I just happened to be in the shop when the General rep was visiting and he handed one of their new sticks, the LGC Artesanos de Tabaqueros – or also known as the longest name for a cigar line ever.

The idea behind the line is an appetizer and main course all-in-one.  The 1^st third has a Connecticut Shade wrapper – the appetizer, while the rest has an Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper – the main course.

LGC AdT

The wrapper joint is obscured by the band which is oddly on the bottom third of the cigar, making it seem that you may be smoking it upside down.  I remove the band and notice the seam.  It is straight as an arrow – the construction looks real nice on this one.  It is also very firm to the touch but with a satisfactory pre-light draw.

It starts off as expected, mild.  There are creamy woody notes and a hint of leather.  It was fine, I just found myself waiting for the next 2/3rds.

The next 2/3rds was very much vintage LGC.  Slightly spicy, with some coffee thrown in for good measure, it had nice flavor and balance.  I would not call it full or med-full, it was a nice solid medium body cigar.  It doesn’t change too much during the last third, although it does get a little more coffee-y (new word) and picks up some cocoa notes.

All in all it’s a good cigar just a little uninteresting at times.

Rating: 85 (B)

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper: Nicaraguan

Origin: Honduras

This review is for a special cigar and good cause.  Cigar Rights of America is a great organization that helps give voice to the cigar smoker in Washington.  One of the ways that the CRA has raised money is through a sampler of cigars donated by the industry’s leaders such as General, Ashton, La Flor, Davidoff, Don Pepin, etc.  Sign up, become a member and order your sampler here.  The cigar that General has donated is a special edition Punch that was made in Honduras and features tobacco from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.  Here’s more about it from CRA:

Punch cigars continue to enjoy critical acclaim and a devoted following among tenured smokers. As an exclusive offering to the CRA, General Cigar developed a unique blend if this celebrated brand. Featuring spicy blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco, punctuated by a Nicaraguan binder and enveloped in a brawny Nicaraguan wrapper, Punch CRA cigars are handcrafted in Honduras.Debo Mukherjee, Vice President of Marketing for General Cigar commented, “It is with great pleasure that we have donated 5,000 handcrafted Punch cigars to continue our support of CRA. As a Founding Sponsor, we continue to stand behind the organization and its ongoing effort to protect the rights of premium cigar smokers.”

This was the first cigar I choose to smoke and review from the sampler because I thought it would be the least impressive, and I’ve never been a huge fan of General.  Was I wrong?

This is a great rustic looking cigar.  The wrapper is a tawny brown with minimal veins with lots of tooth.  It gives a little to the touch in the middle, which makes me wonder if this is going to burn and draw well all of the way through.

It clips great, I light the cigar easily and the first thing I notice is quite surprising – no harshness.  Usually cigars made by the two big guys, General and Altadis, are sub par compared to other premium handmades.  They are usually rushed out of the factory and quite young and unbalanced.  But this was very nice!

There was lots of wood and leather from the onset with a rich hearty core of tobacco.  Initially I got lots of smoke, but the burn was progressing too quickly for my liking.

About halfway down, it began to tunnel – that soft spot I mentioned earlier – but quickly corrected itself.  The burn was relatively straight and even throughout the smoke, but it did require some occasional “touch-ups”.

The last few inches were rich and intense, full-bodied but not strong, tons of coffee, leather and wood abound.  There was also a nice lingering cocoa note on the finish, which was long.

Not only was this cigar good – it was great!  This was one of the best cigars I have ever smoked from General, and one of the best tasting cigars I have tried in some time.  It had the perfect balance of flavors and strength, the only detractor was the construction and it was not that complex.  After this, I can’t wait to try the rest from the sampler!

Rating: 90 (A-)

LGC Torpedo No. 1

One of my buddies from Empire Cigars gave me a 15 year old LGC Torpedo No. 2 for the birth of my son.  I couldn’t wait to try this cigar that I had heard so much about.  I was just going to right a review for this old torpedo when I realized this was a good chance to compare the blend Then & Now.  So much has changed in 15 years, including LGC being bought by General Cigar to even in the last year Ernesto leaving La Gloria to start off on his own again.  Is there anyway these cigars can still be similar at all?  We’ll see!

La Gloria Cubana Torpedo No. 1  – Circa 1994

Size: 6 1/2″ x 54

Vitola: Torpedo

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Origin: Miami, FL, US of A

Age: 15 years!

You should see the cellophane from this cigar!  I hope the picture below does it justice!

Well this is one rustic looking cigar.  The cap is very rough looking but is glistening with plume.  The pre-light draw is firm but yielding, but took a flame easily.

The flavors are interesting.  They remind me both of current La Glorias with their unique earthiness  and also Puros Indios cigars which have a distinctive barnyard aromas.

