La Gloria Cubana Serie R (Maduro), La Gloria Cubana Serie R (Maduro) reviews, Cigar Guide

La Gloria Cubana Serie R (Maduro)

By: Bob Hritsko (cigarreviews@bullz-eye.com)

05/29/2007

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Watch Out For Cigar Beetles

It’s been said that if you have an active humidor and you store, smoke and replenish the cigars in it, and do this over a period of time, you will likely get a bug, or worse, bugs. Bugs and cigars are not a good combo, not unlike other things in your life: your computer, your pantry, your girlfriend. Bugs are bad! In all of these cases, it can be quite embarrassing and frustrating, at worst, bugs can cause irreparable damage. The most common and feared is the cigar beetle, and I have to admit, my ‘dor was infected recently. I’m not that embarrassed by it, as I do circulate a lot of cigars through my humidor. Given the process in which cigars are manufactured and aged, and that they are a purely organic form of vegetation, it should be no surprise to occasionally find parasites in and around cigars.  

So how do you know that a beetle is in my humidor? By occasionally examining the cigars within. Cigar beetles will leave evidence of their existence in your cigars via the boreholes in the outside wrapper of the cigar. In my case, I had one clean hole the size of a pinhead in one cigar. I quickly removed the cigar and began dismantling it and did find one single bug. I disposed of the remains of the cigar and the bug immediately, as cigar beetles will lay eggs and they will multiply and migrate to nearby cigars. After two weeks, I see no evidence of any additional multiplication or migration of the beetle. So far, lucky me. 

However, it is very important to perform occasional inspections on your humidor to ensure you are maintaining humidity and ensuring your cigars are free of the evil cigar beetle. 

So before you do anything else, go examine your cigars, pick one out (without beetles) and let’s get smoking! 

Cigar Review: 

La Gloria Cubana Serie R (Maduro) 

Size: 5.5 inches long, 54 Ring Gauge

Price: $5 to $6.50 range 

La Gloria Cubana (LCG) began as a Miami (Little Havana) made cigar blend manufactured by Ernesto Perez-Carillo. Today it is manufactured in the Dominican Republic, but it remains true to its original design and intent. The Serie R is blended to offer a rich and heavy-bodied blend in the Cuban tradition.  

Tobacco blend:

• Wrapper: Ecuadorian
• Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
• Binder: Dominican 
  

Context 

I received a couple of these via a mail order purchase, where a diverse set of cigars were selected. I smoked one of them within one week of receipt and have been saving the other one for about six months. I do this to see how aging affects a particular smoke. The review is of the cigar aged the additional six months. It was smoked on my screen porch with ice water. In this case, with or without humidor time, this cigar was a very good smoke. Aging will typically smooth or mellow the cigar flavor a little and this was no exception. Admittedly, I did prefer the aged one even more.  

Look and feel 

LGCs are great looking cigars that sport a little “heft” to them -- they are a well-packed, thick rope of a cigar. The almost black wrapper leaf seemed to have a healthy, oily look that is often a sign of a good cigar. It held an even burn throughout the cigar. 

Aroma and Taste 

After my standard double guillotine cut, it fired up with little resistance. The opening, and through the first half, provided a smooth, medium-bodied smoke, not as full-bodied as I remember the one I smoked six months earlier. This was a bit of a surprise as I expected a more full-bodied cigar, but it was a positive change of pace. However, at the midway point the cigar picked up in flavor. The latter half was excellent, including a strong finish with the peppery character that so many of the traditional Cuban cigars have. This cigar is also blessed with an even burn with some staying power that will keep it lit.  

RATING: 9.2 (on a scale of 1 to 10) 

At the reasonable rate at which these are typically offered, it is a high value play. It would be hard to go wrong with these. Given the complexity of the smoke and flavors, I would be hesitant to use this as a yard ‘gar. 

Keep the comments and recommendations coming – email: cigarreviews@bullz-eye.com 

Thought for the Week

"A fine cigar is just like a woman. If you don't light it up just right and suck on it with a certain frequency, it will go out on you." - Unknown 

DISCLAIMER:  At the risk of sounding too much like a TV commercial, I do want to sincerely state:  This feature is NOT intended to advocate the smoking of cigars any more or any less than you already do, nor do I intend to influence the non-smoker to begin smoking cigars.  Make no mistake about it; CIGAR SMOKING MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH.