Gran Habano- VL - Pyramid

Size: 6 1/8x52
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Dominican republic
Filler: Costa Rica, Nicaragua
Body: Full
Strength: Medium-Full
Humidor time: 1 Month


I am not a big fan of Gran Habano, I find their cigars to be of average quality, all seem okay but just do not suit me. Yet when I saw the VL in a B&M I was visiting while on vacation I was drawn to them very quickly. I did not know that Gran Habano made a maduro cigar, these are atractive to say the least. The cedar that covers these has the name of the cigar printed in blue on it and the band sports a gorgeous blue in it. One thing about Gran Habano, their bands are really classy. After sitting in my humidor for three weeks, I was going to smoke a different cigar, but I decided to go with this one instead.

When I removed the cedar I was presented with a dark wrapper that looked better then I expected. The stick was firm with no soft spots. I have heard of inconsistencies with the VL, but mine were all well constructed. When I cut the capI I was given a loose draw, this worries me a bit because some cigars that have a loose draw end up losing their smoking abilities. The flavors I picked up before lighting was grass and cocoa. Once the flame was applied, this cigar exploded with lots and lots of thick flavorful, creamy smoke with a pepper background. I cannot explain just how amazed I was that this cigar was a Gran Habano. The smoke was so easy, it was so much that I was taken back by it, the texture was smooth and buttery with honey and nuts mixed in it. There was a lot going on with this cigar, at the start I was hoping the cigar would continue with its outpouring.

The ash on this stick was gray with some dark blotches covering it, a bit flaky but did not fly around the room, it stayed put on the cigar.The burn started out wavy, but it evened out on its own with out any work on my end. The ash held very strong, I have not know a Gran Habano to perform as this did, I was at me local B&M when I smoked this one, so I was stuck using my cell phone's camera to take a picture of the ash, look at this! Check out the burn line too, near perfect.



As I entered the body of the cigar the pepper left to not return, I was happy to know this cigar did not end with the pepper I got at the beginning. In its place caramel took over, doing a great job, the sweetness was just right. Maybe the caramel was the honey I noticed at the start. The cigar was consistent in changing flavors on me, the flavors seem to rotate between each other, never letting me know which one I was going to get next.

This was a fantastic cigar, I nubbed this one down to my fingers, I do not normally smoke a cigar down that far, but this one was deserving of my time and attention. The body on this is full, the strength started out mild but ended up in the medium-full range when I finished. I did get a bit of a buzz from this one, it was euphoric feeling. I recommend this cigar to fans of maduro smokes, better yet, this has to be the best maduro cigar I have ever smoked that was under $6. It is worth more, but I am not going to tell Gran Habano that! This cigar is going on my list of favorites.

Appearance 2- I Liked It
Construction 3- Excellent
Burn 1.5- Almost Perfect
Ash 2- Wow
Flavor 4- Fantastic, flavor is awesome from the beginning to the end with no rough spots, highly recommended
Smoke Profile 2- Perfect, no harsh spots at all, smooth and nice
Aroma 2- Nice and not overpowering, Aromatic, enjoyable fragrance

=16.5 Points!!!

Gurkha Beast

Size: 6.5 x 58
Wrapper: Costa Rican Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Columbia
Body: Full
Strength: Medium


This is a beautiful looking monster. The wrapper is clean and uniform, with light veins surrounding this big gauge stick. This guy has been in my humidor for two months now and I could not wait any longer the light it up.

I am iffy about Gurkha's, I have had some that were okay, and some that were great. In a way they are similar to CAO with their consumers. There are CAO fans that praise and love every cigar they come out with, and the there are those that do not like CAO at all, find all the flaws and chock CAO as a brand that puts more into their marketing than the cigars. I have had CAO's that were great and then had some with ever problem possible; plugs, uneven burn, bad taste, bad construction, you name it. Gurkha's, I think, are viewed the same way. In my case, I have yet to have a bad Gurkha, but I have had some I think were okay and not worth the price. Of course on that end, Gurkha does lead the way in hefty price tags, I like to buy them in samplers and discounts.

Back to the cigar.

The Beast I used for the review had a great easy draw, with good tobacco flavors before lighting. Once touched by the flame this beauty let out an impressive amount of smoke that was creamy and rich. I was surprised when the foot of the cigar split after it was lit about half an inch up the cigar, I am not sure if it was due the the heat or the amount of tobacco was just to much and the wrapper could not hold, but it happened. It did not split any further during the smoke, so it may have even been a bit over humidified or just a fluke.

