La Gloria Cubana

Once, to experience "The Glory of Cuba," you had to live in or travel to Little Havana where people would line up for hours waiting to taste a cigar that was a phenomenon. Now La Gloria Cubana is a favorite of cigar smokers everywhere. The brand, popularized by Ernesto Perez-Carillo, was actually started by his father while, as a young adult, Ernesto traveled the world making a living as a jazz musician. Ultimately the family business beckoned and he returned home to Miami to embrace his heritage. In 1997, Ernesto teamed up with General Cigar and moved La Cubana's primary production from the Miami factory to the Dominican Republic. The move nearly quintupled their production capabilities and helped keep up with the swelling demand. (Only a handful of cigars are still produced in the Miami factory and primarily for the local market.) When it comes to medium-bodied, well-constructed cigars, La Gloria Cubana has a great reputation .A composition worthy of a jazz artist, the cigar offers a delicious balance of Brazilian, Dominican, Mexican, and Nicaraguan filler in a beautifully aged Ecuadorian wrapper. The cigar lights nicely, the draw is good and the burn even. Look for a smooth, medium-bodied, mellow spice flavor that settles in after the first third to a fuller-bodied smoke with hints of coffee on the finish. La Gloria maintains its exceptional smoothness throughout. The smoke has scored as high as '91' in Cigar Aficionado blind taste tests. Great with Irish coffee or a full-flavored whiskey.