Staff Reviews

Like any true cigar enthusiast, I decided to give this cigar a second try. I mean, I take ratings with a grain of salt, but do notice that most cigars manage to ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to a score from Aficionado. I will admit, the cigar is pretty to look at. Coal-black wrappers with a nice bumpy texture and oily sheen sharply pressed into a square. Heavy in the hand, this little cigar has an inviting aroma. Maybe I was too critical the first time around? As I sit here smoking my second Mini Belicoso from the 5-pack I purchased just last week, I am starting to think that my first impression was not a fluke. When I look at this cigar I think to myself, “buttery smooth”, “super rich” and “powerful”. Maybe it’s because most cigars of this form) maintain these characteristics (Torano Exodus, IT Super Fuerte, Astral TVS). Unfortunately, these thoughts are not running through my head as I smoke it. Indeed, it’s incredibly well-made and consistent, and offers an enjoyable, smooth flavor. However, its alluring appearance hints at what it lacks: deep, dark, rich flavors that shift my taste buds into 5th gear. While I would recommend this cigar to those wanting to enter the darker realm of maduro wrappers or bigger name brands, I cannot see myself giving it a ‘94’. It walks well, but not that well.

I used to think this column was an easy task. I smoke a couple of cigars per day, I know what I like and I just need to explain it in gonz verbiage. I used to smoke a cigar once and know it was going to be one primed for Gonz's Pick. Now, I smoke 2, sometimes 3 in a row before I can qualify it. There are so many good cigars out there right now. The market has really come full circle and it's quite exciting. The no-name crap that came on the scene 6 or 7 years ago is nearly cleared out. We're now left with manufacturers getting creative about their blends and really honing in on what people like and dislike.

That's the theory of the "Original" Cubans. I admit, I was duped the first time I saw these in the humidor. I did a double-take when I saw the label. The label reads -- "Original" Cubans, Re-released. --- It took me awhile to figure it out. Re-released Cuban originals, rolled in the Dominican Republic! Get it? That's funny. After having now smoked a 1/2 dozen or so of these (see, it's beyond just qualifying it for a pick now, I'm getting infatuated with this friggin' column) it seems the goal here is to take a grassroots approach to cigar making. It's all about flavor. This brand goes after the original Cuban flavor, and is not really meant to imply that these are the originals from the days of old. That's a pretty steep goal nonetheless.

It's a good looking cigar, soft and seemingly packed loosely. With a simply clip, it sparks up with ease and draws effortlessly. By the way, I'm drawn to this cigar not only by its name, but also by its price at about $1.50 per stick. Peanuts, and if it lives up to it's expectation, it'll be a real gem. The flavor becomes solid right away. Medium in strength, but full-bodied with an abundance of smoke, and a cornucopia of mellow flavors. The cigar burns quickly and the flavor doesn't deviate one bit. The ash forms for about 1/2 inch before it requires a tap - yet it never really hold firm.

The burn is solid, even, and doesn't streak one bit - you'll not need to match up a second time. I've picked up the Churchill and it's barely a 1/2 hour smoke - maybe I'm dragging to fast. The flavor is so creamy and smooth that you'll have a propensity to continue dragging. Nearly halfway through, I've got a little buzz going. I love a lot of smoke. I love smoking out my neighbors if I can. This is my third one this week. Last night, I lit one up after I got home. We're putting up a new front porch so I walked around the house investigating the contractor's work. I did a full circle and when I got back to my starting point, I could still see the path of smoke lingering. Awesome. I love it when it surrounds you. I find it comforting and relaxing.

To my surprise, there is no harsh or bitter aftertaste - just a little shock wave in the middle of my tongue, the pleasant flavor hangs on. I guess I expected a harsher cigar if it claims to be similar to an original Cuban. Now, here's the real test, I'm going to need my loyal readers to send me some REAL Cubans circa early 1980s. I've only smoked about 2 or 3 in my lifetime (regardless of what I may have told you or my poker buddies in the past) so I don't have a real good sense of how these compare. Regardless, they're an excellent smoke. Oh, and this is the first cigar I've smoked with an ESG (Ecuadorian sun-grown) wrapper. My guess is the flavor cornucopia is driven from that wrapper. Very nice!

By the way, I gave a few of these to Ranger and he claims that he puked after having one. What a skirt!

So Chris, I pulled a 5-pack of my size of choice, the LGC Serie R #5 Maduro and got started with my note taking to produce the following review just for you my friend…

I think it goes without saying that the entire La Gloria Cubana line has become a staple in the cigar industry. It has been around for years and has garnered a reputation as being a consistent and reliable smoke year after year. Truth be told, I haven’t had an LGC in quite some time. My desk is typically piled high with new cigars and samples of cigars from factories and manufacturers looking for feedback on prototypes of new smokes destined eventually for full-scale production. I know, I know, I have a rough job!!

Upon pulling the first of the 5 cigars I purchased for this review, the very first thing I noticed was a wrapper that was both lighter than what I have come to expect from El Credito as well as much more veiney than what I remember. I shrugged it off and went to town first cutting the cigar with a guillotine followed by a torch to the foot and I was off and running. The first few puffs brought me back to the heady days of wandering into the CI retail store where I would stand in awe at the incredible variety of cigars to choose from. Although the smoke produced were not of the voluminous clouds I ordinarily like to see emanating from my mouth, the flavor was distinctly rich and slightly sweet. Truly indicative of a naturally fermented Maduro wrapper! A third of the way into this big boy and the burn went a bit awry with one side burning a little faster than the other which unquestionably impacted both the flavor and temperature of the smoke produced. One other note is that the strength isn’t what I remember it being. There was a time when an LGC would give me cause to have a seat but certainly not this time. Reflecting back and smoking an Edge Maduro as I write this review, I believe the reason for this is the recent trend towards “super-strong” cigars. What once was full-bodied now feels more like medium to full or perhaps just medium bodied.

