Vitola: Robusto- 5.5 x 54 ring gauge
- MSRP $5.99
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
In the last decade, La Gloria Cubana has been one of General’s brands where they have encouraged experimentation in tobaccos and shapes. From the Artesanos series to the Serie R Esteli and Black to last year’s Colección de Reserva that featured the return of the brand’s original standard-bearer, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. This year La Gloria Cubana tries to capture the spirit of Estelí, Nicaragua, with a cigar named for the region.
Curiously, this is another example of a General product named for a region or country where the product uses little to no tobacco from the named region in the blend. The wrapper of the cigar is Nicaraguan from Jalapa, while the binder is Honduran Jamastran and the fillers contain Jamastran and Honduran La Entrada. The cigars were actually made in STG’s Estelí factory, though, explaining the connection to name of the stick.
I received a sample of La Gloria Cubana Estelí from our rep when he came by the shop after the trade show, but after we ordered it for the shop, I smoked another one or two that I bought myself. I also bought this review sample. Some background information came from Cigar-Coop’s story about the introduction of this cigar.
Prelight
Ask I went to take the cigar out of cellophane, I noticed that the tag that held the cello closed read “LGC ESTELI WHITE TORO.” It made me wonder if this was the first in a series of “LGC Esteli” cigars, but we probably won’t know for another year or more. The banding is a slight variation on the traditional La Gloria band, featuring the lady with the cigar, this time surrounded by red and silver brightwork, including “ESTELI” written in silver foil directly under the LGC lady.
The wrapper leaf of the cigar was a dark roast coffee bean shade of brown and almost as shiny as dark roast beans, as well. It felt quite oily and smelled of earth and leather. The foot of the cigar had a rich barnyard earthiness, along with a touch of cocoa powder and sweetness.
The cold draw was exceptionally good and tasted of cedar, dark chocolate and dried fruit.
Flavor
As I fired up the La Gloria Cubana Estelí, I got plenty of wood notes in the form of both cedar and oak, along with mildly sweet notes of dark fruit and touches cocoa powder. There was some black pepper heat in the mix, as well. The retrohale had more cocoa powder and some nuttiness, along with more pepper heat. As the first third burned along I got more dark chocolate notes than anything else, along with a dark roast coffee and pepper that all went together pretty nicely.
Getting into the second third, I noted that the cigar was firmly in the middle of the medium-bodied range, with some spicy notes that might fool you into thinking it’s more full. Mostly I still got cocoa powder, with a hint of sweetness to it, along with coffee and cedar underneath and a little pepper spice on the finish.
In the last third the La Gloria Cubana Estelí picked up a solid earthy note that soon led the way, with cocoa powder and espresso bean becoming secondary notes. The pepper spice faded away during the last third.
Construction
I had a great draw, even enough burn line and solid ash for half an inch or longer.
Value
The price tag on this blend is exceptionally good and it’s a solidly good cigar, so I call it excellent value.
Conclusions
I can say that I am very pleased with this latest iteration of the venerable La Gloria Cubana brand. The Estelí may not contain any tobacco from the region but it does present a very nice medium-bodied flavor profile that has plenty of complexity, with sweeter notes offsetting earthiness and coffee notes on a regular basis. One of the best “bargain-priced” cigars to hit the market in the last couple years.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
