Cigar Reviewed: La Gloria Cubana Medio Tiempo

Received this in the Testing Lab ages ago (probably about two years or so now) and thought I submitted a review but in looking just now, I don't see it. So, I'll write one now, albeit belatedly. I really loved this cigar. It had a great balance of sweetness and pepperiness to it both in terms of aroma and taste. That seemed to be consistent throughout the smoke and neither the aroma nor the flavor got extremely strong as I continued to smoke it (which is sort of what I expected and was glad didn't happen). I was actually surprised at how easy this was to smoke given that medio tiempo seems to be spoken of as packing a pretty heavy punch and this was my first time smoking anything with medio tiempo and only my third cigar ever. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't some sort of aggressive nicotine bomb trying to shock and awe the smoker to impress folks with how strong the cigar is. It's instead really well-balanced and has a lot of nuance to it--there's pepper and other spice (I remember thinking I was picking up allspice, nutmeg, that sort of bright spice profile that I love because I associate those smells and tastes with the holidays) but also there was plenty of sweet characteristic to it, too. So, it was much milder than I expected.

It was also well-constructed. I didn't have any issues with the draw, cracks in the wrapper, anything like that. So, it was just fantastic all-around. That's sort of why I don't mind that I got ill from it! That's nothing at all against the manufacturer. What I figure is that I smoked it too fast (because it was such a great smoke) and/or because I'm not used to smoking I don't have much of a tolerance for the nicotine and just gave myself a dose. And even with getting puking ill right after finishing the cigar, this cigar was so good I say it was more than worth it. Just, if you're a novice like me, you might want to take this one very slowly so you don't get ill from the nicotine. It's sort of along the lines with my overall review: it smokes very easily and is very well balanced so it doesn't feel as strong in flavor and aroma as I expected, and you could easily overdo it if you're new to cigars and expecting this one to be some really bold nicotine bomb loaded with extremely strong flavors and then find it's not, it feels much milder, and you go huffing away and devour it because it's so good, and then it hits you right at the end and you're ill from the nicotine. Definitely would smoke one of these again, but I'd take it slower than last time.