Video review HERE.
(Description provided by General Cigar)
La Gloria Cubana presents “Criollo de Oro,” a new, limited edition collection named after the hybrid varietal developed by crossing two Cuban seed tobaccos: the versatile Criollo ’98 with the rare Cuban seed Pelo de Oro.
The new, two-cigar collection is handcrafted by artisans at the El Credito Cigar Factory in Santiago, D.R. and will ship to retailers in October. Only 3,100 boxes in total will be released.
La Gloria Cubana Criollo De Oro begins with the proprietary Criollo de Oro wrapper grown in the humid microclimate of Mao, Dominican Republic. There, in the island nation’s picturesque Cibao Valley, the sungrown leaf matures with abundant natural oils that contribute to the cigar’s uniquely robust characteristics.
To achieve the finely balanced, medium-bodied profile, the artisans of La Gloria Cubana have punctuated the rich Criollo de Oro wrapper with a hearty Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and a blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran filler tobaccos. The result is a provocative smoke that celebrates the nuances of the wrapper, layering it with notes of tobacco sweetness, earth, cedar and citrus. A slightly spicy aroma lends an added dimension to the experience.
Steve Abbot, senior brand manager for La Gloria Cubana, commented, “We created Criollo de Oro in the La Gloria Cubana in the tradition of blending proprietary and traditional tobaccos to deliver exciting smoking experiences. Our artisans have delivered a cigar with a distinctive taste profile, crafted according to the brand’s meticulous standards. We’re confident that Criollo de Oro will appeal to a wide range of discerning premium cigar enthusiasts.”
Criollo de Oro features an art deco-inspired band that highlights the brand’s iconic Lady La Gloria marque and carries the imagery to its elegant, dark wood-toned box.
Criollo de Oro Toro (5.75” x 54); SRP per cigar $10.49 REVIEWED TODAY
Criollo de Oro Churchill (7” x 48); SRP per cigar $10.99
The cigar looks nice and has a pretty good feel in the hand.
The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were orange citrus, lemon, underlying citrus peel, brown sugar, nutmeg, and a clean leather. There was initially white pepper rated at 7. Nice start but a little unusual with the lemon notes.
At the first third (32 minutes) the cigar has changed. Now I had sweet peach notes. Somehow the citrus and lemon notes morphed over to a sweet peach. light citrus peel, brown sugar, worn leather, nutmeg, and the beginnings of a black coffee base. The finish is peach and leather with average lingering black pepper. (The cigar started with white pepper on the front end) The cigar has nice notes in the first third. I rated it 92.
As I moved through the second third (1 hour 12 minutes) the cigar is getting earthy. The leather and black coffee are becoming quite earthy. The front end flavors are now sort of a peach with citrus influence; a tangy peach. There is also some brown sugar and a little nutmeg, also. The finish is a peach with light leather. The pepper seems to be morphing over to a black pepper. The cigar is medium bodied. The cigar lost a bit for me. I rated the second third 90.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 42 minutes. I went glacially slow. I learned after smoking preliminary samples that if you go too fast you lose everything. Going as slow as I did I got better notes overall. But, going very slow didn't help the final third. It got more earthy. I had more of a cedar note on the front end with a minor amount of brown sugar, citrus peel, and a lot of earthy leather and black coffee. The cigar is medium to full bodied-ish. The finish is straight nutmeg with very good lingering black pepper. As you can see the cigar lost a lot of sweetness. The cigar lost me. I rated the final third 86. It started out fairly nice but went downhill.
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