Origin : Honduras Format : Robusto Size : 5 x 52 Wrapper : Nicaraguan Habano Binder : Nicaraguan Habano Filler : Nicaragua, Mexico and Costa Rica Hand-Made Price : ~$4-5 each
Background Info
Honduran cigar maker Don Guillermo Rico created the Gran Habano line of cigars in 2003, five years after starting his own successful cigar manufacturing business.
Mission Debrief
This is another cigar that has lived in my second humidor for quite a long time, probably before I bought it and its contents from my friend. As I know I have smoked a few of these in the past but couldn’t really remember if I liked it or not, I figured this one was as likely a candidate for interrogation as anything else in the humidor. The only problem with this review was that I started it too late in the evening and ended up not being able to get photos once I started smoking.
Giving the cigar my customary physical examination, I found that the veiny Nicaraguan Habano wrapper was a bit on the dry side, both in touch and to its appearance but no issues otherwise. It is unknown to me how long the cigar was in his humidor before it reached me, and I know for a fact that he let his humidification lapse before shipping the humidor to me. The cigar felt properly rolled throughout its length, detecting no soft or overpacked spots.
The wrapper was the visual cue for what was discovered when I cut the cap: the cigar was a bit on the dry side, even with three months of proper humidification. Cutting the cap became an explosion of dry tobacco. This, however, was not near enough to stop this review. Lighting the cigar and taking the first draws, I was met with a peppery spice, followed about 10 minutes later with hints of wood, all while in the realm of full-bodied. While I enjoyed the full-bodied flavor of this cigar, I felt that was more or less the summation of the flavor spectrum. Honestly, for the price of the cigar, it’s not a bad thing.
I got even draws from the Gran Habano Corojo #5 throughout the smoking time. Thick, white smoke as well. It certainly helped in keeping the bugs away from me that night. With the full-bodied flavor of this cigar, expect a longer finish on your palate.
Final Analysis
Good but not great in my opinion. Bear in mind that they are not a bad deal for what you are paying for this cigar. I don’t find this to be a complex cigar in terms of flavors, just a straight up full-bodied smoke. I would be interested in getting ahold of a couple of fresh sticks and see how they compare to my aged one and see if they differ.
The Cigar Spy
Origin : Honduras
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 52
Wrapper : Nicaraguan Habano
Binder : Nicaraguan Habano
Filler : Nicaragua, Mexico and Costa Rica
Hand-Made
Price : ~$4-5 each
Background Info
Honduran cigar maker Don Guillermo Rico created the Gran Habano line of cigars in 2003, five years after starting his own successful cigar manufacturing business.
Mission Debrief
This is another cigar that has lived in my second humidor for quite a long time, probably before I bought it and its contents from my friend. As I know I have smoked a few of these in the past but couldn’t really remember if I liked it or not, I figured this one was as likely a candidate for interrogation as anything else in the humidor. The only problem with this review was that I started it too late in the evening and ended up not being able to get photos once I started smoking.
Giving the cigar my customary physical examination, I found that the veiny Nicaraguan Habano wrapper was a bit on the dry side, both in touch and to its appearance but no issues otherwise. It is unknown to me how long the cigar was in his humidor before it reached me, and I know for a fact that he let his humidification lapse before shipping the humidor to me. The cigar felt properly rolled throughout its length, detecting no soft or overpacked spots.
The wrapper was the visual cue for what was discovered when I cut the cap: the cigar was a bit on the dry side, even with three months of proper humidification. Cutting the cap became an explosion of dry tobacco. This, however, was not near enough to stop this review. Lighting the cigar and taking the first draws, I was met with a peppery spice, followed about 10 minutes later with hints of wood, all while in the realm of full-bodied. While I enjoyed the full-bodied flavor of this cigar, I felt that was more or less the summation of the flavor spectrum. Honestly, for the price of the cigar, it’s not a bad thing.
I got even draws from the Gran Habano Corojo #5 throughout the smoking time. Thick, white smoke as well. It certainly helped in keeping the bugs away from me that night. With the full-bodied flavor of this cigar, expect a longer finish on your palate.
Final Analysis
Good but not great in my opinion. Bear in mind that they are not a bad deal for what you are paying for this cigar. I don’t find this to be a complex cigar in terms of flavors, just a straight up full-bodied smoke. I would be interested in getting ahold of a couple of fresh sticks and see how they compare to my aged one and see if they differ.
[sz]gran habano corojo[/sz]