La Gloria Cubana Serie R No.7 Maduro

This is a gigantic cigar. I prefer cigars that are much smaller in stature, but even I am awed by the size of this log. The wrapper is a deep brown that is nearly black. The cigar is solid, but I detect some areas that might be too hard and cause some smoking issues. The pre light aroma is of earth, dark wood and rich tobacco. The pre light draw shows notes of coffee, tobacco and earth.

The cigar opens with strong blasts of earth and dark coffee notes. At the back of the palate there are some sharp flavors of dark wood, but a lingering sweetness offsets some of the sharper notes. The draw is free and easy, producing scads of smoke. The burn is uneven and it is threatening to canoe.

The first third of the cigar continues to show strong coffee and earth flavors. The depth of the profile is impressive, but it lacks complexity. At the back of the palate there is a pleasing mix of dark wood and sweet coffee flavors that add to the depth of the experience. The draw continues to perform very well, but the burn is canoeing horribly and threatening to ruin the experience.

The middle third of the cigar continues to deteriorate in the burn department, but I avoid touching up so as to conserve the profile. The core of the profile continues to show nice notes of coffee and earth, but there are some notes of dark wood that have come into the mix as well. The back of the palate continues to be sated with flavors of sweet coffee and some light pepper. The draw stays excellent.

The final third of the cigar shows a profile change that is nice. There core shows notes of pepper and earth with a nice mix of rich tobacco flavors. At the back of the palate the sweet notes have given way to very nice notes of dark wood and deep earthy flavors. The burn is not worth mentioning, as it has deteriorated to being beyond repair. The canoe is so big that in the distance I hear the Banana Boat Song. The draw was consistent throughout.

The finish is a bit short and a little harsh, but showed notes of pepper and earth.

Appearance- 88 a nice looking cigar
Taste- 89 a nice profile that lacked complexity
Construction- 80 the burn was terrible, but the draw was excellent
Strength- 87 a nice full bodied cigar that could use more pep
Overall- 85.5 slightly above average due to poor burn

La Gloria Cubana Serie R No.3 Maduro

This is a gigantic ring gauge smoke. As I have established in previous posts, big ring is not my thing, but I am going to give this a go anyway. The cigar is beautiful, the wrapper is dark (near black), there are few veins and no visible flaws. A light probing of the cigar yields no flaws and it appears to be well made. The pre light aroma is heady, with notes of coffee and rich tobacco essence. The pre light draw shows notes of rich earth, coffee and tobacco.

This cigar begins with a more mild profile than I remembered, or expected. There are fine notes of rich, full tobacco co-mingled with coffee and earth. The burn is sharp and the draw is excellent. A big white ash is forming and appears to be very solid.

The cigar continues to develop well through the first half and there is a deepening of the core flavors. Coffee, earth and tobacco continue to mingle pleasingly across the palate. The burn is sharp and the draw is still excellent, producing plenty of smoke.

The final half of the cigar picks up steam. There are notes of pepper and rich earth, there continues to be a light note of coffee on the back of the palate. The burn was excellent throughout and the draw was fine.

The finish is long and coats the palate with an array of peppery, earthy notes.

Appearance- 93 and excellent looking smoke
Taste- 91 surprising depth and flavor, but could use more complexity
Construction- 95 this was nearly flawless
Strength- 88 surprisingly medium in the beginning before strengthening at the end. I would have preferred the strength for the duration
Overall- 91.75 a surprising score for a surprising smoke