Cigar Review - La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 6 Maduro

[CoachDread]

La Gloria Cubana – Serie R No. 6 Maduro

Vitola: Gordo
Length: 5.9″
Ring Gauge: 60
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf (Maduro)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Pairing: San Francisco Bay Foglifter coffee


In one of my first reviews I mentioned trying to find a Rocky Patel Decade cigar in St. Augustine, FL, and the salesman instead selling me a La Gloria Cubana Serie R Maduro. This is that cigar. I have been resting it for a month at 65% rh and I have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to try it and review it. That time is now.



Fit and Finish: This cigar is gorgeous in my opinion. The wrapper is toothy (thanks for the descriptor @Zeede , I didn't know how to describe these until I saw you use the term recently) and very dark. There are visible seams but they only add to the appearance of a serious cigar to me. On the nose it has the aroma of hay, not unlike the Punch cigar I reviewed yesterday. This will not be the last comparison I make to that cigar.

Draw: A v-cut provides a slightly loose draw but that may be due to the huge ring guage. There is a very strong cocoa profile on the cold draw. I am very much looking forward to this.

Toast/Light: Toasting isn't as easy as I would have liked. I spent close to 2 minutes trying to get it going properly with toasting and blowing on the foot, but ultimately had to puff with the flame to get it going. There is a mild pepper on the first couple of draws.

First third: As this cigar starts, there is immediate spice and a grassy profile. There is no cocoa. Hmmm, why must it be so tricksy? As I proceed through the first third the pepper dies down and I DO get blasts of cocoa from time to time but they are few and far between. Mostly I get hay and wood. It is also underwhelmingly mild in flavor. Not at all what I expected.

Second Third: The second third brings back the pepper but the other flavors don't change at all. I'm also starting to get an uneven burn and no amount of turning is correcting it. I eventually have to touch it up to correct the problem. Ash retention is only about an inch and it's flaky. Again, not what I expected. I thought after the first third that it would start getting better, like the Punch, but this did not. I am now becoming very disappointed at the lack of oomph in any way. I again reflect on how much I was looking forward to this cigar and how very different the experience is turning out to be.

Final Third: On the final section the pepper makes a much stronger appearance but so does a harshness. It has lost any semblance of enjoyable flavor and by 10-15 minutes into this section I'm really only continuing to see if something changes. It doesn't.

Final Thoughts: This cigar was very similar to the Punch in the way it started and in the way it wasn't what I expected, but that is where the similarity ends. The Punch went on to become a great cigar while this just fizzled and left me with a literal bad taste in my mouth. This is a highly regarded and rated cigar and I suspect I just got a bad one. I will give it one more try but with so many others out there that I really love, it will be on a short leash and a second failure will result in me not trying it again. I'd love to hear if others have had better experiences with La Gloria Cubanas. I really wanted to like it and I hope this was an anomaly.

Total smoking time: 90 minutes

[Usafvet509]

I think it was an anomaly. I do favor Serie R in natural, but like an occasional maduro. Try Serie N, Serie R Esteli, and the regular old LGC in Wavell. The only one that hasn't been my cup of Joe has been the Retro.

[CoachDread]

I think it was an anomaly. I do favor Serie R in natural, but like an occasional maduro. Try Serie N, Serie R Esteli, and the regular old LGC in Wavell. The only one that hasn't been my cup of Joe has been the Retro.

Yeah, I'll definitely have to give them another try. I really did want to like them. Hopefully the next one goes better.

[Zeede]

My uncle in Arkansas loves this brand, and maduros, so I'm guessing you had an anomaly.

Or it's just not in your wheelhouse.