I did a comparison tasting last night of the two new Flor de Canos.
The Asia Pacific Grandioso and the Gran Bretana Gran Cano.
The Gran Cano at 50 X 141 and the Grandioso at 52 x 135, making the Grandioso very slightly (3.5%) bigger by volume. But really very little difference.
We started with the Gran Cano as we had been hearing that the Grandioso is quite strong and from experience knew that the Gran Cano is mild enough.
From a packaging point of view, the UK one wins. Green ink, green ribbon to pull the first cigar and a papeleta on the box.
The Asian box, by comparison, looks a little "thrown together", but nobody smokes boxes. Anyway, they'll never be side by side on a shop's shelf, or at least "should" never be..
1. Gran Cano
Again (see original http://www.friendsof...howtopic=116357), this started off with a very slight amount of harshness on the nose that went away quickly. Sweetness.
My smoking partner did not enjoy this part of the cigar much, he found paper/cardboard flavours from it, rarely a good thing!
The last one of these I smoked was better, more balanced, than this example.
I still enjoyed it, finding delicate sweet flavours throughout with woodiness towards the finish.
Not as pleasant as the first one I smoked but I have a feeling, if they are given some time to calm down, just a little,it could become an 'ethereal' cigar.
I very much enjoyed my first one and I hope there are more like it.
2. Grandioso
From aroma to inital puffs a much stronger cigar than the Gran Cano.
With this I was getting more harshness on the nose but this is normal for me with a young cigar.
Bigger, bolder flavours in here, sweetness again but with leather. Nice stuff.
Smoking partner was getting white pepper, bold flavours and enjoyed this very much. Certainly, there is more spiciness in this than the UK one.
Very good cigar but still with a couple of edges that could be rounded off.
No burn or draw issues with either cigar.
Result
In this comparison, the Grandioso wins. More pronounced flavours. More importantly, more pleasant ones and more complexity, although oddly, and this is what I took from this "side-by-side", the Grandiso tastes like a younger, bolder version of the Gran Cano.
The flavours from the Grandioso come up and "slap you in the face" but not in a bad way, there's promise.
The Gran Cano is a little more demure.
Who knows what age might do to either, given the strength now of the Grandioso, it's possibly a safer bet.
I think I'll hedge.