The Bottom Line:

While there’s no doubt that La Gloria Cubana is a solid “go-to” cigar I think that the cost is somewhat prohibitive and the flavor a little, dare I say, boring. For this kind of cash I would suggest a little experimentation. Newer cigars like the Triple Ligero and Edge Maduro have enough body to put you to sleep for an entire day. Good stuff!

A bunch of us at CI, naturally, smoke several cigars daily, sampling tons of blends new and old alike, some great and some just decent, sprinkled in with the occasional atrocious, unsmokeable samples. Despite this I only get around to writing an "official" review once every few weeks. That's probably because I also write all the useless catalog drivel. You know, product copy for the junk mail we send out, the catalog you keep on the back of your toilet below the box of tissues but on top of the doily (any excuse to say the word "doily" I shamelessly seize). Well the last cigar I "officially" reviewed for the site was RP Connecticut. Smoking a bunch of these put me on a Connecticut leaf bender for the past 3 weeks. See, for a spell there this winter I was religiously smoking nothing but heavier-bodied, err at least medium-bodied, blends for the most part. But now I'm back, so very back, on the Connecticut shade wagon - at least for now. And Cu-Avana has been a steady part of that diet.

Cu-Avana is made by Manuel Quesada in the Dominican Republic. First of all, Manuel is a prince of a guy, a class act. He's made some extraordinary cigars including Fonseca (all the various incarnations including Vegas de Fonseca, Fonseca Series F, Fonseca Vintage, etc.) and was in fact the maker of the original Dominican version of Romeo y Julieta, plus a slew of other brands. Packed in a simple, painted box, Cu-Avana doesn't look like much on the shelf, I will concede. But there is a reason this cigar is such a horse in the sales department: consistency. Cu-Avana is as consistent as the day is long. Draped in gorgeous, golden Connecticut wrappers with nary a blemish to be found, coddling a super-tame, well-aged blend of long leaf tobaccos from the lush Cibao River Valley. One after the other, these things are meticulously constructed, and rolling it between your fingers you'd be hard-pressed to find a soft spot. The draw is just right - firm and not too easy, yet effortless, while booming out big smoke rings from its foot and beautiful blue-gray clouds from its head. Smooth and mellow, these pleasant cigars you could smoke all day long. And shit, for $2 to $2.50 apiece it's a helluva value too. As one customer once told me one day when I was hanging around our retail shop, "this is a Macanudo-killer!" Yet as consistent and as mellow as it is, it's no airball. In fact it reminds me somewhat of Ashton - ample flavor despite being so easy going, including a very faint but compelling lemon-like sweetness.

Oh and check this out: here's an old golf trick of mine when you're playing against a couple sandbaggers who have artificially inflated their handicaps. Chain-smoke Cu-Avanas while offering them something industrial-strength like The Edge by Rocky Patel. You'll coast through the round, improving with each hole, while the wheels start to come off their wagon as they get lightheaded and start shanking their drives into the woods. There's some free advice....as they say about free advice, you get what you pay for.

The more one smokes cigars, generally speaking the more one tends to gravitate toward strength and complexity over time. I guess that's natural, just like beer, wine, coffee or anything else - as you get more sucked in your palate evolves and you explore the boundaries. Thing is, mellow cigars never really get fantastic ratings or wild-eyed reviews because most of the people who write that stuff, subconsciously or not, seem to give less weight to tame smokes. Maybe it's machismo, maybe it's group-think, who knows. If you read reviews of micro-brews you tend to see stouts and Belgians get more high praise than lagers do. But of course there are great lagers out there - and you can't compare apples to oranges anyway.

That brings me to the Connecticut by Rocky Patel. To be sure, Rocky is known for full-bodied cigars. Most of his blends - whether it be his Indian Tabac lines such as Super Fuerte, Cameroon Legend, or Maduro, or his Rocky Patel series such as RP Vintage, RP Sun Grown, or The Edge - are complex cigars that lean toward the fuller-flavored side. This is very different, and it all started last August. I was in Danli with Rocky, and I asked him to develop an easy going blend for CI with a Connecticut-shade wrapper to be called Rocky Patel Connecticut (he claims now that it was all his idea, but Scout's Honor, that's the way it happened). Rocky, his sidekick Nimish "The Hindu Prince," and I each smoked about 35 samples on that trip before settling on this particular blend. Now 8 months later, the shipment has arrived and it was well worth the wait.

First of all, it's really pretty. The Connecticut wrapper is nice and smooth, the band elegant and simple, the box beautiful with its gold cliche logo, nothing ornate. That's just how the cigar smokes: elegant and not ornate. The blend is tame from head to toe, with a pleasant, slightly creamy taste - no dips and valleys, it's utterly consistent and unchanging from the moment you put the flame to it right up until the moment you lay down the nub. It's flavorful but not over the top, not overly complex, not bursting with flavor. In essence, it's got a clean, crisp tobacco taste, simple as that. Me likey. The most startling thing about it is the ash, it's as firm as concrete. In fact, burning my first RP Connecticut the ash was well over 2" - to pre-empt the ashheap from hitting my lap I decided to tap it off. But "break it off" was more like it. Amazing. Overall one of the top mellow cigars I've had recently.