La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Espeicale Club (5 3/4x47)
This is the newest cigar from La Gloria Cubana. According to Michael Giannini, director of marketing for La Gloria Cubana, “It gives me great pleasure to debut La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale. We set out to create a product that was as unique in its packaging as it is in its taste and I believe we’ve delivered that in spades. I stand with Team La Gloria, fully confident that this collection will be a welcome addition to the smoking repertoires of today’s most discriminating premium cigar smokers.”
Team La Gloria set out to break the mold with the blend by cross-breeding a Connecticut seed, which was then cultivated in Honduras.
Despite the golden appearance of the wrapper, the blend is brash in its full flavor and engages the entire palate. The double binder of bold Nicaraguan and Mexican leaf is further enhanced not only by a filler of Nicaraguan and Dominican ligero but also through an additional peppering of proprietary Nicaraguan and Dominican leaf.
Each of the four frontmarks is uniquely packaged in a 25-count box with a different design and bears a classic name that hearkens back to the early days of La Gloria Cubana.
Taino (7” x 52) will be available for a suggested retail price of $7.50 per cigar, or $187.50 per box.
Habanero (6” x 52) will sell for an SRP of $7.25 per cigar, or $181.25 per box.
Cubano (6 1/2” x 58) will carry an SRP of $8.15 per cigar, or $203.75 per box and
Club (5 ¾” x 47) will sell for $7.00 apiece, or $175.00 per box. (Being reviewed today.)
These began shipping in late September and should be in local shops now.
The cigar is a slightly darker Connecticut wrapper than you are accustomed to. The cap is finished with a triple cap. The test draw was a little firm. Lots of sweet vanilla notes with some grapefruit tones are noted at light up. The pepper is good.
After a minute or two the cigar settled down into one of sweet, rich grapefruit and vanilla notes. The finish is also one of vanilla. Lingering back on the spice are some lightly roasted almonds. They are very subtle. The pepper is very nice.
At the midpoint there are not many changes. One thing you may notice is at times the vanilla notes are the lead player followed by the grapefruit, and then at other times it's reversed. The almond notes are still subtle but notable.
I really like the combination of the grapefruit citrus and vanilla. The rich sweetness of this combination make this cigar almost candy-like. The cigar burned evenly and it is medium bodied. At this point the almond notes have pretty much disappeared.
At the end of the cigar it stayed consistent. I really enjoyed the rich, sweet spice and the finish remained true to one of vanilla. The almond notes are back at this point. The cigar remained medium bodied until you get to the final quarter. At this point you start to feel the ligero. It is a sneaky ligero. This makes the cigar medium to full bodied but you can feel the effects of the ligero.
Score: 92
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