La Gloria Cubana Medaille D'Or No 2. June Blind Tasting

[El Presidente]

First 8 only....please count off ;-)

Please e-mail [email protected]

with full addy details.

Cigars will be courier shipped on Wednesday.

[tmos]

Just got mine in today. Nice looking Dalia. Medium Colorado. Oily wrapper. Hmmmm...Rob was just posting about the LGC. I will get to it this weekend on a clean palet and post my tasting notes (and wild ass guess of which Dalia it is) on Monday. The wrapper is nice with a little tooth and the cigar itself has a pleasant aroma. This should be good.

:cool:

[Ken Gargett]

mine looks a bit grey green???

[Mel]

» mine looks a bit grey green???

Dump the crap on the local bloke you know. Sorry for you Ken.

[tmos]

» mine looks a bit grey green???

Well, was it a Dalia? Maybe he gave you a completely different cigar. I didn't know Rob had the Mutant Green Iguana's in though. :-D

[cf2112]

» » mine looks a bit grey green???

Mine too, but it smells nice. I'll let it rest until Monday then post my reveiw.

Thanks again Rob & Lisa

[FuzzyJoe]

Got mine yesterday, will wait till the weekend to smoke.

Thankfully mine isn't a mutant green colour, hehe. Mid-brown, quite oily and feels well constructed (firm and springy to a little squeeze).

Can't wait to light ot up!

[tmos]

I had this last night prior to attending the Cardinals game (what a joke). It clipped clean and lit easily. There was a very distinct flavor right off the bat that I didn't particularly care for. Thankfully for the most part it went away. Burn was absolutely perfect, draw on the firm side. Smoke volume was low.

This was a light bodied, mild cigar with a very grassy profile and short finish that smacked of tea and grass. This was a well constructed cigar that really doesn't match up to my tastes. The grassiness was fairly constant and the cigar never developed any tantalizing complexity. I paired this with an extremely light lager and the two definitely didn't complement each other. My guess is La Gloria Cubana Medaille D'Or No. 2 with a few years on it.

Thank Rob for including me in the tasting. I had fun with it and hope to do it again!

[josie67]

Got mine today. Medium Colorado and slight oiliness. Will try this weekend and make a full report.

[Ken Gargett]

i reckon he gives us all different cigars and then sits there and amuses himself as the reviews come in!

[Tampa1257]

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise..................

I went into work this morning just after the mail man had come and low and behold, there was a package waiting for me, the June Taste Test sample. I was not expecting it, but I will place it in the humidor and let it settle a few days before I smoke and review it.

Thanks Rob and Lise!!!!!!!

Tampa

[FuzzyJoe]

I smoked mine Saturday night, on the veranda at a friends house, whilst the rain was pouring down.

A very well constructed cigar, firm to the touch with just a little give and "springyness". The wrapper was a medium-dark brown, and looked fairly oily.

With the end snipped I proceeded to ignite it. The cigar lit very easily, and the burn was near-perfect. The draw was easy (but not too easy), with large amounts of grey-white smoke.

Unfortunately as fantastic as this cigar is constructed, I can't say that I enjoyed the tastes. There was a flavour that was consistant throughout the whole cigar, which I could best describe as leathery. This was fairly unpleasant, and left a terrible aftertaste. On occasion there was a slight hint of burnt toffee, but it was few and far between, and overshadowed by the "leathery" flavour.

In summary, a well constructed cigar with a flavour I didn't care for.

55/100.

(PS - I have no idea as to what cigar it could be )

[josie67]

I smoked my cigar this afternoon out in the back yard with my wife and a glass of water and a glass of Glenlivet 12 y.o. scotch.

Appearance:

Medium colorado wrapper, light veins, several splits in the wrapper with a tiny tear where the band was removed.

Pre light aroma:

Pleasant "barnyard" aroma.

Pre light draw:

Easy

Flavor profile:

This cigar started off mild with a creamy, slightly grassy profile and a medium finish. It had a clean aftertaste with a hint of sweetness. The second third brought on a more medium bodied tobacco taste, the sweetness was still there, and the grassiness was all but gone. The final third remained much the same as the second third.

Impressions:

One minute into this cigar I was thinking that it was not going to be my style of cigar. I usually like bold, strong cigars with a large ring gauge. As I smoked, I became pleasantly surprised at how much I really liked this cigar. It's not an "in your face cigar", and I thought it was more of a "thinking person's" cigar. Where most of my cigars pretty much shove their flavor down your throat, this one made me sit down and really think about all the different flavors present. The burn was very good with no blistering and no tunneling (I gave it a minir touch up twice). The draw was near perfect, being neither too tight nor too loose. Te ash was a medium gray color. My wife enjoyed it as well, and she thought it was a very pleasant, mild smoke.

Conclusion: I have had my own rating system for a long time, so I used it in rating this cigar.

Construction 1/2

Burn 2/3

Draw 18/20

Flavor 68/75

Final score: 89/100

My guess is a La Gloria Cubana Medaille D'or No 2

Thanks Lise and Rob for allowing me to participate in the tasting. I had a real blast, and I will definitely add some of these smokes to my humidor for those times when I want a milder yet still complex cigar.

