Stogie Reviews: Frank Llaneza 1961 Cuban Corona
29 Oct 2009
Even though Frank Llaneza was born into the industry, he is undoubtedly a cigar legend in his own right. And now Altadis is honoring his half century of entrepreneurship and innovation with a new blend.
Llaneza, who grew up sweeping floors at his father’s modest Ybor City outfit, is best known for expanding Villazon & Co. by establishing factories in Central America in the early 1960s. He was a pioneer in Honduras immediately following the Cuban embargo, which is why many consider Llaneza to be “the godfather of Honduran cigars.†Decades later, in 1996, he sold Villazon to General Cigar Holdings Inc. for millions.
According to press materials circulated at the IPCPR Trade Show in August, “now he has put his name on a cigar that embodies the perfect balance between his genius and passion.†The blend, made at the Altadis USA factory in Nicaragua, recognizes a man who “has been growing superior tobacco and creating cigars of exceptional pedigree since 1961.â€
The Frank Llaneza 1961 features a filler blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican leaves, a Nicaraguan binder, and a dark Ecuadorian criollo ’98 wrapper. Notes of milk chocolate and coffee permeate the toothy surface right out of the cellophane.
With a suggested retail price of $7 apiece, the oily, firm Cuban Corona frontmark measures five and five-eighths inches with a ring gauge of 46. The absence of imperfections serves as evidence of an expert torcedor and quality tobacco.
After lighting the narrow foot with a couple wooden matches and studying the first few puffs, I find a balanced, medium-bodied profile of savory meat, nuts, butter, and cereals. A gentle spice on the lips adds depth. The aftertaste is decidedly smooth and leathery.
As the white, sandy ash works its way towards the middle of the cigar, the flavor remains surprisingly consistent. Here, I discover that the quicker I smoke, the meatier the cigar becomes. And since I enjoy the subtler tastes of the Frank Llaneza 1961 more than the charred steak characteristics at the forefront, I decide to slow down.
That strategy works well through the final third, which is a bit bolder than the rest of the cigar. All the while the combustion qualities—including a slow, even burn, a fairly solid ash, and a good draw—are reliable.
On the whole, I wouldn’t be surprised if this young limited release develops nicely over the coming months and years. It would be a good candidate for my regular golf course rotation if it were easier to find and priced a bit lower. Regardless, cigar enthusiasts who enjoy rich, meaty profiles should definitely check out the Frank Llaneza 1961 Cuban Corona. I give it three and a half stogies out of five.
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photo credit: Stogie Guys
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
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Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Interesting observation about smoking fast. I suppose when the cigar is burning faster/hotter you get some flavours that wouldn't be there if smoked slower/cooler.
Since I posted this review, I've received some additional information about the Frank Llaneza 1961 blend.
Janelle Rosenfeld, vice president of premium cigar marketing for Altadis, responded to several of my questions via email. While I’d read/heard rumors that the blend is for B&Ms only, she told me that the blend “will have limited distribution as the production is very limited. It is a contract brand which restricts discounting by internet sellers or anyone for that matter. If it is sold on-line it shouldn’t be discounted.”
Additionally, regarding Mr. Llaneza’s involvement in the project, she said he “selected the tobaccos and created the blend and supervises the production.”
To take this beyond Janelle's marketing spin, the real reason why Frank's namesake cigar is so limited is actually the rarity of the cigar brand's wrapper (well the color of the wrapper). Once color-sorted, wrappers that cannot be used for this brand are relegated to wrap the "new" Troya cigars.
I finally was able to find this stick and I was very impressed. The burn was great and I got a great stark white ash that held on 1/3 of the cigar. I thought it was better than a 3.5 though. I would say 4 out of 5 easily. I would definitely pick up some more. Great price too. My full review: http://wp.me/pSZbU-1Y8
Great review as always!
These cigars are a work of art. They are expensive, but worth every penny.
When these first came out I purchased a couple. What a disappointment! I thought I was smoking freshly cut hay. Perhaps I should have put them in the humidor, but these should have never been this bad right out of the box.
PS… I notice that there is a huge price drop in the price of these cigars lately. I guess they didn't get the response they were looking for.