The burn is fairly even  and the ash burns hot leaving more white than black in the salt and pepper ash.

After the first inch or so they flavors begin to develop nicely, leaving an earthy sweetness with a real mustiness in the aroma.  Very tasty!

If I smelled the smoke from this cigar and was not told what it was i would really guess it was made by Rolando Reyes (Cuba Aliados and Puros Indios).  The barnyard aroma has a real throwback appeal but is really only present in the aroma not so much in the taste of the cigar.

This cigar is amazing, it still has tons of flavor after 15 years!  Halfway through there is leather and earth with some hay and coffee.

As I near the end, the flavors intensify and “sweet spot” flavors like licorice and espresso start to make their way on to my tastebuds.

The cigar just gets better and better, those sweet spot flavors intensifying to a crescendo that makes my burn my fingers as i nub this cigar to the end!  Thanks to Atlanta “Sleepy” Mike for the privilege to smoke this wonderful rarity!

Rating: 97 (A)

La Gloria Cubana Torpedo No. 1 Circa 2009

Clearly the rollers at the General Cigar Factory have had a lot of practice with torpedoes as this puppy has a beautiful pointed cap.  The color is identical to it’s grandfather but more even and not as splotchy.

The cigar takes a cut from my PG cutter with no problem and the pre-light draw is waaaay easier.

So far the only thing the two cigars have in common is the shape.  there is a bit of earthiness, but the cigar is a lot spicier and has a rich leather character.

The burn is not entirely even but satisfactory enough.  The finish has a bit of licorice and leather.

The cigar is not that complex and the flavors listed above are fairly consistent throughout the length of the entire cigar.

Rating: 86 (B)

Vitola:  Torpedo

Wrapper:  Connecticut Shade

Origin: Honduras

From the Vault: The Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur series is supposed to offer a little more flavor and quality than the regular Hoyo line.  Made by General Cigar Co. the Epicure is one of their more popular frontmarks.

This cigar is not bad at all; age has been very kind to it. It is a medium-bodied cigar; I taste a slight creaminess with wood, leather and some tobacco on finish.

 This was a well constructed cigar; it burned evenly and had long ash.  It was not a complex cigar and there was really nothing bad to say about it.  I liked it but can’t say I’ll go out and buy a box either.

Rating: 86 (B)

Vitola:  Robusto

Wrapper:  Honduran San Agustin Havana Seed

Origin: Dominican Republic

The new Macanudo 1968 is a serious departure from one of the mildest cigars out there.  Traditionally the Macanudos, made by General Cigar Co., are shunned by the aficionado, mostly because they taste like cardboard and hay.  The Mac 1968 features a jet black Honduran Havana Seed wrapper and a spicy new blend.  The guys at Empire Cigars assured me that this was not your grandfather’s Macanudo and was actually a surprisingly tasty cigar.

I had punched it at first, but had to clip it as I got a lot of tar build-up from the start, this stick was very moist.

Well, after the first two puffs I am definitely surprised at how good it is.  Right of the bat it reminds me of an Illusione.  It has a rich earthy flavor.  It’s very robust and reminds me of a hamburger on the grill, with a charry meaty flavor, but also notes of bittersweet chocolate.

What was very interesting was halfway down I picked up a hint of Macanudo flavor, I describe it as a slightly vegetal taste with a barnyard aroma.  I find this strange but kind of cool at the same time, because even though this is way different than any other Mac, there was something there that reminded you that you were still smoking a Macanudo.

The burn was uneven with a slightly flaky whitish gray ash.  To the touch the cigar was spongy, and it got hot as I smoke it down.  Two-thirds of the way down it turns a little sour and a little harsh, the whole thing seems rushed but has potential of becoming a really good cigar.  But this was pretty good for a Mac no doubt!

Rating: 86 (B)

Vitola: Toro

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Sumatra

Origin: Dominican Republic

From the Vault: I’ve been pulling a lot of old cigars out from the bottom if the humi-trunk, and this old LGC was grabbed…

The Miami-made La Gloria Cubanas were one of the most popular cigars around during the Cigar Boom, but now after being bought by General Cigar, Ernesto Perez-Carillo has not been making the same cigars as he once did and are now being made in the El Credito factory in the Dominican Republic.

The cigar has a nice looking brown wrapper, but it is a little mottled and has soft and hard spots as I gently squeeze it.

This is not that spicy of a cigar, mostly medium in strength.  I taste grassy notes, which is a bit surprising, muddled in with leather notes as well.

The further I smoke the more I notice a subtle strength that I was not prepared for after smoking the mild first half.  But other than that, it is a real one-dimensional smoke that gets a bit old in the end. 

Rating: 81 (B-)