Cigar Review: La Gloria Cubana Trunk Show Liga MG-08 2013

If you’re looking for a cigar that will help you expand your palate, pick up the Trunk Show MG-08. This massive cigar produces a greater variety of spices than you’ll find on the McCormick shelf at the local Safeway. Sit back and let them roll over your tongue.

General Cigar’s Michael Giannini’s four-country blend is satisfying, smooth, and balanced with a light finish. It’s not a powerful cigar, but a subtle treat in a limited edition (500 26-count boxes).

As is not uncommon when Giannini is involved, the tobacco used is designated only as proprietary, with the exception of the wrapper, a “Havano Ecuadoran Ligero.”

I’ve smoked at least a half-dozen or so of these behemoths (7 x 60), which have a most reasonable $9.25 price tag. One side effect has been that, while I haven’t enlisted in the army of large ring gauge smokers, I have given up my conscientious objector status.

I no longer reject a cigar simply because it could pass for a Yule log.

In this case, my view is also influenced by the excellent performance, not always found in big ring gauges. Each MG-08 I’ve smoked had fine draw, burned straight, and held a tight ash.

On the negative side, I would like a bit more smoke production, and I can’t say I’m a big fan of the smokable band. You can get it off, though usually in bits and pieces. Making the necessary time commitment for a cigar this size can also be difficult.

With production so low, you aren’t likely to find this Truck Show—or its sibling, the Liga YG-23 blend by Yuri Guillen—in every shop. (A third, the Liga JD-05, is sold only by catalog and online retailers.) But it is well worth seeking out. I rate this stick four stogies out of five.

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

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys