La Gloria Cubana Wavell Maduro

5" X 50, Maduro

Appearance: These are some pretty, dark little cigars. Lightly box pressed and wrapped in a thick looking, rich, oily, toothy chocolate wrappers. Wrapped firmly but not too much so, this cigar looks like it was made to be enjoyed. This stick had a decided sheen to it, just a beautiful cigar.

Pre-Light: Clip was easy with very little resistance. the prelight draw was just perfect, and yielded notes of fresh roasted coffee and earthy undertones. Just wonderful flavors.

Burn/Draw: The burn and draw were just fine. Light and forget. The burn was razor straight and I didn't even have to consider correcting at any point. The ash was firm and rather bright white, which contrasted strikingly with the very dark and oily wrapper. The draw was free and easy and produced clouds of cool, white smoke.

Flavors: If you haven't noticed by now, this isn't going to be one of my particularly unbiased reviews. I loved this cigar, and it was one of the first true "staple cigars" that I kept in my humidor as often as possible. I think they are that good (especially for the price)! They have amazing rich flavor. After an initial not of cinnamon & sagey spice, this cigar settles in to great notes of dark chocolate and freshly ground coffee. About halfway through undertones of earthiness and leather creep in. Over the last third a cedary note starts to waft in and out, with fascinating results. Frankly, my recommendation is this: if you can get your hands on some, you should do just that.

TomC