Cigar Review #3 - La Gloria Cubana

Ok, so once again, I forgot to get a picture of the cigar I'm reviewing - but this time it's not my fault; I had a soldier get in trouble over the weekend for a DUI, so I had to hurry in to work to take care of the situation. I grabbed the cigar quickly before heading out, forgetting to take a picture...so without further ado, today's review is of the La Gloria Cubana (Reserva Figurados) Flechas Especiales Maduro - I wish I knew Spanish.

Here's a picture I found of it - La Gloria Cubana, Flechas Especiales Maduro - Torpedo

Brand: La Gloria Cubana

Name: Flechas Especiales Maduro

Place Purchased: Stag Tobacconist, Colorado Springs, CO

Date Purchased: 30 JAN 2010

Date Smoked: 13 FEB 2010

Price: $8.75

Gauge: 6.5" x 49 - Torpedo

Wrapper: Ecuadoran Sumantra

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan Blend

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Rating: 6
Buy Again: Yes

Notes: Nothing really special about this cigar, but it was decent enough to smoke again (I've smoked a million of these already anyway; nice change-up cigar when looking to take a break from the usual). A little stronger than mild, but definitely not a strong or bold flavor to the cigar. I noticed a spicy, peppery flavor, with hints of leather in the flavor. One good thing was there wasn't a "cloudy" (residual) taste to the cigar, which I can't stand - that's a big reason I don't care for Naturals. Cigar was hard to draw, had to pull pretty hard to get anything out of the cigar. All-in-all, not a bad cigar but I wouldn't recommend it for a regular smoke. If you want something different from time to time, I recommend this cigar...but nothing amazing about it.

Cigar Size & Shape

Size

"Vitola" is a Spanish word used in cigars that describes both size and shape. Generally, in the US, cigars are described in terms of length and ring size (or width). Ring size (width) is measured in 64th's of an inch - a classic Churchill is 7 x 48, which means it is 7 inches long and 48/64th's of an inch in diameter. Most cigars have a ring size smaller than 64.

Shape

Cigar shapes are divided into 2 groups - those with straight sides and those that aren't. Straight cigars are known as Parejos ("parallel" in Spanish); all others are Figurados. A list of classic Parejos follows:

• Churchill: 7" x 48
• Corona: 5 1/2"-6" x 42-44
• Double Corona: 7 1/2"-8" x 49-52
• Lonsdale: 6 1/4"-7" x 42-44
• Panatela: 5"-6" x 38
• Petite Corona: 4 1/2" x 40-42
• Robusto: 4 1/2"-5 1/2" x 50
• Toro / Corona Gorda: 5"-6" x 46-50

In the next blog we'll cover the Figurados. Enjoy... 

A Preface on Enjoying Cigars and Cigar Review #2 - Carlos Torano, Exodus 1959 (50 Years)

I'd like to begin this cigar review by throwing something out there - enjoying cigars, or what some would call "smoking" cigars, is not the same thing as being a smoker (someone that smokes cigarettes). Please don't think of me, or anyone else you know that enjoys cigars, as a smoker - it's not polite and not in tune with cigar etiquette.

Review #2

Carlos Torano, Exodus 1959 (50 Years), Robusto - sorry, I didn't get a picture of the one I smoked.

Close up of the label

Brand: Carlos Torano

Name: Exodus 1959 - 50 Years

Place Purchased: Stag Tobacconist, Colorado Springs, CO

Date Purchased: 30 JAN 2010

Date Smoked: 30 JAN 2010

Price: Don't remember, but it was like $6.50 or something

Gauge: 5" x 50 - Robusto

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Brazilian Arapiraca Sun-Grown

Binder: Honduras

Filler: Esteli and Pueblo Nuevo, Nicaragua

Rating: 7

Buy Again: Yes

Notes: Smelled like marijuana when I fired it up; very strong, tasted a lot like a Punch Grand Puro; had a strong Cameroon-esque task to it - after researching the composition of the cigar, I realized what I thought was Cameroon type flavor was really the Brazilian wrapper. That got me thinking about the CAO Brazilia, which I immediately recognized as having a similiar flavor. The Exodus 1959 had a strong residual taste as well, stuck with me for quite a while after smoking. The cigar itself felt 'wet' in my hands, which seems to be a recuring theme for the other Carlos Torano's I've smoked.

