La Gloria Cubana Serie R Maduro #5

La Gloria Cubana Serie R #5 is a full-bodied smoke of exquisite quality made in Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic. Crafted by Ernesto Carillo, the Serie R is a richer, spicier, fuller-bodied version of the regular La Gloria Cubana line. In fact, when it debuted in 1999, it helped kick start the trend towards full-bodied cigars. The cigar offers a delicious balance of Brazilian, Dominican, Mexican, and Nicaraguan fillers cloaked in a Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. The Serie R Maduro offers ample complexity and flavor, and has had a well-deserved great reputation. The aroma is intoxicating; the flavor profile is rich and creamy with distinct notes of cedar. The big, creamy clouds of smoke are a treat as is the long and lingering sweet maduro finish. The Serie R Maduro is a superior full-bodied cigar with ample complexity and flavor. Consider pairing this one with a Tawny Port.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.