General Cigars Announced the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos De Tabaqueros back in April on the Team La Gloria Site. Tonight this was a special cigar presented to us as a surprise at The Party Source's weekly cigar tasting. Typically I scan through press releases and ignore most of what is said since you can't smoke words. This press release did a great job though describing some of the work that went into this cigar.
Created by Team La Gloria Cubana to showcase the artistry of La Gloria Cubana “tabaqueros” (artisan cigar makers), Artesanos de Tabaqueros cigars are a stunning embodiment of the time-honored craft of cigar making. So exacting is the skill required to handcraft cigars of this complexity that Benji Menendez personally selected an elite group of just 18 master cigar makers, representing the cream of the crop from El Credito Cigar Factory in the Dominican Republic.
Meticulously crafted to combine two different wrappers and two distinct tastes in one eye-catching cigar, Artesanos de Tabaqueros is a world-class smoke that opens to a rich and intriguing spice and ultimately reveals a depth of flavor that can only be achieved through a precise balance of unique and rare tobaccos. Hand selected from General Cigar’s extensive library of Dominican and Honduran tobaccos, the cigars are dressed in both a supple Connecticut Shade and hearty Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The blend is made solely of proprietary tobaccos, each aged five years or more.
Also while poking around the Team La Gloria site I found this video which takes a look at this cigar being made. It is fairly short and to the point.
Now, on to my impression of the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Tabaqueros. When the local sales representative from General Cigars, David Crowe, handed me this cigar the first thing I did was push it up out of the cellophane enough to smell it. Immediately I could smell a very rich barnyard smell. I couldn't wait to sit down and smoke this cigar. The presentation is beautiful. When you crack open a box you don't want to smoke them, you want to put them on the mantle.
Almost all the cigars I've smoked in the past with two different wrappers would often have burn issues, but this cigar burned perfectly right through the transition. The Artesanos de Tabaqueros isn't tightly filled cigar it has quite a bit of give to it, but the draw is right.
I was told there is ligero in the filler and it definitely stands out with that familiar bite you'd expect. The Connecticut Shade end start off with earthiness, hay and a little black coffee. There is a definite change once the Ecuadorian Sumatra Maduro takes over, with rich bittersweet dark chocolate coming through. The coffee is still hanging around along with nuttiness and touch of cinnamon. It finishes as well as it starts, rich and smooth right to the end.
Verdict: I admit I don't pay much attention to what the big cigar manufacturers release year to year, because honestly most haven't really impressed. This is completely different. This is a beautiful cigar that I'd love to share with someone, in fact I plan to take two on vacation to share with my father. In my local shop this cigar retails for $8.00 and for a difficult to make unique cigar it is a reasonable price. A definite must buy if you can find them.
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Thank you for enjoying my cigar. Dave Crowe called me to let me know that you had reviewed my cigar. Here is a little of my background. I have been with General Cigar for 11 years. About 6 years ago I was approached to start a training program to become a Cigar Master. I trained in the DR and Honduras for 6 months and trained with Benji Menendez for the past 5 years. Benji approached General Cigar in November 2009 and said he thought I was ready to create my first cigar. The Tabaqueros is the first cigar that I have blended. Thank you so much for your positive review. If there is anything I can do for you in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out.
I have just begun smoking cigars and enjoy reading your web site. I have never even been a cigarette smoker so this is quite a change for me.
But I really the taste of a good cigar and the peace of mind it provides relaxing over a nice dinner or a late evening cocktail.
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