Newbie Review #1: La Gloria Cubana Wavell
Newbie Review #1: La Gloria Cubana Wavell
This is the first of my “Newbie Reviews”. I haven't smoked a cigar in probably 6 years or more. So my impressions and opinions are that of a totally new cigar smoker. Even though the big Cigar Boom is over there are still a lot of new cigar smokers here on the forum. So while my palette isn't as refined as a long time smoker I hope that my experiences are helpful to other newbies who are in the same boat as me.
So here we go: The La Gloria Cubana Wavell experience.
I stopped by a tiny local cigar shop a couple days ago. And when I say tiny I mean it. The whole store was about 8 feet wide and perhaps 12 feet deep. They had a walk in humidor at one end that was pretty sparse. Jeremy, the tobacconist, said that they had a big week and sold 7 full boxes so they were pretty light on cigars when I went in on Saturday.
However, even though the shop didn't impress me much (no humidors, no lighters, no cutters, hardly any cigars) Jeremy was a really nice guy who didn't make me feel inferior in any way just because I was a newbie cigar smoker. In fact, I felt quite welcome in that little shop. We talked a bit and he suggested the La Gloria Cubana Wavell for me. The Wavell is a 5” x 48 cigar so it's a bit smaller than most that I've seen. This is probably good for a newbie because smoking a big Churchill is a LOT of smoking for someone not use to the experience. Jeremy said that I should be looking for taste profiles of chocolate and nuttiness, particularly pecans.
So I took it home and later that night I had about an hour that I could use to relax and watch the sunset. Since I had a dinner to go to later I didn't drink any scotch or bourbon with the cigar, just fresh bottled water. That actually worked out well because the cold water seems to clear my palette.
Color: The wrapper is light tan with some narrow veins showing. In some places it looked a bit like a patchwork quilt, but I had no problem with it unraveling as I smoked it.
Here's the stats:
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Binder:Nicaraguan
Manufactured in :Dominican Republic by the El Credito factory.
I don't have a cutter so I carefully cut the cigar with a sharp x-acto knife giving me about 1/4” draw hole. Before I lit it the cigar it had a relatively easy draw. There was some resistance but not much. I'd call it an “easy” draw.
It lit easily with a butane lighter. I toasted the foot of the cigar and after a few puffs I had a nice ring of ash going. It burned really evenly through the whole cigar with the exception of a single vein of ash that pulled away from the rest.
Taste: I guess this is what really matters. I thought that it was a mellow cigar. I could detect a hint of the chocolate flavor that Jeremy was talking about. It didn't seem harsh to me at all. It had quite a pleasant taste indeed. I don't think I could taste pecans, but as I said, my palette is not refined at all.
First 3rd: It was a nice mellow smoke. I'm glad this was my first experience coming back to cigars. It had a pleasant smell and taste and wasn't overwhelming at all.
Second 3rd : The chocolate flavor notes were still there. A bit more intense but not overwhelmingly so. I was detecting a slight bitterness on my tongue but only slightly. A sip of cool water cleared that up. There was also a very very light hint of saltiness that I detected more on my lips than on my tongue.
Third 3rd: I smoked it down to about the last inch and a half before I had to get ready for dinner. The flavors became a bit fuller but the slight bitterness I tasted before didn't get any stronger. The saltiness I thought I was tasting earlier seemed to go away. Although the smoke was getting warmer as the cigar got shorter the taste was never harsh.
Ash: The ash was a light gray and I smoked about half of the cigar before it fell off. There was that one odd vein of ash that curled away on it's own.
Overall impression: I had an enjoyable smoke. It was really a pleasant experience throughout the entire cigar. I had a light nicotine buzz that was nothing like the Garo Habano I tried a couple weeks ago and tossed out. I only smoked about half an inch of that cigar and I felt like someone hit me on the forehead with a ball peen hammer. The La Gloria Cubana was just a pleasant, refined smoke that I really enjoyed.
I have a feeling that for a more experienced smoker the flavor of the La Gloria Cubana Wavell might be a bit light or even bland. But for a newbie smoker I think this was a good choice. I enjoyed it and I'd certainly think about buying a 5 pack to have in my humidor.
:smiley41:
