Top Ten “Made In The USA” Cigars To Light Up The Fourth of July and Beyond: Part IV
The fourth installment in this series on the best cigars made in the USA showcases two more cigars made in Florida.
One is a cigar that has been around for a long time and is a trusted name.
The other cigar is a newcomer, but has built a solid reputation in a surprisingly short time.
Both of these cigars have very loyal followings — for very good reasons.
Again, take note of the fine print: The order in which cigars are presented in this series does not indicate relative quality or rating. It is not a top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top list. All cigars in this list are quite good, all are quite different, and each one is a #1 cigar in its own way.
The cigar reviews and ratings begin below the fold.
7. La Gloria Cubana Torpedo #1 Maduro
La Gloria Cubana is a cigar brand that seems to have been around forever.
It hasn’t really been forever, but 130 years of life is a testament to the staying power of the brand. This lovely lady has stayed with us through many trends and fads.
That is because La Gloria Cubana cigars are not trendy or faddish.
They are, quite simply, very good cigars.
The brand was created in 1885 in Cuba by the Sociedad Cabañas y Castro, and enjoyed modest success in the early 20th century up to the nationalization of the tobacco industry in Cuba by Fidel Castro. After confiscation of all of the factories, farms — and cigar brands — production of La Gloria Cubana cigars under the new communist regime actually ceased for several years.
The real story of La Gloria Cubana cigars, however, is not centered in Cuba. It is a Miami story, because this is one time that the Cuban version of a cigar takes a definite backseat to the one produced in the United States.
In 1948, in Cuba, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Sr. purchased the El Credito cigar company. He later bought the brand name La Gloria Cubana from the owner of a nearby factory.
Eleven years later, in 1959, Carrillo was not just a cigar factory owner. He was also a senator representing the Pinar del Rio tobacco-growing region. After Castro came to power, the elder Carrillo found himself out of political favor and in danger. After several arrests, he left Cuba and settled in Miami.
Like so many Cuban expatriates, he left everything behind in his native country and had to begin with nothing but his knowledge and determination. He worked at a variety of jobs — he owned a restaurant for a time, and later a popular bar. He worked in a factory making tennis shoes, and then began working as a roller and a supervisor for Tropicana Cigars. Finally, he was in a position to open his own cigar factory, and he re-started El Credito in Miami’s Little Havana district in 1969.
El Credito showed a small profit over the years because of the quality of their cigars. Carrillo started by producing inexpensive short-fillers, mostly for the Cuban population of Miami. He moved into the production of long-filler cigar bundles under the El Rico Habana name when he started selling small quantities of cigars outside of the local area through distributors. The most popular brand he produced, however, was La Gloria Cubana — a brand he had registered in the United States after fleeing Cuba.
The cigar company had a slow but steady growth in these pre-cigar-boom days. The elder Carrillo thought it would become a legacy he would pass on to his son.
Perez-Carrillo’s son, Ernesto Jr., had other ideas.
Fueled by a love of music from an early age, the younger Carrillo had become a prominent local jazz drummer. Seeking a career in music, he left Miami for New York to pursue his dream.
For eight months, he played in New York clubs and worked toward a show business break. Even in New York, however, he couldn’t completely escape from the cigar business: he worked for tobacconist Nat Sherman to earn extra money.
Meanwhile, facing deteriorating health, his father made plans back in Miami to sell the family cigar business.
At the last moment, as the sale papers were about to be signed, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, Jr. told his father that he had changed his mind and wanted to take over the family cigar business after all. Had it not been for that decision, we would probably not be enjoying La Gloria Cubana cigars today.
As he learned more about the cigar business, Ernesto Jr redesigned the band and packaging of the La Gloria Cubana cigar to more closely resemble that of the original Cuban brand. He also redesigned the tobacco blend — and that was crucial to the success the company has enjoyed since then.
“In 1982, I smoked a Davidoff from Cuba that a coworker of mine brought back for me from England,” he said, “and that blend of tobacco simply blew my mind. I said, This is what I want to achieve with La Gloria Cubana. I started experimenting. And it took me years before I was able to come up with what I was looking for in that cigar.
