Stogie Review: Graycliff Crystal PGX

Graycliff is a brand I’d never tried until recently, for unfortunate but obvious reasons. From Profesionale to Château Grand Cru, these cigars are notoriously hard to find, and they’re offered at prices only the richest sheikhs in Qatar would find reasonable. I received my five-pack of Graycliff Crystal PGXs as a gift so, thankfully, I was spared the $22-per-unit sticker shock that would have accompanied an actual purchase.

Now, when I take possession of five exorbitantly pricey cigars, I leave nothing to chance. I go to great lengths to maintain them, and eventually to enjoy them at what I anticipate to be their peak condition. Such was the case for this review. When I finally pulled my Graycliffs out of the humidor, they’d been resting for about six months and were coated with a layer of fine, white plume.

Each six inch by 50 ring gauge stick is quite the sight to see: tightly wrapped, yet almost bulging at the seams. The light brown, sun-grown Ecuadorian wrapper is smooth and moderately oily. A few light veins run vertically down the length of the cigar, but in an unobtrusive and visually pleasing way. The gold and white label lends a very elegant and refined touch. A delicate nose of coffee, cloves, and aged tobacco drifts up from the foot. All in all, this thing practically oozes luxury.

“Looks are all well and good,” you’re probably thinking, “but how does this pretty little bastard smoke?”

Quite impressively, I’d say, albeit with minor kinks here and there. The initial flavor is quite mellow – sort of a thin, tantalizing wisp of graham, honey, vanilla, and spice. This delicate profile, borne on a very mild body, lasts for about the first third of the cigar. By the second third, the smoke picks up a medium strength, and a nutty flavor dominates the palate. Stronger spice and a longer finish make up the final third and, by that point, a very noticeable nicotine buzz kicks in. If you’re not the slightest bit lightheaded after nubbing one of these babies, you should donate your body to science.

Now, about those “minor kinks” I mentioned earlier. The burn has a real tendency to canoe. I had to make five or six significant corrections throughout the 90 minutes that I savored each stick. When you’re trying to enjoy a serene, meditative experience with a smoke of this caliber, the last thing you want to be doing is babysitting an unruly burn.

If I were judging this cigar on flavor and aesthetics alone, I might be tempted to give it a perfect score. But because of its burn problems, inexcusable as they are for a $22 stick, the Graycliff Crystal PGX receives four out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Jon N

photo credit: Stogie Guys