Cigar Review – La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 3

Another in our ongoing series of reviews of cigars given to us by the good folks at General Cigar. Featured this time is the La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 3 given to us back in April of this year.

Vitola: Robusto
Origin: Dominican Republic
Length: 4 1/2”
Ring Gauge: 56
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Sumatra
Strength: Medium
Price: $5.75

Produced in the Dominican Republic by El Credito B.V., it features a dark, rich looking Sumatra-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador. This short robusto holds a current Cigar Aficionado rating of 92 (June, 2010).

From the manufacturer’s website:

Renowned for its beefy ring gauges and full-flavored taste, La Gloria Cubana Serie R is one of the El Credito Cigar Factory’s hottest-selling offerings.
Serie R boasts an amazing spiciness and powerful, refined flavor which comes from a proprietary blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos. When balanced with a Nicaraguan binder and a wonderfully aged Ecuadoran wrapper (Connecticut Broadleaf wraps the Maduro cigars), La Gloria Cubana Serie R’s exquisite taste captures a place in the smoking repertoires of today’s tenured smokers who demand the ultimate in flavor.

Following CA's 4-part rating system (Appearance & Construction, Flavor, Smoking Characteristics, and Overall Impression) club co-founders Robert and John smoked and rated the two samples sent to us.













Both Robert and John appreciated the impeccable roll quality. The short presentation was uniquely alluring in its own way. The foot revealed layers of leaf individually discernable, suggesting that bunching was moderately loose. The cap was deftly applied and the band was attractive too.

The draw started out pretty easy; border-line on too easy. The burn did waver slightly as it went, but wow did this cigar put out tons of thick smoke. John remarked, “It was a still night, I exhaled a cloud of smoke that slowly drifted off...and held together for 50 feet!” The ash was solid and white. The only performance detriment was a re-light at one point.

There was a nice floral character initially, as well as a little vanilla; mellow with soft spices. Toward the middle, there was a sense of cafe au lait with a slight cinamon finish. Some woody notes joined the party too. The ending ramped to a spicy cedar.

Our averaged rating for the La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 3 is 91.
Here's the points breakdown:
I. Appearance & Construction: 14 pts (93% of the points possible)
II. Flavor: 22 pts (88% of the points possible)
III. Smoking Characteristics: 23 pts (92% of the points possible)
IV. Overall Impression: 32 pts (91% of the points possible)

Overall a very nice smoke that came across as relatively mild at times. Nice progressive flavor changes, voluminous amounts of smoke, and a welcomed smoothness.

Thanks again to General Cigar for providing us the opportunity to sample these tasty cigars. What a treat!

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