[Echeck]

I recieved my cigar on friday, and smoked it tonight. I want to thank Rob and Lisa for giving me the opportunity to smoke this. I accompanied this cigar with a chilled mineral water.

This cigar started off with a grassy mild taste. After a few puffs, I almost thought that I was not going to like it. But after warming up, it had a medium body, with a lot of different flavors. If I had one word to describe this cigar it would be complex. At times I tasted nuts, a light floral taste, a light sweetness, herbal teas, it was hard to pin it down. In the middle for a few puffs, there was a strong fruity sweetness which I really liked.

Im not sure what this cigar was, but I definatly liked it. It is definatly a mid day relaxation type cigar, where you can sit back and enjoy the ride...

I would guess a La Gloria Cubana, as it had similarities to the MDO 4 that I smoked, but I only smoked one of those.

Definatly Reccomended

[cf2112]

Appearance:

Colorado with a Greenish tint to the wrapper, light veins, firm to the touch

Pre light aroma:

not much other than tobacco

Pre light draw:

perfect

Flavor:

This cigar started off mild with a tobacco taste,slightly woody The

second third started out with more medium bodied tobacco taste, with other flavors developing as I smoked it into the final third it was creamier then woody/leathery and finished with a little spice on the tongue

Burned like a champ requiring no touch ups. I rated it 9/10

I enjoyed this cigar (Thanks to Rob & Lisa)

The Dalias I've had are Boli Inmensas,Party & RA 898, LGC Med #2. Not enough Boli or Partagas flavor, not enough spice for the RA, It resembled the LGC the most so that is my guess probably 2001.

Now tell me I'm wrong and have the palate of a billy goat:-D

[Ken Gargett]

Under pressure from the Pres to get this done - was planning to let the throat settle for a bit before launching in but he only has himself to blame. Just when I was almost back to normal he fills me full of bad wine and expensive cigars (I know they were exy - I have the credit card receipts - that doesn't mean they were good) and the throat had a set back.

At the risk of accusations that I am playing the man and not the ball, have been discussing LGC’s with Rob of late so when I saw the poor ragged grey-green thing, I originally thought that no, he’d forsaken them and gone for something whose provenance was more Columbian rainforest than Cuban tobacco fields. But it did fit into my Havana size guide as a dahlia and therefore well for a possible LGC Med 2. And the groundswell on the forum is definitely that - who am I to be out of step.

Forgive and forget the colour. Deceptive. Some early spice and creamy notes. An attractive coffee cream character. There were some slightly harsh notes if one was to be overly critical but it had a lot more positives than negatives. It was mild and elegant but the flavours built in a most attractive way. Some slight earthy tones. Draw good and burn slow and reasonably consistent. Good subtle, thoughtful smoke. One for contemplation rather than scoffing after 75 drinks.

Have to go with the mob - LGC Med 2. Others of this size tried of late - Bolly Immensas, Sig V or Partagas V 8-9-8. Couldn’t see it being any of those at all. So unless Rob has found some new maker with a preference for the good old grey green leaves, LGC Med 2 it is. 89.

[n2advnture]

I will be firing mine up in about 2 minutes for my commute home and posting back shortly.

Thanks again Rob & Lisa!

PS - Sorry I haven't responded sooner, couldn't get logged in over our holiday.

[hagzo]

Can't post a review because i haven't recieved mine - bloody post office!

Hopefully i'll manage to get on a tasting when it's a cohiba but knowing my luck it will be a machine rolled dud.

[n2advnture]

Alrighty...here it is.

I loved the silky smoothness of the wrapper, it reminded me of a VR Farmie (which are my favorites!).

Construction was very good, firm with just a little give. Burn was very good with only 1 touch up at the end of the 1st third.

Flavor-wise, it was VERY mild. Mild twang & mild tobacco flavor. Started out with hints of cream soda flavor (smoke was not creamy). Hints of grass, citrus/ginger (too mild to pick out distinctively), toasted nut and wood danced in and out all the way throughout and became a little harsh in the last third with tiny bit of leather thrown in.

In summation, mild, mild, mild....flavor, twang & tobacco but as I say, there is no bad cigar, just different.

Part of the way through, I got more of a SLR profile with the crips gingery flavor of a Sprite or Ginger Ale.

I would guess LGC Med #2 as well but I will guess a mid 03 as the the complexity wasn't there.

Thanks again Rob & Lisa, can't wait to find out the results.

[pj]

The Novice report

I had the pleasure of lighting this cigar at the World Headquartes of Cigar Czars on Friday night, and was able to enjoy with the President himself, The king of Coffee, and the babbling Ken Gargett who had obviously done a full weeks wine tasting in one day and forgot to spit, he also had an entourage with him in a similar state, so I knew that I was only going to get puffs between Laughs, lets just say there wasn't that many opportunities to puff, however in this environment and with good bottles of Red being unevenly distributed, this Cigar was always going to be good.

