Gran Habano 2010 -Grand Indeed

Recently I was looking through the humidor without real purpose.  Sometimes when I go to the humidor I am looking for a particular cigar, or a particular size or strength.  For some reason I seemed to just be staring aimlessly at the box wondering what to smoke.  And the Gran Reserva caught my eye.  Perhaps it was the packaging, not really sure.  But, not knowing what to expect, and being brave, I gave it a shot.  Speaking of brave, I have a 4 pack of cigars made in China.  If anyone is interested in being a guest reviewer…

When I first look at this cigar it is interesting.  It is wrapped in a cedar spill.  Removing the spill yields a cedar smell.  Surprise!  The cigar underneath is veiny and very oily.  It punched and lit without problem and produced light smoke.

The draw of the cigar is open and easy.  It produces a nice dark grey ash that is speckled with black.  But, as it burns it tends towards unevenness.  Surprising it evens out and then goes astray again.  This is repeated three times during an otherwise ok burn.  Not ideal in any sense, but only bothersome as it doesn’t conform that what you might hope for.

This is a strong cigar.  It is definitely a full bodies, ‘dinner’ cigar.  It has a strong, long aftertaste and is very sharp.  The first hints are cedar, of course, and an earthy flavor.  As the cigar smokes the cedar diminishes to be replaced by pepper and other spice.  Towards the end I’m thinking that it should be measured in Scovil units like they measure chilies.  IF you are in the mood for a strong spicy cigar this will not disappoint.

At around $6 apiece there is a lot of value here.  And this cigar scores well because of that.  If I were looking for a stick for someone who liked a challenge flavor wise this would be a good choice.  But, beginner beware.  If this is your first ever cigar, you may never smoke again.