Cigar Info
La Gloria Cubana released a new, regular production cigar around the middle of last year: La Gloria Cubana Serie S. The blend uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper (a first for the brand), Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan & Dominican fillers.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
La Gloria Cubana Serie S is rolled at the El Credito Cigar Factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic and comes in three sizes: Robusto Gordo 5.5” x 56 MSRP $7.99, Gigante 6 “ x 60 MSRP $8.49, and Presidente 7” x 56 MSRP $8.99. The cigars are presented in black cabinet-style boxes that each contain 24 cigars. La Gloria Cubana is distributed by Forged Cigar Company.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Double Robusto
Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 56
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
Factory: General Cigar Dominicana
Blender: Jhonys Diaz
Number of reviewers: 5 – Sean F. (fullermaine) Randy B. (randobush) Chris M. (Chris) Noah S. (Noah) Angel M. (Angel)
Price: $7.99
Age: 5 Months
Release Date: August 2022
Contributed by: General Cigar
Initial Impressions – La Gloria Cubana Serie S Robusto Gordo
Appearance: 93
“Nice milk chocolate colored wrapper with pronounced veins, tight visible seams, and a nice oily sheen. The cigar appears to have a large double cap and overall is aesthetically pleasing.” –Angel M. (Angel)
Aroma: 89
“The aroma on the body and foot of this cigar is subtle, sweet and pleasant with notes of natural sweet tobacco, molasses and hints of chocolate.” –Noah S. (Noah)
First Third
Flavor: 93
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Sweet pastry shell, creamy coffee, and nougat lead the profile, with a light cedar in the background. A slight hay/grassy note joins passing the half-inch point, taking the sweetness down just a bit. A slight lemon rind citric note on the finish creeping up on the second third.” –Chris M. (Chris)
“The pre-light draw seems to have the perfect amount of resistance and provides a buttery spice on the palate prior to light up. Baking spices dominate at first light, a hint of citrus zest, hay, and cedar, mellows out the salty savory-ness trying to break through. While the draw and smoke output is excellent, the finish is relatively short-lived in between draws. The retrohale is pleasant enough but has a slight metallic zing with a touch of chalk powder, but still, it’s pleasant enough.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Second Third
Flavor: 95
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“In the second third, the flavors remained fairly the same with baking spice, oak, and cashew. However, there was an addition of coffee which stepped in and became the front-runner. The smoke still remains nice and creamy and cool in temperature. Still mild to medium in strength and body.” –Angel M. (Angel)
“Only a very slight transition has taken place upon entering the second third. The bitterness that had previously dominated the foreground has waned a bit as cherry notes join the cedar and chicory which is making for a nice tangy bite on the tongue. Notes of cherry and anise on the retro continue to be the balancing factor with this smoke. I typically retro often but I am finding myself retrohaling on almost every puff as it is just that enjoyable.” –Noah S. (Noah)
Final Third
Flavor: 96
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Black pepper notes are still coming through and mixing with black licorice notes.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“Going into the final third, this cigar is fairly different from the first third. With most of the baking spice gone now, cedar has come to the forefront, followed by paprika, salted butter, and chicory. There is savory smoked hickory now, and just a very wee bit of the orange zest remaining. Towards the end, white pepper comes to the forefront and a slightly bitter strong coffee flavor shows up.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Overall Impressions – La Gloria Cubana Serie S Robusto Gordo
Draw: 95
“I straight-cut the cap and ended up with the resistance being a little snug. That’s almost right where I like it. It tightens up slightly after the light-up. The smoke output is still pretty big.” –Chris M. (Chris)
Burn: 97
“Razor sharp burn from beginning to end, with zero touch-ups or relights needed.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Construction: 93
“Excellent construction, the cigar held together very nicely. The ash held on, and I had to tap it off after each third. Felt good in the hand with a nice firm pack.” –Angel M. (Angel)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 96
“Another perfect cigar. Perfect draw, construction, and burn. Oatmeal notes to start. Black pepper notes throughout. The black pepper notes blend with notes of hickory, maple, and black licorice. Great cigar to sit and chill with. Grab a few sticks or box when the opportunity presents itself.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)
“First this cigar was a joy to smoke. It had noticeable transitions in each third that entertained the palate from start to finish. The draw was perfect, the smoke output satisfying, the burn was razor sharp, and the ash… well it never fell. Tapped it at 4.5″.” –Randy B. (randobush)
“Though this started out fairly well, it kind of floundered for me in the middle. The final third did pick back up, but never hit quite like the beginning. Though I didn’t have to touch it up, it’s a constantly worrisome-looking burn. I’d definitely smoke another one if it were gifted to me, but I wouldn’t hunt one down.” –Chris M. (Chris)
“All in all this was a pleasant smoke with an oddly intriguing blend of flavors that complemented and balanced each other well. The transitions were slight and subtle but the richness of flavor kept things just interesting enough to keep my palate entertained. Even though the problems I encountered with the wrapper proved to be relatively minor as they did not affect the burn, construction issues always detract from the overall smoking experience for me. I would love to give this stick a second shot in hopes that these issues were just a fluke.” –Noah S. (Noah)
“Overall this turned out to be an exceptional cigar. The flavors did not transition much with the exception of the coffee that came and went and came back. The creaminess of the smoke and the temperature made for an extremely enjoyable cigar. The strength and body never climbed any higher than mild to medium, but once again, with the smoke texture of the cigar, it made for an overall very enjoyable experience.” –Angel M. (Angel)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 91
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Sean F. | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Randy B. | 95 | 92 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 95 |
| Chris M. | 88 | 85 | 90 | 85 | 88 | 93 | 85 | 88 | 85 |
| Noah S. | 85 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 85 | 93 |
| Angel M. | 95 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 95 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.