Marco-Polo
Go Irish Go!
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2008
- Messages
- 724
Cigar: Gran Habano VL
Size: Pyramide, 6.1x52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaragua and Costa Rica
Rolled in Honduras
Executive summary: Good medium-bodied maduro. Interesting citrus note. Only average construction. 7.7/10
Background: Bought a box of 15 for $42 on CBid last winter. These are at the very edge of my "inexpensive cigar review" guidelines, but it's been kicking around my go-to box for a while now and I just felt like taking it out today. Which is a good thing. Man's best friend accompanied me out to the deck and promptly took on his usual supervisory position (asleep under my chair with his head hanging out through the railing).
Appearance: The cigar has a somewhat mottled, dark brown maduro wrapper. Veins are very small and inconspicuous. The band is gorgeous, like the other GH's; double blue, silver and white band, plus a second blue and silver band at the top of the cedar wrap. The cedar's printed with "Gran Habano V.L.", also in silver. The barrel is slighly lumpy but very firm to the touch. It's a very nice looking cigar, marred only by the roughness of the band and asymmetry as the pyramide comes to a point. 8/10
Note: has anyone noticed that the shield on a GH band appears to be bearing the coat of arms of Canada? The colors are wrong, but it's clearly the right devices (3 lions, lion rampant, harp, fleurs de lys, sprig of maple leaves) in the right order. Makes me smile. Moving on...
Taste: Most GH's are powerhouses. The VL is medium-bodied and relatively smooth. Initial impressions are coffee, cocoa, and leather goods, in that order; it's reminiscent of a Don Kiki Brown label at the start (which is to say, good, because I like the Brown Label). At the 1/3 point the flavor gets more earthy and a citrus top note comes out, while the maduro sweetness dissipates. At the 2/3 point, the citrus note increases in volume and becomes more acidic (think lemon juice, not lemonade). The flavor profile is multi dimensional and gains intensity throughout, and would go well in the evening with a strong glass of liquor. Which, unfortunately, is not in the cards for me today. Ashed at the band. 8.5/10
Construction: After my first unlit draw, it was still quite tight and needed another cut further up the taper. The draw was firm where I settled on, but workable, and remains firm throughout. Unlike past VL's, the ash on this one was slightly crumbly - most have very firm ashes.
Burn is uneven and starts to tunnel slightly at the 2/3rds point. I found that the draw made it a little harder to keep lit than usual, although I only need to relight once after putting it down for too long. The downside is that having to draw hard and often keeps the subtler flavors from coming out; I suspect that, with the tunnelling, that the thick wrapper is having some trouble keeping lit, and it burns well after the touch-up. So much better, in fact, that I wonder if the cedar wrap is somehow to blame.
Decent and unremarkable quantity of smoke, and denser than average. Ash is mottled and largely dark gray, with some bands of light gray shining through. 7/10
Time Elapsed: 1 hr 20 mins
Size: Pyramide, 6.1x52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaragua and Costa Rica
Rolled in Honduras
Executive summary: Good medium-bodied maduro. Interesting citrus note. Only average construction. 7.7/10
Background: Bought a box of 15 for $42 on CBid last winter. These are at the very edge of my "inexpensive cigar review" guidelines, but it's been kicking around my go-to box for a while now and I just felt like taking it out today. Which is a good thing. Man's best friend accompanied me out to the deck and promptly took on his usual supervisory position (asleep under my chair with his head hanging out through the railing).
Appearance: The cigar has a somewhat mottled, dark brown maduro wrapper. Veins are very small and inconspicuous. The band is gorgeous, like the other GH's; double blue, silver and white band, plus a second blue and silver band at the top of the cedar wrap. The cedar's printed with "Gran Habano V.L.", also in silver. The barrel is slighly lumpy but very firm to the touch. It's a very nice looking cigar, marred only by the roughness of the band and asymmetry as the pyramide comes to a point. 8/10
Note: has anyone noticed that the shield on a GH band appears to be bearing the coat of arms of Canada? The colors are wrong, but it's clearly the right devices (3 lions, lion rampant, harp, fleurs de lys, sprig of maple leaves) in the right order. Makes me smile. Moving on...
Taste: Most GH's are powerhouses. The VL is medium-bodied and relatively smooth. Initial impressions are coffee, cocoa, and leather goods, in that order; it's reminiscent of a Don Kiki Brown label at the start (which is to say, good, because I like the Brown Label). At the 1/3 point the flavor gets more earthy and a citrus top note comes out, while the maduro sweetness dissipates. At the 2/3 point, the citrus note increases in volume and becomes more acidic (think lemon juice, not lemonade). The flavor profile is multi dimensional and gains intensity throughout, and would go well in the evening with a strong glass of liquor. Which, unfortunately, is not in the cards for me today. Ashed at the band. 8.5/10
Construction: After my first unlit draw, it was still quite tight and needed another cut further up the taper. The draw was firm where I settled on, but workable, and remains firm throughout. Unlike past VL's, the ash on this one was slightly crumbly - most have very firm ashes.
Burn is uneven and starts to tunnel slightly at the 2/3rds point. I found that the draw made it a little harder to keep lit than usual, although I only need to relight once after putting it down for too long. The downside is that having to draw hard and often keeps the subtler flavors from coming out; I suspect that, with the tunnelling, that the thick wrapper is having some trouble keeping lit, and it burns well after the touch-up. So much better, in fact, that I wonder if the cedar wrap is somehow to blame.
Decent and unremarkable quantity of smoke, and denser than average. Ash is mottled and largely dark gray, with some bands of light gray shining through. 7/10
Time Elapsed: 1 hr 20 mins