My "Twain" of Thought, Review of La Gloria Cubano – Maduro Figurado (Miami made)

La Gloria Cubano – Maduro Figurado (Miami made)

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My “Twain” of Thought

Last week, my wife informed me that I had yet another school project to do with one of the kids. In this case, my 10-year-old son had to do a presentation and paper on an author (groan!). However, I brightened up when I found out the subject was none other than the famed American author Samuel Langhorne Clemons, a.k.a. Mark Twain. Despite the protests of my wife and son, I lobbied hard (only somewhat in jest) to highlight Twain’s legendary love of cigars. Needless to say, I did not get my way (in this case, I agree with the wife, 10-year-olds are certainly the wrong audience for cigar “content”).

However, thanks to Bullz-Eye, I do have a more adult audience (I assume) for this type of topic. Instead of focusing on Twain’s affiliation with cigars (I can do that some time in the future), I did learn a few new things concerning Mark Twain that are worth a comment. Primarily, I was surprised, but not shocked, to hear that numerous teachers and school systems have banned the teaching of some of his books, including classics like “Huck Finn” and “Tom Sawyer.” Why? Ironically, it’s for one of the things he was most known for in his writing – local color. In particular, his white characters sometimes refer to black people with the “N-word.” Now, I am completely in favor of removing this word from modern English language, but let’s not pretend it did not exist on a mainstream level more than 100 years ago, when Twain lived and penned his books.

I struggle with the notion of completely shutting down the ability to teach one of America’s first world-renowned authors in our schools. Twain’s local color and detailed writing brought his books to life for many American kids and adults. In fact, I would argue that his writings could be used to illustrate and teach the many negatives associated with prejudice.

I tip my hat to my son’s teacher for exposing him and his class about Mark Twain and his many entertaining books. I can’t help but wonder how the great humorist Twain, if he were alive today, would react to this education controversy. Through the cigar smoke in front of his face, I could see him responding to Diane Sawyer (maybe Tom Sawyer’s great, great granddaughter) on some news show with a wry, deadpan, classic, one-liner that might live on in history.

So, lets get smokin'!

Cigar Review:

La Gloria Cubano – Maduro Figurado (Miami made)

Size: Toro
Price: $6 to $7 range

I recently had the opportunity to represent Bullz-Eye on a self-designed tour of Little Havana in Miami. In the coming weeks I’ll have a feature article on that trip, but in the meantime I provide a teaser, as I review a La Gloria Cubano that was hand rolled in El Credito’s factory in Little Havana.

Tobacco blend:

  • Binder: Dominican Republic
  • Filler: Nicaraguan/Dominican

Context

I picked up only one of these at the El Credito retail shop connected to the factory. I was amazed at the variety and quantity of La Gloria Cubano cigars in this storefront. I selected it for its maduro wrapper, tapered torpedo look and the advice of the female tobacconist, pointing me to a medium-bodied smoke vs. a mild or strong. I carefully packed it, knowing that this one was going home to be savored at a later date. After sitting in my humidor for two weeks, I simply could not wait any longer.

Look and feel

This cigar was almost too pretty to smoke. The unique, perfecto-like shaped stick, cloaked in a dark chocolate wrapper, was somewhat exotic`. It was evident that I was holding a very well constructed cigar, but the figurado (a cigar with a unique shape) let me know that it was hand-constructed with care. The cigar’s circumference had a little variation due to its tapered design, but it never seemed to go beyond a 48 Ring Gauge at its largest circumference. The band had the familiar female image of La Gloria Cubano.

Aroma and Taste

Upon flaming it up, there was a sweet, woody flavor that settled into a slightly spicy smoke with a bittersweet moderate finish. The spiciness seemed to dissipate after the first 1/3 of the cigar was finished. It gave way to a more woody/earthy taste, while the nicotine strength went from light/moderate to full strength, too. Interestingly, the finish stayed consistent with the moderate bittersweet, yet earthy, finish.

RATING: 8.9 (on a scale of 1 to 10) – The start to this cigar had some burn problems that were not self-correcting; I had to take the torch and fix it myself. The combination of a breezy day and the almost closed foot of the cigar probably helped cause the unpleasant opening. After fixing, I never had another problem with the burn, so it only cost the cigar a 0.1 penalty. This is a good cigar, but quite honestly, I have had better La Gloria Cubana cigars that were not purchased in Miami.

Keep the comments and recommendations coming – email: cigarreviews@bullz-eye.com

Cigar Quote

"Eating and sleeping are the only activities that should be allowed to interrupt a man's enjoyment of his cigar." – Mark Twain, Famous & Original American Author

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