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Old 01-13-2011, 07:40 PM   #1
bsslack
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La Gloria Serie N #58 Review

CIGAR: The New La Gloria Cubana Serie "N" Toro Gordo.



SIZE: Serie N # 58 is a 6 ½” x 58 Beast with an msrp around $7.10 per cigar, CA price $10 to $12.00 tax applied.



APPEARANCE: A Photo:

http://www.teamlagloria.com/2010/08/...ubana-serie-n/

This is an imposing looking cigar. Notice I did not list "Maduro" in the Title sequence. This is most certainly a Maduro cigar. The difference here is that the Whole Serie "N" line Is in Maduro. There is no Natural Wrapper option. Also there is a wee bit of an odd addition, in the "Appearance" department. Not sure who's idea it was, but it maybe a bit much. Approximately halfway down the body, centered on the label (or vice versa) is a Medium Tan colored 3/8ths X 3/8ths capital letter "N". Centered and placed on the cigar and in direct contrast to the Very Dark Capa Oscura Wrapper. It just strikes me as an odd and unneeded element. The Original Cigars did not have this "dress up" feature and I see no advantage to it. Why produce a Large Ring Gauge, nearly Black Maduro Cigar and Place a big N on it?
You will notice that the Factory site Photo's have Clear Wrappers other than the New Serie "N" Band. So, this feature was an after though....After some more thought, maybe The Folks at LGC should drop the "Big N" from the Wrapper. Keep the Label, Keep the Band, but drop the extra Blandishments from the wrapper.



CONSTRUCTION: As stated previously. This is an Imposing Cigar. The Wrapper is a Beautiful Midnight Dark Capa Oscura, oily and inviting. It is smooth and supple to the touch. It's a bit rumply underneath, but fairly well filled and very attractive. The cap is not smooth or subtle, but it seems sturdy enough. According to LGC the Binder and Filler are both Nicaraguan. The cigar feels substantial in the hand. Of course at 58 Rig Gauge, it should. This is the largest size in the line. There's the N-JSB at 5.5 X 54. The N-49 coming in at 5.75 X 49, the N-58 as reviewed here. Then a last size and maybe the most interesting one, the N-46 a 6.5 X 46 Panatella.



PAIRING: I'm in the mood for something different. So, tonight a walk down memory lane with and Old Friend from yesteryear. A bit of 6 YO Canadian Club Whisky with a splash of Cola.



PRE-LIGHT:This is a substantial cigar, bigger than I normally prefer. Also larger than my Guillotine cutter prefers. I search around and find a Big Mouth cutter and Smoothly snip off a slice. I find a nice easy draw. I was careful on the clip, because the first one of these that I tried, was almost too loose on the draw. The Wrapper gives off a peaty aroma. The draw through yields earthy soil and a slight musty smell.



IGNITION: No sense wasting any more time so Let's Hit IT!
I bring the single jet torch up and she instantly responds. It lights completely and immediately. A great draw and good flavor from the start. I'm picking up a lightly sweet woody tone to start. The Finish is also giving my mouth a light tingling with a very slight twang. Impressive for the first few draws in.
The first one of these I had was compromised by a ultra light draw. I had over clipped it to almost full diameter. At one point, I could hardly develop enough air movement to keep it lit. So, Word to the Wise, trim the head conservatively to start. I also thought that with Nicaraguan Binder & Filler this would be a Full Flavor and Full Power Cigar. What I found in the 3, that I have had so far, is plenty of Flavor, but in a Medium Power format. Which I think is really smart of them. One thing that Ya gotta love about the Fatties is that You can put them down for 5 minutes and pick them right back up and commence to puffin. One inch in and the Bright grey ash drops right off into a plume of ash. Even burn, cool draws and sweet tones with a touch of cedar. There is a nice clean Tobacco taste now coming through, I really like that in a cigar. Flavors are fine, but it Is a cigar after all. Again nice manners and clean burn, a cool smoke goin nice and easy. The Ring Gauge kinda had me worried, but because of the way the Head is executed it works. What I mean is, The Head was rolled as a big Dome, so a shallow clip is maybe half the diameter and the rest is like a shoulder to draw off of, very reasonable and comfortable. The Wrapper is substantial, no flimsy top coat here. The hearty Wrapper is solid from Head to foot. The N-49, that I tried last week, was very muddled and never found a rhythm. This one has a nicely defined one from the very first Puff. A few slight transitions so far, nothing earth shattering, but for a Big slow moving smoke that's admirable. As one might think there's plenty of billowy Smoke to be had, when drawing. However at rest, it's just a little wisp. I took my time and enjoyed this cigar slowly and was rewarded, with flavor. I only clipped it once and encountered no draw issues. As I progressed into the smoke I was struck by the even tempered nature of this cigar. I experienced no bitterness in the course of the 1.5+ hours of it. While the flavor was savory, it was never overpowering and settled into a nice fairly mellow experience. The range of flavor worked back and forth from a nicely sweet tone to a more straight tobacco flavor. The Finish was also long and enjoyable. In the final third it resided in the lightly sweet profile that continued to the last inch, where I retired it. I clearly tasted the complete difference from, say the Serie R Powerhouse line. It is a wholly different Profile for LGC.





FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a much more enjoyable cigar than I was expecting. I enjoy the Serie R line very much, but this was a completely different experience and one that Smokers, whom find the "R" line just a bit too much power to enjoy, should like. I also feel that it should age well. I normally don't care for the "Sweeter" profiles, but this moved back and forth with enough flavor variations to keep me entertained. I certainly feel that there's a place, in my rotation, for it. Plus, I never felt like I was smoking a log, it was comfortable the entire time. So, this is definitely a nice new edition to the Quality La Gloria Cubana line.




Cheers!



slack
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Last edited by bsslack; 01-16-2011 at 11:38 AM. Reason: fiddycent correction
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