The first flavors to emerge was a creamy cocoa with some bitterness and pepper. My taste buds enjoyed this start, it was like a dark chocolate flavor mocha. Creamy and smooth.

The ash was solid and white, the contrast of this dark colored cigar with such a white ash really complemented the looks and enjoyment. The burn was a bit uneven, never needing a touch up. It did even out with some moderate rotating.

The bitterness and pepper faded out through the body of the smoke, it returned during the last one and a half inches. In my notes I wrote down that this cigar is creamy over and over, kind of similar to a coffee that has so much creamer in it that it over powers the coffee.

I really enjoyed this cigar, the flavors were tasteful and consistent through out the whole stick. It did not go harsh and gave me copious amounts of thick smoke. The price tag on this cigar is large, if yo can find them at a bargain, then it is worth giving them a try. I have added this cigar to my list of favorites. This is a highly recommended cigar.

Appearance 2- I Liked It
Construction 3- Excellent
Burn 1.5- Even, No Touch up Needed
Ash 2- Wow
Flavor 4- Fantastic, flavor is awesome from the beginning to the end with no rough spots, highly recommended
Smoke Profile 2- Perfect, no harsh spots at all, smooth and nice
Aroma 2- Nice and not overpowering, Aromatic, enjoyable fragrance
=16.5 Points!!!

Joya De Nicaragua - Antano 1970

Size: 6 x 54 Belicoso
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo
Filler: Nicaraguan Habana
Binder: Nicaraguan Habana
Body: Full
Strength: Full

This is a sight to hold, the JDN-Antano 1970 has to be one of the most beautiful cigars out there. As a tribute to Joya De Nicaragua's fame of the 1970s this cigar wants people to remember that this top brands was once the most famous to come out of Nicaragua, almost losing it's fame to war and the lose of the factory. With the call for stronger cigars, JDN has released this beauty. This dark Criollo wrapper cigar boast quality in the looks alone. The veins are over barring and distracting the looks of this stick, the cigar was packed firm with no soft spots. I smoked this cigar at my local cigar lounge during the Boston and Colorado World Series.

The brown wrapper produces a flavorless taste on the tongue before lighting and the contents of the cigar is spicey cocoa. When I took a pre-light draw I was given a loose draw that I expected to be too much for a full body and full strength cigar. I had a bit of a struggle to light this cigar, it took a bit of work to get a nice even burn going around the foot, once lit this stick was non stop to the end. With most cigars I come to expect the first couple of draws to produce a bit of spice and a tad of harshness. What I was greeted with was an instantly smooth cocoa flavored smoke. No harshness, no spice, just creamy and thick.

Into the body of the cigar, the Antano 1970 has a light gray ash that is a bit flaky, but holds firm to the cigar. The burn line was even through the whole smoke, never losing track of it's goal to stay straight. The smoke was interesting, with a loose draw one does not know if they would be presented with too much smoke or not enough, this particular cigar never gave me too much, but at times it was a bit thin. When the smoke was thick it was so flavorful that I wanted more, with the thin smoke it gave me a chance to relax and think about the cigar and contemplate about the flavors it was producing, giving me a chance to pick out the flavors this cigar offered.

With the thickness of the smoke changing I was able to pick up the creamy cocoa and coffee flavors this cigar gave me with touches of cinnamon in the creamy flavor profile. The smoke was never too thin that I was annoyed, it kept me interested during the whole smoke. If it was not for the thin times in the smoke I probably would have smoked this one too fast. Which one should be careful with as this cigar can easily turn on the smoker and knock them off their feet. At times I thought I may have to give in to its strength, but luckily I ate a hardy meal and took my time. I was left with a mild buzz that let me know it can take me out if it wanted too.

This is a perfect after dinner cigar. There is a lot of flavor and strength behind it. I enjoyed this cigar so much I went ahead and purchased more before leaving my local cigar lounge. I am not a huge fan of Nicaraguan puros, I am working my way through Don Pepin Garcia's cigars, but Nicaraguan puros are not stand out favorites of mine. This Antano 1970 on the other hand is in my top favorite cigars. Enjoy this one folks, you will love putting the flame to these cigars!