He feels that he succeeded in 1991, and the following year an article appeared in the then-young publication Cigar Aficionado that gave a fantastic rating to La Gloria Cubana cigars and highlighted the Wavell as especially good. Suddenly, everything changed.
“The day that the magazine article came out we were at the RTDA (Retail Tobacco Dealers of America Convention), said Corrillo. “To be frank, when I used to go to those RTDA shows, if I sold 600 cigars, I’d be happy. I remember the times we’d go to RTDA and come back with orders for 400, 500 cigars. When we got rated in that issue, we got orders in one day for 26,000 cigars. In one day. Then, the phone calls into Miami were tremendous.”
Production brought with it some problems as well as rewards. Demand for Corrillo’s cigars was far greater than the available supply, and skilled cigar rollers were getting harder to get, and keep, as more cigar factories opened during the Boom.
Eventually, in 1995, a new factory was established in the Dominican Republic ito meet the demand and the majority of cigar production was transferred there. Then cigar giant Swedish Match (who also own General Cigar), bought El Credito in 1999, keeping Ernesto on to run the operation.
The odds are, if you have smoked a La Gloria Cubana cigar in recent years (or any of the other El Credito lines), it was made outside of the United States. Cigars made at the original Miami location are made totally by hand, Cuban style, and primarily sold in the local market and select outlets. You won’t find them at most online retailers. Production quality in the Dominican-made cigars, which are machine-bunched, was at first not up to the previous Miami factory standards, but Carrillo feels he has corrected that problem in recent years.
I still prefer the cigars made in Miami.
So do a lot of other people, although many will swear that you cannot tell the difference. And while the Robusto-sized Wavell has gotten most of the attention since that original Cigar Aficionado article, all of the cigars produced by Ernesto are excellent. Which one you prefer is going to depend, to a great extent, on the vitola you like best and how much flavor and strength you are looking for in a smoke.
Personally, I think that the larger rings work best with the La Gloria Cubana tobacco blend and deliver the most flavor. I like the Charlemagne (7 1/4 by 54 ring) and I like the Corona Gordal (6 inches by 52 ring), and for those of you who can set aside the time to enjoy them, I recommend that you give them a try. For this Top Ten list, however, I have chosen a cigar that may be the best El Credito has to offer: the La Gloria Cubana No. 1 Torpedo Maduro.
The Miami No. 1 Torpedo is a 6 1/2 inch by 54 ring figurado that is well-made, has a good draw, and an even burn. The Maduro has a dark and oily Ecuadoran wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and a blend of 70% Dominican and 30% NIcaraguan Piloto Cubano tobacco as filler. I think that the flavor and power of Carrillo’s blend reach their peak in this vitola.
I would call it a medium-to-medium-full-bodied, full-flavored cigar. It is incredibly smooth without a hint of bitterness.
There is a taste of sweet cocoa when the cigar first hits your lips. Next comes an initial pepperiness in the first few puffs, along with a very full and rich tobacco flavor. This is then joined by a spicey flavor that persists throughout the smoke, along with notes of semi-sweet chocolate and espresso. The spice intensifies on the finish.
This is not a extremely complex cigar, but it is a very consistent one and very pleasant. Back in 1993, Cigar Aficionado rated the La Gloria Cubana No. 1 Torpedo a 93 and called it “the next best thing to a Montecristo No. 2 Pyramid from Havana.” That may be a bit of an exaggeration today, but it remains a very good cigar.
La Gloria Cubana Maduros seem to do better for me in a slightly drier humidor — I keep them at about 67 relative humidity which helps the burn, flavor and overall performance.
La Gloria Cubanas are quite good — and quite bold — when fresh, but you may find them a bit too harsh for your palate. If so, give them a little rest and they will reward you. Most people find them much better after about three to six months in the humidor. At one year, they are even better. At three years you will not believe how good they are.
These cigars age very well.
The suggested retail of these cigars is US $160.00 per box of 25, or $6.40 each. The current best online price for the Miami La Gloria Cubana No. 1 Torpedo is a tie between Mike’s Cigars and Famous Smoke Shop. Both offer them, as of this writing, for US $106.95 per box of 25 ($4.28 each).
