CI's write up is exactly what I encountered... A handsome cigar with notes of leather, copious amounts of cream, nuts and a touch of white pepper (for me) vice black pepper but thats a trivial difference. Nice white ash although it only held for 1/2" to 3/4" but who cares the flavors are amazing!!! Full but not over powering by any means, now if I could only afford a box :-( I'll save my pennies as this cigar is worth the investment - hands down!!!”
GB of Silverdale, WA
“Got these in a sampler pack and all I can say is What a Grand cigar!!! Great taste good burn held ash for at least 2 inches and did I say Great taste!!! I will be buying more of these awesome cigars!! ”
BJ of Sawyer, ND
“I like box pressed because the darn things don't roll away. I would not go out of my way to buy box pressed over taste though. After all, for us engineers form always follow primary function. This was a toasty pleasant smoke but I have not had enough of them to really come to a final conclusion. Will check them out again.”
MS of Bethlehem, PA
“A super full-body cigar! This is definitely Pinar Del Rio's top cigar by a long shot. The construction is far superior to any of their other selections. Full of flavor and very well constructed. This one needs no enticing to stay burning and gives plenty of tasty smoke. Definitely worth the price in my opinion. No need to wonder, these are great!”
ST of Fpo, AP
“I bought the 12 pack sampler and i have to say that the cubana core is the best cigar i have smoked in years. Even bought another sampler just to get three more!!”
JW of Little Rock, AR
“Got three of the toros (6.5" x 52) with the Delicious Dozen II sampler and it was just that - delicious. Everything was right about this cigar. It was well constructed, very light in the hand, slow burn, lots of thick smoke and great taste. It burned a little unevenly at first, but corrected itself. I considered smoking another right away, but resisted the temptation. It was nearly 1 hour and 45 minutes of cigar bliss. I will definitely order more, probably with another Delicious Dozen sampler.”
DM of Washington, DC
“This is one well made, well blended cigar. I tried the the La Herencias and even the Cubana Oscuros and they are pretty good cigars but the CORE takes the cake. It's nice to see a cigar with some strength but full of well balanced flavor. These cigars have achieved my highest level of praise- these cigars are "box worthy."”
MC of Claremont, CA
“This cigar is great, plain and simple. Construction, burn, draw, flavor the complete package! Once you fire one up you will be hooked. I only bought one single to try it. Now that I finished it I'm wiping the tears from my eyes to order more. This one of the best kept secrets out there. Wow!!”
HB of EDGEWOOD, MD
“Wow, very complex and flavorful! Burns great too. Spicy, oak, coffee, powdered cocoa, creamy and buttery. Been smoking cigars for about 40 years. Being a retired Marine I have smoked cigars all over the world, and I will always remember the first time I tried a La Herencia Cubana CORE forever. It was a bad day, but it turned out great with this cigar. In fact I could not remember what I was mad about. Now that's a great cigar.”
CB of Corpus Christi, TX
Posted by Brock
Just when I think A.J. Fernandez has finally put together a cigar so grand that I consider it his pièce-de-résistance he puts together a new blend that proves me wrong. How can this one guy make so many terrific cigars, really? Never before have I become so fond of a cigar that falls near my upper price-range of my cigar budget (that price is at the $10.00 mark if you’ve read my AVO 85th review) that I’ve purchased so many 5-packs & eventually a box of the new La Herencia Cubana CORE cigars. And not only have I purchased so many of these cigars, but instead of taking them home to put in my aging humidor, I’m enjoying them one after another. I honestly do not know if these cigars will benefit much from aging them because they are made using such quality, well-aged tobaccos that they are in their prime as soon as the shipment came in. If these cigar do get better with more age I will not only eat my words, but I’ll certainly be buying even more of these!!
After trying every size, it was tough to pick one. There are 3 classic vitolas & one that’s pretty unique – The Dagger (which, unlike the rest of the lineup, is a round cigar with a chisel-type torpedo head.) Just to be fair, I randomly picked - and I blindly chose the Belicoso for this review. The hearty torpedo measures a healthy 6.25” x 52 that’s gently box-pressed, being more rectangular than it is square which then rounds out as you approach the cap of the tapered head. The cigar is beautiful - solid in my hand with considerable heft and ‘gift-wrapped’ in a toothy, oily, dark-brown Habano sun-grown Ligero wrapper that’s almost oozing with oily goodness. And it’s packed with 3 different Nicaraguan ligeros as well as a little PA Broadleaf tobacco making this one of the most unique blends out there.
Upon toasting the foot & lighting up I’m met with chewy, dense smoke that fills my mouth causing my salivary glands to kick into overload. It’s as savory as a dry aged, N.Y. Strip Steak from the finest steak house. Its initial flavors stand out as rich, toasty with sweet spice. It produces a very “chewy” plume of smoke that’s starting to form a beautiful blue-white cloud all around me with a nice oaky aroma. I’m in sheer bliss at the one inch point, and the ash is light gray, rock-solid & hangs on until almost the 2-inch mark when I gently tap it off into my tall Stinky Ashtray. As I’m getting down into the ‘meat of it’ now it’s gaining flavor with each puff and the spicy-sweet, leathery character I love about fine, aged Nicaraguan tobacco is coming out along with a creaminess that complements the strength & flavor - bringing together a harmony of rich-toastiness that I’ve never experienced with any other cigar. The flavors are so unique that I know my description isn’t doing it justice, but it’s the best that words can do.
I’m into the last third of this incredible cigar now, and I’m in a very relaxed, almost trance-like state. A few guys hanging out at the shop are laughing at me because I’m talking so slowly & typing much more deliberately at this point. I pay them no attention; nothing can separate me from the enjoyment that this cigar is giving me at the moment. The flavors are quite intense now, but still not overbearing & still amazingly balanced. The creaminess is still present, but the predominant flavors are toasty spice & leather. I finish the cigar with less than an inch of it left & leave it in the ashtray to extinguish itself gracefully, with dignity.
Free 5-Pack!
For a limited time, receive a Free 5-Pack of La Herencia Cubana CORE Toro (worth $55) with box purchase!