To the business at hand; Medium in colour, with an oily apperance, good texture and felt good under the PJ sqeeze test. Before ignition, the cigar showed promise with a rich aroma.

After finding a cutter and asking 8 drunk guys for a lighter 10 times, the president bought out the flame thrower, which I am sure has been responsible for removing many an eyebrow.

On the first puff, the draw was good, and the taste was mild, the cigar was a little bittter to me in taste early on however it did get better towards the end, when it started to show some signs of aging and the early bitterness changing to spicyness.

I wasn't impressed with the burn, I actually had to put my eyebrows in harms way more times than I would of liked, I am happy to say that I still have all three, although the middle one is a little singed.

I thought the gauge was about 46, and overall I didn't mind it, but would not rush to buy, however if The President is giving more away, I would be happy to take some off his hands.

Thank you Rob, Lisa and Smithy for giving me the novice this opportunity. As when ever I have any cigar, its the moment and the friends that make a Cigar memorable, and Friday night at the Humidor was great.

PJ

:-)

[First Lady]

PJ

It has been our pleasure as always and love the review. You never cease to make me laugh

The First Lady

[El Presidente]

Great Review PJ

I was impressed that you were taking notes at the time you were rating the cigar. When I peeked at your notes there were three key points written down:

Cigar

Running out of beer

Ken maggoted

Impressive grasshopper. You will go far in the high flying world of reviews. At this rate you will be writing wine collumns for the Murdoch press by Christmas ;-)

My review.

I have always hated this cigar....and yet the No 1, No 4 and Tainos are among my favourites (The La Gloria Cubana Medaille D'or No 1 being in my top 5).

This cigar has 5 years age on it and yet it still smells and tastes like a haystack. Herbal, vegetal....yes, elements of coffee and cream but reminds me more of an overpriced Davidoff than a light Cuban cigar of quality, complexity and substance. The Juan Lopez No 1 is light in body but exudes charachter and definition, the El Rey Del Mundo Choix Supreme similarly endowed. But this cigar is simply and unequivocably a benchmark to mediocrity. Why bother? Of all the great cigars discontinued: PSS2/RA898V/Partagas Corona Cabs/ they are prepared to maintain a cigar which tastes like rolled up newspaper.

Harsh...probably. However it is only my opinion and I have many clients who do enjoy this cigar. I am just not one of them.

75

La Gloria Cubana Medaille D'or No 2

[habanohal]

» Great Review PJ

»

» I was impressed that you were taking notes at the time you were rating the

» cigar. When I peeked at your notes there were three key points written

» down:

»

» Cigar

» Running out of beer

» Ken maggoted

»

» Impressive grasshopper. You will go far in the high flying world of

» reviews. At this rate you will be writing wine collumns for the Murdoch

» press by Christmas ;-)

»

»

» My review.

»

» I have always hated this cigar....and yet the No 1, No 4 and Tainos are

» among my favourites (The La Gloria Cubana Medaille D'or No 1 being in my

» top 5).

»

» This cigar has 5 years age on it and yet it still smells and tastes like a

» haystack. Herbal, vegetal....yes, elements of coffee and cream but reminds

» me more of an overpriced Davidoff than a light Cuban cigar of quality,

» complexity and substance. The Juan Lopez No 1 is light in body but exudes

» charachter and definition, the El Rey Del Mundo Choix Supreme similarly

» endowed. But this cigar is simply and unequivocably a benchmark to

» mediocrity. Why bother? Of all the great cigars discontinued:

» PSS2/RA898V/Partagas Corona Cabs/ they are prepared to maintain a cigar

» which tastes like rolled up newspaper.

»

» Harsh...probably. However it is only my opinion and I have many clients

» who do enjoy this cigar. I am just not one of them.

»

» 75

»

» La Gloria Cubana Medaille D'or No 2

Nice hearing all the reviews.

But fell a bit weird for I am one of those who find this cigar very pleaseing for an AM cigar, but we all have differant tastes.

Now Rob...can you get your hands on a box of LGC Sabrosos?? :-D :-D

[El Presidente]

Don't feel bad at all !

Hell, it is a subjective tasting. IMHO it would be an OK late morning cigar but would not stand up to a a great Sancho Panza Molinos, Quai Dorsay Imperiales etc.

Remember, I am firmly a believer that certain people are prediposed to certain flavours. All comes back to taste bud counts. I have a real aversion to vegetal/grassy flavours... always have. I can't smoke the average Davidoff or drink Sauvignon Blanc for that reason. It is like fingernails on a blackboard...the noise of the dentist drill...an unopened letter from the tax department

[Ken Gargett]

top review, pj, even if large chunks were complete fiction. my entourage tells me i was not there (are we supposed to do these reviews sober?).

so at least we now know how el pres gets shot of the cigars he doesn't like - the mystery comp or sell them to his mates at inflated prices so they can use them as cigar shaped paperweights. shame. now if you'll excuse me, i'm taking my flu and going to bed till august.