Stogie Reviews: La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda
7 Nov 2006
Well, Election Day is finally here. We were going to publish some diatribe on smoking bans and urge you to vote, but – quite frankly – we’re sick of all the politics.
So when you’re finished doing your civic duty (and we know you will), why not take time to get away from all the partisan rhetoric, hypocrisy, and negative ads to have a quiet sit with a cigar? Last night I got a head start on that escape by bundling up, hitting the patio, and relaxing with a La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda.
This six inches by 52 ring gauge stogie had a light brown Ecuador Sumatran wrapper with a few prominent veins and some small imperfections. It was packed tightly, but still soft and doughy to the touch.
After snipping the cap with my V-cutter, I noticed the pre-light draw was extremely easy and the aroma was rich and creamy. Immediately after lighting, however, the Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos surprisingly produced a rough, spicy flavor that was a bit too harsh for my liking (and I like full-bodied smokes). Fortunately, the stick gradually mellowed out into the second and finishing phases, and I noticed pleasing coffee and almond notes – especially when smoked through the nose.
More so than any other stogie I can recall, the Corona Gorda particularly highlighted the acidic locales of my palate, which produced a lot of saliva. (Acid tends to do that. Just bite into a lemon and you’ll see what I mean.) This cigar would therefore make a good companion in situations where beverages aren’t always readily available, like on the golf course.
On construction, the burn was nice and even and the draw was very easy, yielding a lot of smoke with each puff. But when it came time to remove the band (even though I did so with great care), the wrapper tore, and some irreparable construction flaws plagued the last fifth of the cigar.
At about $4.50 apiece, you won’t break the bank on one of these babies, but I think that money would be better spent elsewhere for an Election Day escape. For harsh flavors and serious physical setbacks, I give the La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda an unfortunate two and ½ out of five stogies.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Seriously… after all those obnoxious campaign ads, what I really need is a big cigar and a big glass of scotch!
Winston Churchill for President!
Am I the only one who just votes against people… never actually for a politician?
Maybe that's why I need a cigar!
Fellow Californians: Remember to Vote NO ON 86!
Your cigar depends on it!
I'm not a fan of the La Gloria Coronoa Gorda either!
Stick with the LGC Serie R
MJ Gibbs has good coverage of the No on 86 campaign over on Let's Talk Cigars:
http://letstalkcigars.com/
Nothing says "politics" better than smoke-filled room!
La Gloria Cubana has some of the better cigars at that price point…the churchill is the best size. Another example of how tastes vary.
The cigar has a nice looking brown wrapper, but it is a little mottled and has soft and hard spots as I gently squeeze it.
This is not that spicy of a cigar, mostly medium in strength. I taste grassy notes, which is a bit surprising, muddled in with leather notes as well.
The further I smoke the more I notice a subtle strength that I was not prepared for after smoking the mild first half. But other than that, it is a real one-dimensional smoke that gets a bit old in the end.
I like this smoke in smaller rings,especially with a black coffee. I never get those harsh notes ,but I get an enjoyable creamy,grassy,mildly peppery ,and sweet smoke. I mean with a black coffee it gives a unique taste like as if you added sugar to your coffee.