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.