I do not have a current online dealer selling these by the 5 pack, but the full retail price would be $32.00 per fiver. They come up from time to time on CigarBid, but remember unless they specifically say Miami, they were fabricated in the Dominican Republic.
A step down from the Torpedo in flavor intensity, but still quite good, is the La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda. The Wavell is a good cigar, but in my opinion a step down from the Torp in both flavor and strength. Check Mike’s and Famous for these and other Miami La Gloria Cubanas as well.
In these cigars, the Maduro wrapper seems to blend well with the filler and binder, but knocks out the subtle flavors of the blend. In the Natural wrapper, the cigar is more complex, but loses in body. You might want to sample some of each type to see which trade-off you prefer to make.
The La Gloria Cubana is a true classic. If you haven’t tried one — or if you haven’t tried one lately — do yourself a favor and become reacquainted with then.
8. Cabaiguan Belicoso Finos
The Cabaiguan cigars (pronounced kah-bei-GWAHN) are as new as the La Gloria Cubana cigars are old. They are the latest release from Pete Johnson, creator of the Tatuaje cigar line.
(Latest, that is, until the debut of Johnson’s soon-to-be-released Havana VI and Series P. lines that will be more accessible. More on that story soon.)
Where the Tatuaje is reminiscent of a full-bodied, full-flavored, Cuban powerhouse of days gone by, the Cabaiguan is the counterpart of a medium-bodied, full-flavored, sophisticated Habano.
Like the Tatuaje, the Cabaiguan is a creation of master blender Jose “Pepin” Garcia and are rolled at his El Rey de Los Habanos factory in the Little Havana district of Miami. The name Cabaiguan comes from Don Pepin’s hometown in Cuba.
The Cabaiguan has a binder and filler of Nicaraguan tobacco, but Garcia combines it here with an Ecuadoran-grown Connecticut Shade wrapper. The combination is very, very good. The Ecuadoran wrapper has enough flavor that it isn’t overwhelmed by the binder and filler, but instead blends in well and gentles the smoke.
These cigars are rolled Cuban-style, with a beautiful triple cap, and the cigars coming from Don Pepin’s factory look so good you might think that they are illegal.
They are not, fortunately.
Any of the Cabaiguan cigars are good, and all of them are expensive. Because of that fact, and because there is so little difference in price between the available vitolas, I would recommend that you go for what I believe is the top of the line and sample the Cabaiguan Belicoso Finos.
The Belicoso Finos is a 5 1/2 inch by 52 ring figurado. It is a medium-bodied, full-flavored cigar of amazing complexity. If you like sophisticated smokes with subtle flavors…you are going to love the Cabaiguan Belicoso Finos.
This cigar is very earthy, yet very refined at the same time. There are leathery tones, especially at the beginning. It is also incredibly creamy, sweet, and nutty. There is a constant, undefinable spice undertone that ebbs and flows and prevents the Cabaiguan from being a bland or boring smoke. The flavor profile is ideally suited as an afternoon or before-dinner smoke, as is the strength.
This is another very good cigar from Don Pepin Garcia, and completely different from the Tatuaje. What the Cabaiguan and the Tatuaje share, however, is a strong resemblance to two distinct types of excellent pre-embargo Cuban cigars.
Don Pepin has done it again. Pete Johnson has another winner on his hands.
These are not easy cigars to find. Check the retailer map on Pete’s website to find a dealer close to you.
Not many places have them online yet, and the lowest price I have seen them offered at is US $179.95 per box of 24 ($7.50 each) at Tower Pipes and Cigars. However, as I write this Tower is sold out of boxes — but you can buy individual cigars from them for $10.00 each.
Corona Cigar has them by the box for $190.00 (in stock at the moment — $7.92 each), and Two Guys Smoke Shop is selling them for $209.99 per box, and $9.99 each. As you can see, prices on these vary widely because they are in short supply, and word of mouth has made them very much in demand.
Try one. You will see why.
Next: We strike gold in an unlikely spot, and look at the signature edition cigar of a true Master.
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