La Gloria Cubana Glorias RE 5ta Avenida TOS AGO 16 (XNYRC)

[Guest Nekhyludov]

I was lucky enough to grab a few singles of the Glorias thanks to a BOTL abroad. They were really just an impulse buy, but when they arrived I couldn't have been happier. The vitola is one that I have little experience with - a Gran Pyrimide, 7" by 54 ring gauge, with a sharply tapered head. 

Appearance and Aroma: gorgeous on both accounts. The wrapper is perfect - tawny colorado with a silky texture and a light sheen. The aroma is leather, woody, and sour.

Cut and Light: cuts firmly and crisply, and ignites readily. Once lit, the draw is perfectly firm, and the burn is dead even, producing a gray stack of nickels ash.

First Third: the first draws of the Glorias are promising but unremarkable. Notes of fresh, bright cedar and clean tobacco. A bit of white pepper on the retrohale. After about half an inch though, the LGC DNA unfolds. Fresh, sour fruit and Cuban twang. Both of which are deep and rich.

Second Third: not much in the way of new flavors, but an appreciable deepening of the fruit and twang. The wood note takes on more of a pine nuts aspect, and the white pepper migrated to the palate, just around the edges.

Final Third: some of the sweetness dissipates, leaving behind a variety of darker wood notes. The pepper picks up some intensity. The smoke remains cool past the primary band, but takes on some mongrel as it approaches the long taper.

By the end, I'm strongly reminded of the LGC Orgullosos that I dipped into about a year ago. Those were barely three months from the rolling table but displayed many of the same characteristics as the Glorias. If those evolve on the same track as these over the next three years, I'll be extremely happy to have bought a couple of boxes.

Final Score: 95

[BuzzArd]

I have one Glorious box and two singles remaining....   They have been very good so far. 
thanks for the review!!

[westg]

Nice review ?

[Habana Mike]

Also have enjoyed these. Luckily picked up a couple of boxes on release. Came out same time as the Tesoros, went deeper on those and would switch the ratio in retrospect