Vitola: Toro- 6” x 52 ring gauge
- ~$7.00
- Samples provided by Gran Habano Cigars
Background
It’s another throwback cigar review, featuring a stick from Gran Habano’s back catalog. Seems like almost everything they sent in the latest “review batch” was older products that are hard (at best) to find anymore. I’m enjoying myself, though, because I’m getting to try some sticks that I never had the chance to try when they were brand new AND I’m getting to try them with some age on them.
Today I’m looking at the S.T.K. GAR Opium (S.T.K. = Stay True Kid, a Gran Habano sub-brand…GAR = George A. Rico, the owner/blender at Gran Habano). This is a Nicaraguan puro featuring a wrapper that is a hybrid Habano/Corojo. The info sheet sent with it says it “delivers power and flavor in each smoke.”
Gran Habano sent me two samples of this blend and this review is based on the second one I smoked.
Prelight
This cigar uses 3 bands to tell its story: the primary one is gold and red, with plenty of embossed design and “G.A.R.” in white. The secondary band isn’t quite as ornate, but is basically the same design with “OPIUM” in white lettering. The foot band is totally different in appearance, using a different gold foil on a black background to make sure you know this part of the S.T.K. line. I’d probably just leaf off the foot band and put the S.T.K. designation only on the box.
The wrapper leaf was a medium brown, very close to the color of peanut butter and with an aroma that was a mix of cedar, earth and hay. The foot of the cigar had a slightly stronger earthiness, along with bits of cocoa powder and coffee bean.
After clipping, the GAR Opium had a good cold draw with flavors of hay, clean earth and cedar.
Flavor
Upon lighting, I got an astringent bitterness that reminded me of insufficiently aged Connecticut Shade leaf. The bitterness toned down a little in subsequent puffs, but there was still a lot of grassiness in the flavor profile up front, with cedar coming in as a supporting role, and little else on the palate during the first few minutes. The retrohale had some pepper. As I got deep into the first third, I got some interesting sweetness coming into the mix, as well. The smoke was mild-to-medium at this point.
The second third had the sweetness becoming more of a zesty citrus note, while cedar and grassy notes became more part of the background. The retrohale still had some spice, but it had died down a bit.
The GAR Opium exhibited more cedar again in the final third, with grassy hay notes rising in the mix again and the sweeter flavors tapering off a bit. There was also a little pepper on the palate to go along with what was already on the retrohale.
Construction
I had a very good draw, very even burn line and solid ash over half an inch.
Value
This was a good cigar and the price is great.
Conclusions
As noted above, this was a “good” cigar, but I can’t call it “great.” After starting out mild-to-medium, it ramped up and finished in a true “medium” range. The complexity was of a moderate amount, but the overall flavor profile just didn’t resonate with me all that well. The price tag is attractive, but I wasn’t crazy about it, so I’d recommend it as a “give it a try” cigar.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
