La Gloria Cubana Corojo de Oro Toro – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Earlier this year, Forged Cigar Company quietly released a new line under the La Gloria Cubana brand: La Gloria Cubana Corojo de Oro. The name comes from the fact that the binder is a hybrid between Corojo and the fabled Pelo de Oro.

The Corojo de Oro hybrid was made by crossing two Cuban-seed tobaccos, Corojo 97-98 and Pelo de Oro. The leaf was grown and processed in the Mao region of the Dominican Republic. The new varietal was not up to wrapper quality standards, so the company decided to use it as the binder in the blend.

The La Gloria Cubana Corojo de Oro is a sequel of sorts to another La Gloria Cubana project form the prior year which was the La Gloria Cubana Criollo de Oro. In that blend the featured tobacco was a cross between Criollo '98 leaf and Pelo de Oro to create a hybrid varietal known as Criollo de Oro. In that case, the Criollo de Oro leaf was used as the wrapper. That cigar scored an 89 in our blind testing.

The rest of the blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and Brazilian Mata Fina, Dominican Piloto Cubano, and Nicaraguan Ometepe fillers. The cigar comes in just one vitola, a 6 x 50 Toro. The cigars are rolled at the El Credito Cigar Factory, LGC's smaller factory within General Cigar Dominicana in Santiago, Dominican Republic. La Gloria Cubana Corojo de Oro come in boxes of 20 and each cigar has an MSRP of $10.49. Production is limited but exact numbers were not given in a press release.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Corojo de Oro
Filler: Brazil, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
Factory: El Credito Cigar Factory
Blender: Jhonys Diaz
Number of reviewers: 5 – Sean F. (fullermaine) Randy B. (randobush) Angel M. (Angel) Chris M. (Chris)Noah S. (Noah)
Price: $10.49
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: April 2023
Contributed by: General Cigar

Initial Impressions – La Gloria Cubana Corojo de Oro Toro

Appearance: 93

“Dark brown wrapper with a bit of oily sheen. The veins are noticeable but not too large, and there are thigh almost unnoticeable seems with a bit of a rough texture.” –Angel M. (Angel)

Aroma: 93

“A natural and earthy aroma emanates from the wrapper on this stick, mostly barnyard with a little bit of saddle leather and horse blanket mixed in. Scents from the foot are vegetal with an abundance of fresh cut hay.” –Noah S. (Noah)

First Third

Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“So far the cigar is starting off really good in the first third with a nice taste of cocoa, vanilla, and cedar, with a very smooth buttery texture.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“First third light up reveals a so far so good, perfect draw, and a relatively delightful retro-hale. The bellowing mouthfuls of smoke are full of flavors of nougat, baking spice, chicory coffee, savory smoked paprika, and fig with cinnamon. The finish is med-long, with the final flavor of salted butter left on the tongue, and the smokiness of the paprika left in the Ol' nose holes.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Second Third

Flavor: 96
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“While chocolate remains the most prevalent flavor upfront, the cardamom has transitioned to notes that are more akin to baking spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg keeping with the spicy sweet trend. The cedar that was heavy on the finish has given way to hints of graham cracker and peanut shell, leading to a finish that is slightly more salty and bitter but still long and dry with a lingering spice. Not much has changed with regards to the retro that is still astoundingly pleasant and accentuating of all the flavors in the foreground.” –Noah S. (Noah)

“The profile is still led by black pepper, cinnamon, and nougat. Oak drops back slightly and loses its char. The earthy coffee has shifted to more of a dry cocoa. Still getting a hint of anise on the finish, and the occasional burnt marshmallow. Around the midpoint the oak picks back up through the finish.” –Chris M. (Chris)

Final Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“The licorice notes still linger and mix notes of oak.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“Going into the final third, the finish is now just medium & leaving my palate dry. The flavors are dried oak bark, chicory coffee, leather, and waning a bit, however, there is still plenty of flavor to be had. Strength has picked up to a medium+ strong. The retro-hale is now nougat and baking spice with a savory kick.” –Randy B. (randobush)

Overall Impressions – La Gloria Cubana Corojo de Oro Toro

Draw: 99

“Perhaps just a touch on the tight side, the cold draw seems to be nearly spot on and pleasantly sweet, almost fruity. Strangely enough, I'm getting grape vibes.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Burn: 97

“Beyond perfect on the burn. Nice grey-white ash that falls off two-thirds of the way through.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

Construction: 92

“I would say, the construction on the cigar was excellent, it held together nicely with no issues.” –Angel M. (Angel)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 96

“Even though this is a veiny and bumpy cigar, the pleasure was very enjoyable. Great notes of leather, hickory, apple, licorice, and oak. Perfect burn with grey-white ash that falls off by itself. Another cigar I'd look for at my local cigar shop and would want in my humidor.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“I'll start with the second third was my favorite, but I enjoyed the whole cigar. Nice transitions throughout, that kept it flavorful and interesting. The draw was perfection. The burn was admirable. The construction was very nice, and the flavors, along with the retrohale, were outstanding. I'd sure smoke ‘er again.” –Randy B. (randobush)

“This was a wonderful experience. The cigar was right up my alley and perfect for my pallet. The flavors of cocoa, vanilla, cedar, and leather with a nice tobacco sweetness that followed all the way through were delicious. It remained mild to medium from start to finish and I can't wait to find out what this is and add it to my arsenal. The texture with its buttery creaminess and cool temperature we're icing on the cake.” –Angel M. (Angel)

” This one started better than it finished for me. The profile was a bit darker noted than I generally go for, but it was complex enough to keep my interest. The occasional sweetness from the marshmallow provided some good balance to the pepper-heavy front until the end. I won't say it turns into a pepper bomb, but it gets close. I could definitely smoke one again, but it isn't a blend I'd add to my stash.” –Chris M. (Chris)

“In the best of ways, this smoke had a lot going on! Not only did the abundant lineup of flavors balance and complement each other perfectly, they were nothing but pleasant from start to finish. In addition, a handful of transitions kept my palate intrigued and engaged without making me think too much which always adds to my enjoyment. Rounding out a superb experience was a near-perfect draw, trouble-free burn, and a decent nicotine buzz by the very end. Needless to say, this cigar checked off almost all of the boxes for me and I will certainly be seeking it out once it is revealed.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 68

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

La Gloria Cubana Corojo de Oro Toro – Blind Cigar Review