The cigar: G.A.R. by George A. Rico Robusto Grande
Nutritional information
Serving size: 5.5x52, somewhere between a robusto and toro
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador corojo
Binder: Ecuador Connecticut
Filler: Nicaragua
Age: about 6 months
The Marketing:
From the manufacturer:
G.A.R. Cigar brand is the cigar created by George A. Rico for the world of cigar smokers that like a bit more flavor than most average cigars displace. If you are ready for a taste that is meaty and full bodied then look no longer. Get a taste and get hooked on G.A.R Cigars by George A. Rico.
http://www.garcigars.com/site/index-2.html#
From CI:
A tasty, powerhouse blend. G.A.R. is a medium to full-bodied, full-flavored treat from George Rico that captures the bold nuances of his earlier creations, including Gran Habano and the top-rated 3 Siglos. Each cigar is carefully hand-crafted using beautiful Ecuadorian Corojo wrappers and a vintage (but robust) mixture of Nicaraguan long-fillers. Construction is top-notch: the cigar is heavy in the hand and boasts a lovely Spanish box-press finish. The smoke is rich with roasted coffee flavors supported by a creamy core of tasty tobacco flavors. Smooth down to the nub, G.A.R. becomes more intense throughout the burn, becoming quite complex and ultimately satisfying.
Prelight: This cigar has milk chocolate brown wrapper with a slight tint of red/orange and a dull gloss. The wrapper is fairly smooth, with minimal veining. With its rounded box press, the stick feels firm and well packed. The band is at the foot, white with G.A.R. in black military stenciling, a stark look.
Burn/construction: The draw is easy and the burn pretty straight, no retouches needed. The ash is a little soft and shaggy. It drops without much of a ligero cone. Despite the easy draw, I got about 75 minutes of smoking out of this cigar.
Flavor: I got floral and cedar notes on the cold draw, and those flavors continue after I put the flame to the foot. It's lightly sweet, cedary, with some cumin but not much pepper. The easy draw delivers lots of smoke, medium in body, soft and creamy. The corojo leaf delivers the prevailing flavor: woody (cedar and oak) and floral, a bit tart, occasionally accompanied by a light sweetness, a hint of maple, a suggestion of ginger. The smoke is dry on the tongue and the finish is clean. I don't find a lot of progression or complexity in the cigar, and it's not nearly as full bodied as I expected (or as advertised).
All in, this is a pleasant, medium-bodied cigar, a nice change when you're looking for something floral, creamy, and lighter. The quality construction and interesting flavors make it worth smoking, and I'm glad I got a five pack, but I don't think I'll pick up a box.
[Reply]
Just smoked one of these and I have to say that I'm impressed.
The dark wrapper is inviting, but the fragrance more so; pre-light, the impressions are of sweet spices and honey.
Upon lighting, the sweetness and the warm spices are right up front. I kept trying to place where I'd experienced this taste before and the answer came around the one-inch mark: it's like a winter ale. All the malty sweetness and the spices; nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel, some pepper in the background; others that I can't make out but I can taste them. Through the nose, that same impression of a strong beer; malt, yeast, a touch of a hoppy burn.
The burn is erratic but it's not all the cigar's fault; there's a front moving through and it is windy tonight. It doesn't help the mood that every cat in the area chose the moment I was out on the patio to come and ALL try to eat out of the same bowl, so the atmosphere was a little tense. I live just south of the airport, too, and it sounded as busy and loud as I've ever heard it.
The ash is very flaky and doesn't help the cigar's cause...nor mine. Just past the halfway point, after several re-lights and enough burn problems to annoy me, I gave up.
Before all that I enjoyed the flavor, but my general impression is that this is a blend that would benefit from sitting for a couple of years; I'd bet that it would age well and round off some of the rough edges.
[Reply]