This picture is from OIF 05-07, June 2006 - smoking a Carlos Torano at the FOB Kalsu Officer's Club (my tent)

FYI:

A cigars color refers to shade of the wrapper, or exterior leaf, the thin flavorful leaf used to finish the cigar. The wrapper leaf is influenced by the tobacco variety, the country or soil it's grown in, as well as the aging and fermentation. There are currently 6 major color grades being used -

Candela: light green and often called "Claro Claro"; once quite popular, the candela wrapper is no longer enjoying the popularity it once knew; candela wrappers have a sightly sweet taste to them.

Claro: slightly tan, also known as Connecticut Shade grown; a true claro wrapper is valued for its mild flavor  

Colorado: brown, to reddish-brown; can also be shade grown; offers more flavor and a subtle aroma when compared to a claro wrapper

Natural: light brown to brown; mild flavor. Kind of boring flavor if you ask me.

Maduro: for the Spanish word for "ripe", which refers to the extra aging of the leaf to produce a rich, dark brown wrapper; has a rich flavor and nice aroma - my personal favorite!

 Oscuro: mean dark, it's the darkest shade of wrapper (I've never had one of these); Oscuro wrappers are darker due to the fact that they're left on the plant and left to ferment longer than other wrappers.

Ok, that's it for cigar info...

Introduction and Cigar Review #1 - Arturo Fuente, Maduro, Equisito

I recently started a cigar journal which catalogs the cigars I smoke. Heather thought I should turn my hard copy cigar journal into a blog - so here you go. In this blog I'm going to provide a brief run down of each type of cigar I smoke and also some cigar related information I think is beneficial to any cigar smoker.

My cigar journal

Review #1

Arturo Fuente, Maduro, Exquisito

The Arturo Fuente label.

Brand: Arturo Fuente Name: Exquisito
Place Purchased: Stag Tobacconist, Colorado Springs, CO
Date Purchased: January 30th, 2010
Date Smoked: January 30th, 2010
Price: $3.75
Ring Gauge: 4.6" x 30
Wrapper: Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Rating: 10
Buy Again: Absolutely
Notes: Very bold, strong flavor; rates at a 10 out of 10 on my "Does It Jump Start a Dump if You Smoke It With a Cup of Coffee on the Way to PT in the Morning" Scale. This little guy packs a hell of a punch and is my favorite smoke due to the strength of the cigar, as well as the quick smoke time associated with it (only takes about 20 minutes to smoke - good for smoking on the way to work / on the way home from work); I love the smell of the cigar, but Heather doesn't - it's got a pretty strong and distinct smell to it. I also think it's got a bit of a bitter taste to it, which I enjoy...I kind of think of it as having a little attitude as well, not sure why, but I just do...I love Fuente maduro's, but the Exquisito is by far my favorite.

FYI:
Hand rolled cigars are the way to go - you'll often find them labeled as "hecho a mano", which means something along the lines of "hand rolled" in Spanish. Cigars that are machine rolled are generally crap and I recommend not smoking anything that's not hand rolled. A couple of good starter brands to look into are Arturo Fuente, CAO, and Nub - be careful around the CAO's if you're new to cigars, they've got a lot of powerful cigars that will leave you sick to your stomach and staring at the wall. I also recommend using the following website for any online cigar shopping - http://www.cigar.com/. I use cigar.com routinely when I'm deployed to order cigars - the guys at cigar.com are great. Unlike most online business, the guys at cigar.com sent me emails while I was deployed and let me know they appreciated everything I was doing - although I suspect that was just a ploy to get me to buy more cigars (not really).