La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Obelisco

The team at La Gloria Cubana has produced a great new series of cigars in the Artesanos, and thanks to my Tobacconist Cullen Burke at Vigilant Smoke Shop in Julio's Liquors, Westborough, Massachusetts, I am able  to review their newest release in the Obelisco.

Size: 5 x 57, taper to 44
Shape: Obelisk
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan
Binder: Connecticut Broad leaf
Strength: Medium to Full

Price: $9 retail

The cigar is one of the more interesting I have smoke in regards to shape.  The obelisk shape is an homage  to the Monument to Heroes of the Restoration in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic, and the cigar is a 57 ring at the foot tapering to a 44 ring at the cap.  To add to the tapered roll, the cigar is also a box press, which gives it even more character.  The pre-light inspection reveals a good wrapper with nice veins, and a consistent feel along the entire length.

Cutting the cap is quick given the small ring gauge, and the foot toasts quickly with my torch.  The draw is smooth with only a little resistance, and the initial flavors are of leather, toasted nut, and a hit of mint that was unexpected.  The first 3rd of the cigar settles quickly into the leather and nut with the mint disappearing, and a distinct stream of cinnamon appears remaining through the entire smoke.  The small ring gauge at the head directs a tight stream of smoke to the pallet, which keeps the strength of the cigar bouncing between medium and full. 

The second 3rd opens up the dominant flavors of the first 3rd, but with additions to the complexity of cocoa and a sweetness on the finish of maple syrup.  The burn is crisp and straight requiring no touch ups or relights, and the cigar produces good amounts of smoke and a very tight ash that needed to be coerced of the cigar at the end of the second 3rd.  As the  final 3rd is entered, the strength builds toward the full range, and the cinnamon begins to build on the tip of the tongue.  The complexity continues through to the end, leaving a strong finish on the pallet.

This is a good cigar for the winter months, taking under an hour from start to finish.  Due to the higher strength of this cigar I would not recommend this to a new smoker, but is more fitting for the seasoned smoker.