Cigar Smokers La Gloria Cubana Serie R Is Here

La Gloria Cubana Serie R was the answer to all the La Gloria Cubana fans that wanted a bolder cigar. These sticks were created by Cigar Master Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Jr. He and his very successful La Gloria Cubana line, made for Swedish Match/ General Cigar by El Credito, have been together for quite some time. So many cigar smokers that have loved the La Gloria Cubana line had been wanting a bolder and richer cigar, so he created the La Gloria Cubana Serie R. Upon it's initial release, it was only available in four sizes. It is now offered in seven different sizes. Four of the sizes are offered in both the Ecuadorian Sumatra, natural, and the Connecticut Broadleaf, maduro. Those sizes are No.4 4.8 inch x 52, No.5 5.5 x 54, No.6 5.9 x 60 and No.7 7 x 58.
 
The La Gloria Cubana brand has been around for well over one hundred years. It originated in Cuba back in the 1880's. The brand was purchased by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo,Sr. after he opened El Credito in 1948. Ernesto and his family took pride in their business and it thrived until Castro gained control over Cuba. Ernesto was a two term Senator there, and he and his family loved Cuba. Once Castro was in power, that all changed. El Credito was seized, along with other Perez-Carrillo family properties. Ernesto and his family feared for their safety and fled to Florida. After picking up the pieces of their lives, he chose to once again venture back into the tobacco world and re-open El Credito in Miami's Little Havana district. The business was a family run operation until they sold it to Swedish Match/ General Cigar in 1999. Swedish Match/ General Cigar celebrated their 50 year anniversary this year. No doubt, the La Gloria Cubana line has helped aid in their success. The La Gloria Cubana Serie R is another extension of that line that continues to promote their fortune.
 
The wrapper on the La Gloria Cubana Serie R natural is actually a bit darker than most natural wrapped cigars. It's almost a medium tan color. The construction on this particular cigar is firm, and there are no soft spots. There are also no visual flaws to the wrapper. The draw is perfect, as one comes to expect from this brand. The first-third of the smoke has a syrupy sweetness that comes shining through, followed by woody notes. As it moves in to the second-third, there is more of a toasted almond flavor. Also in the second-third, a creaminess starts to become noticeable. However, the woody notes that were present in the first-third are taking more of a forefront now. There is a hint of nutmeg as well. In the final third, the wood flavor is the most prominent. The burn was a bit wavy, but corrected itself without issue. It also produced a lot of smoke. The ash was a medium gray color and held together amazingly well.
 
The La Gloria Cubana Serie R maduro wrapper is a deep, dark, chocolate brown color. This is definitely a more complex cigar than the natural wrapped cigar. Probably best described more on the side of bold and spicy. This cigar feels firm and has a rugged look to it. The draw is easy on this one. When you first light this cigar up, there is a blast of pepper right from the start. It soon mellows, and an earthy flavor appears. There are notes of leather with hints of spice. Into the second portion there are more hints of brown sugar and pepper. It then transitions to more of a mocha flavor as the pepper starts to fade. As you finish this cigar, there is more of the mocha flavor with hints of cinnamon and the brown sugar than was noticed before. The burn was slow and even. It produced nice clouds of gray colored smoke. The La Gloria Cubana Serie R has lived up to the name it proudly bears.