Generally speaking, classics are beloved by almost everyone. Any kind of art or expression that stands the test of time could be considered a classic. Although, the label could land you in a fun debate with friends and result in a standoff of opinions. We all know that when it comes to classics, our opinion is the correct one, right?! Some of my favorite classics are Indiana Jones, Back To The Future, Dr. Strangelove, Moonlight Sonata, Take Five, and anything from Vincent van Gogh. If any of those sound unfamiliar then I encourage you to check them out. In this circle though, cigars the are pinnacle of classic! It's hard to debate that one. So let's take a look at the La Gloria Cubana Classic. The website states that their mission is "to craft the most exquisite cigars on the planet". That is an awfully high bar. Does Classic hit the mark? Let's fire up and see.
The Deets
Cigar: La Gloria Cubana Classic Hermoso
Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: El Credito Factory
Size: 4.5 x 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
Appearance 7/10
This little fella is a bit shabby. The first thing that catches my eye is that it almost looks like a barber pole with the color contrast on the wrapper. A wrapper's appearance should look uniform across the entire cigar and this one looks rushed. There is a large vein on the backside that pokes out from the seam in two locations. The cap is rough, the band is loose, and not even close to cylindrical. I've seen worse, but the word "exquisite" is far from my mind.
Draw 9/10
The cigar was very spongey. I actually let it dry-box for 3 full days. My coolidor is tight at 69%, so I knew it wasn't from me. Still a little spongey, so I went with a punch to be on the safe side. Perfect draw. By the final third tightened a little, but still a very nice draw.
Burn/Construction 8/10
I wager the dry-boxing helped in this category. There were no relights, but I did do some flame flickers to correct minor runs. The ash was on the darker side and not very dense. At times the ash would produce a wing or two, but I hesitate to call the entire ash "flakey". No bulging or cracking. Despite the gnarly cap, none of it ended up in my mouth.
Taste 7/10
1/3 - Out the gate I pick up notes of pine, acorn, and sun baked earth. The retro is that of dusty, dried out leather. In the way back there is a hint of brightness that I can't put my finger on. The overall profile seems sharp to me.
2/3 - We're still pretty dusty here. Notes of dirty honey come into play, along with natural tobacco. The hot-n-steamy earth note continues to be in the very front.
3/3 - The last third has a welcomed transition with the introduction of fresh bark and the earth note has cooled off. Black coffee helps to round things out and the retro is now more of a spicy chocolate finish.
Overall 7.8/10
According to the La Gloria Cuban website, this cigar scored a 98 with Cigar Aficionado and a 90 with Blind Man's Puff. I know cigars are subjective, but I'm shocked at the 90 and blown out of my shoes with the 98. I want to find the person from CA that gave it a 98 and have them explain to me how it's a damn near perfect cigar. Insane haha. What the hell do I know though, right? I'm just one guy. This is a hard pass for me, (in my experience, the whole brand is thumbs down), but give it a go anyway and let me know how I'm crazy to give it a 78.
**Number of cigars smoked for the review: 1
