Cigar Reviewed: La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black Maduro

The dark oily look of the Maduro wrapper caught my eye immediately.

I was in an unfamiliar smoke shop looking for something new. The La Gloria Serie R Maduro 6×60 jumped out at me. I picked up the stick looked it over and the construction was flawless, save some small dings from careless customers before me. The aroma was deep coffee and dark chocolate notes with a slight intriguing sweetness. It was firm but not right.

The cold draw was easy which concerned me a little. Because I thought maybe the heat would cause an even easier draw and make the smoke bitter and unpleasant. I match lit it and it lit easy. first draw was light and creamy with notes of vanilla and cedar. The first third was a little spicy, earthy, and smoothed out with dark chocolate notes. The middle third mellowed and was so enjoyable I missed the complexity of the stick.

The burn was even and the draw was was perfect. The ash hung on for a good four inches before the wind took it away. But it stayed even though the last third.

The last third was back to spicy and added a rich black coffee flavor. I almost ruined by puffing too quickly. The heat made it bitter and had to let it sit for a good minute to calm it. The finish was sad for me, because it was finished and the shop had closed. The next morning I bought five sticks and have not looked back. I have a small humidor and the La Gloria Serie R Maduro takes up most of the space. It's my go to cigar!