Quick Smoke: Tesa Gran Cru Limited Edition

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Not to be confused with five-vitola Series Gran Cru line that has a criollo ’98 maduro wrapper, the Gran Cru Limited Edition is new to the Tesa portfolio. It was crafted by Chris Kelly as a one-size, box-pressed blend. Only 1,000 cigars were made, and Kelly tells me he sold almost his entire Gran Cru stash in a matter of weeks. So he has ordered his Estelí factory to produce more. I think that’s a wise decision. The Gran Cru—which boasts an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with a criollo ’98 binder from Jalapa and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos—is a testament to Kelly’s outstanding talents. The smoke has incredible balance with a woodsy core complimented by cream, salty peanut, and coffee. With top-notch construction, I’m going to get my hands on more of these while they’re still available.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys