Video review HERE.
(Description taken from Cigaraficionado.com)
fter being introduced at last year’s trade show, Warped Cigars has finally begun shipping its Serie Gran Reserva 1988 to cigar shops.
Serie Gran Reserva 1988, which is named for the birth year of company owner Kyle Gellis, comes in one size only: a 5 1/4 inch by 50 ring robusto and is a Nicaraguan puro. The wrapper for Serie Gran Reserva 1988 is Corojo ’99 from the Jalapa Valley and the filler includes some Criollo ’98 tobacco. The cigar is packed in 25-count boxes and carries a suggested retail price of $9.
“The delay was due to me wanting it to be in the perfect stage for our customers,” said Gellis. “This cigar took a long time to develop and I wanted it to be a new experience for consumers.”
The cigars were rolled at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A., also known as TABSA, located in Estelí, Nicaragua.
The cigar is a medium brown and fairly dense feeling.
The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were a nice sweet citrus, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet cream, leather, and black coffee. There was black pepper noted at an 8. The sweet notes are very sweet. They are followed by the nutmeg/leather combination and you get the sweet cream just before the black coffee.
At the first third (32 minutes) the burn is very even and the ash is tight. You still have the sweet citrus with brown sugar and cinnamon but now there are also caramel notes. There is still quite a bit of nutmeg but there are plenty of sweet notes to counteract the. There is also a light leather attached to the nutmeg. The black coffee makes a nice base. The finish is one of nutmeg and some caramel to give some sweetness with a modest amount of lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied leaning toward medium to full bodied. This was quite an impressive first third. For the first third I rated the cigar at 92.
At the second third (1 hour 2 minutes) the cigar continues to burn very evenly. The ash that dropped left a perfect square end. The flavors are about like they were but now they are mixing very well. Everything is at, or close to, an even amount. The cigar is also very smooth. The cigar is now medium to full bodied and it may go higher. The finish is now primarily caramel with some nutmeg notes. The lingering black pepper is very nice. For me the cigar is getting better. I enjoyed the second third a little more so I bumped the score to a 93.
The Serie Gran Reserva 1988 lasted 1 hour 26 minutes. A tremendous time for a 5 1/4 x 50 cigar. You still have the same primary flavors but in a little different percentage here and there. The caramel is the flavor I lost the most but it was replaced by an uptick in brown sugar so that's good. The cigar hit full bodied in the latter stages. The finish is unchanged. This has been a good cigar with a great burn time. I'm a huge fan of Warped Cigars and you should put this one on your must-try list. A very good cigar. I rated the final third also at a 93. You can purchase these cigars HERE.
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| Underside of the band showing Kyle's initials |
Overall Score: 93 (92.67)
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