CigarChoice.net- Cigar Reviews and News

First things first, I need to thank the people at General Cigar for gifting these cigars to me.  Not expecting a thing, I got a package in the mail.  As I opened it  up, it had 5 of the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Tabaqueros, and the Punch “smoker” box with a few punch cigars in it.  I have no clue why they opted to send this package to me, but I am grateful, and I am humbled.  Thank you General Cigar!

Now, on to the review.  I was intrigued by this cigar, as the band is not in the typical spot that you’d expect to find it.  Instead of being near the head of the cigar, the band is found a bit past the halfway point, and acts as a “line” seperating the two wrappers on the cigar.  Here is what Victoria McKee Jaworski has to say about the cigar, taken from the LGC Blog:

La Gloria Cubana is pleased to introduce Artesanos de Tabaqueros, the second edition in the critically-acclaimed Artesanos series from La Gloria Cubana®.

Created by Team La Gloria Cubana to showcase the artistry of La Gloria Cubana “tabaqueros” (artisan cigar makers), Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigars are a stunning embodiment of the time-honored craft of cigar making. So exacting is the skill required to handcraft cigars of this complexity that Benji Menendez personally selected an elite group of just 18 master cigar makers, representing the cream of the crop from El Credito Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic.

Meticulously crafted to combine two different wrappers and two distinct tastes in one eye-catching cigar, Artesanos de Tabaqueros is a world-class smoke that opens to a rich and intriguing spice and ultimately reveals a depth of flavor that can only be achieved through a precise balance of unique and rare tobaccos. Hand selected from General Cigar’s extensive library of Dominican and Honduran tobaccos, the cigars are dressed in both a supple Connecticut Shade and hearty Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper. The blend is made solely of proprietary tobaccos, each aged five years or more.

Presented with two different wood treatments to promote the unique tastes promised in each cigar, Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigars are protected in boxes of 25. The collection will debut in early April with three frontmarks, each named to according to its dimensions: 650 (6” x 50, SRP per cigar is $8.00), 652 Belicoso (6” x 52, SRP per cigar is $9.50) and 750 (7” x 50, SRP per cigar is $9.00).

“To truly experience this gem of a cigar is to smoke it and taste the masterful artisanship that comes to life when one wrapper ends and the other begins in balance and harmony,” noted , director of marketing for La Gloria Cubana.

-Victoria McKee Jaworski Director of Public Relations

Pre-Light:  As I took a look at this cigar, I couldn’t help but notice how seamlessly they managed to combine the Connecticut shade and Sumatra wrappers on this thing!  The cigar smelled very sweet, with hints of raw sugar, and a strong smell of straight tobacco.  The cigar smelled wonderful, and I couldn’t wait to light up.  I clipped it with my ever trusty Palio and lit it up with my Ronson Jetlite.

1/3:  As I took the first few puffs of this cigar, I got alot of the typical smoothness and hay flavors associated with Connecticut wrappers.  At this point, the cigar is burning great.  The ash is a little flaky, but nothing to worry about yet.  The burn is fairly straight, and the draw is darn near perfect.  At this point, the strength is a bit on the mild side, which is typical with Connecticut wrappers.  One thing I noticed at this point is that there is a bit of spice/pepper that is not normally found in connecticut shade wrappers.  Enjoying it so far!

2/3:  As I started on this portion, I had burned through the Connecticut wrapper, and was starting in on the sumatra wrapper.  As I kept smoking, The flavors went from mild to medium-full in a HURRY!  It could have been my imagination, but I liked it!  The Sumatra wrapper was offering flavors of nuts, spice, and a touch of sugar.  It’s still burning well, and the ash is holding decently.  Really enjoying it so far!

2/3:  As I continued on the cigar, the smoothness of the Connecticut wrapper was making itself known, but I was still getting a lot of raw sugar and nut flavors from the sumatra wrapper.  The draw is still outstanding, and the smoke is BILLOWING.  I haven’t seen this much smoke from a cigar in a LONG time.  Loving it!

3/3:  As I finished up this cigar, not much changed, but I am enjoying the nutty and sugary flavors that I am getting, so there are no complaints here.  Still buring decently, and the smoke is billowing.  I am really enjoying this cigar!

Overall Impression:  This is a cigar that I could definitely smoke on a regular basis.  With the mixture of flavors, and the nice burn and ash, I am really liking it.  It was a pleasure to smoke, and I am glad I have a few more.  If you can, I recommend you grab a couple to try!

Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!

Scott

Here I am, back at you with another cigar review.  A good friend of mine, Nick, gave me a couple of these cigars to try, and told me I had to review one on the site when I was done.  He knows I am primarily a medium to full cigar smoker, so when he handed me this one, he told me it was mild, but that I would still be surprised.  I guess it’s time to find out if I was surprised, or if this cigar did not live up to the hype garnered by Nick and quite a few other people.

Pre-Light:  The first thing I noticed about this cigar, is that it was perfect.  The roll was perfect, with no cracks, splits, or tears, and it felt just right, with a minimal amount of “squish” as I held it in my hands.  As I ran the cigar across my nose, I got a faint barnyard smell, with a little bit of carmel-like sweetness.  At this point, I am really looking forward to smoking this cigar.  I clipped the cigar with my ever-trusty Palio and lit it up with my standard Ronson Jetlite.

1/3:  As I lit up and took the first few puffs of this cigar, I got a good blast of the carmel sweetness I was smelling earlier.  At the back of my throat, the barnyard and hay flavors made a quick appearance, then faded away.  As I retrohaled the smoke through my nasal passages, I couldn’t help but notice how smooth it was.  It was very nice, and not real spicy, but had a great smell to it.  The ash it holding pretty tight, and the burn is very nice, and not too wavy.  So far, this cigar is living up to the hype, and I am really enjoying it, even if it is milder than what I usually smoke.

2/3:  As I continued onto the 2nd portion of this cigar, things changed up quite a bit.  The carmel-like sweetness just about went away completely, and the barnyard and hay flavors made their appearance in a big way.  I also started to get some black pepper spice on the finish, which in turn caused a bit of a burn on retrohale.  All of a sudden, it was like I was smoking a completely different cigar.  A good cigar, mind you, but a completely different cigar.  The smoke is still billowing nicely, and it is a very enjoyable smoke.

3/3:  Not much changed from the last third to this third.  The flavors stayed about the same, but the black pepper spice that made itself known got a little bit stronger as I got down toward the end of the cigar.  The smoke billowed nicely to the end of the stick, and I smoked it until I couldn’t hold onto it any longer.  The changes in flavors made for a nice interesting stick.  The burn still stayed fairly even and straight, and there were no construction problems to this point.

Overall Impression:  Overall, I found this to be one interesting cigar.  I had never experienced a cigar that made such a drastic flavor profile change from one portion to the next.  They were all excellent flavors and very enjoyable.  The price range on these sticks is really what keeps me from buying more, but I do see why they are as spendy as they are.  Great stick, not so great price.

Hey everyone, as you can see, I changed up the blog a bit, and I think this will be the theme we stay with for a while. Feel free to let me know your thoughts, likes and dislikes on the new setup. I personally think it looks a lot cleaner and a whole lot classier! Thanks for reading!
Scott