La Gloria Cubana Corona Gorda Natural cigars are made by Ernesto Perez Carrillo, in both the Dominican Republic and Miami. No matter where they are rolled, these cigars are made with a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, and natural Connecticut Ecuadorian wrappers. The Dominican-made Corona Gorda size that I smoked measured six inches long with a ring gauge of 52.
Flavor
The Corona Gorda Natural cigar had a very rich and full tobacco flavor, but was medium in strength and not at all overpowering. At the beginning, the taste of spice was noticeable, but the spicy flavor became more subdued after about fifteen minutes. The rich and somewhat toasty tobacco flavor predominated for the rest of the smoke, and was very delightful down to the last two inches of the cigar. This was not a cigar with a lot of spice, but just enough to make for an enjoyable smoking experience, especially after it really got going.Draw and Construction
The cigar had a good draw and provided an adequate volume of smoke, but the burn was uneven at times, and required several touch up lights. After about 45 minutes, the cigar went out and required a relight. The cigar lasted for about an hour and fifteen minutes, but could have been even more enjoyable than it was, if it had burned more evenly.Value
La Gloria Cubana Corona Gordas can be purchased in boxes of 25 for less than $75, or about $3 per stick. Expect to pay more for single cigars. I occasionally smoked this brand of cigars back in the mid-90's, and still enjoy their unique rich flavor well enough to come back for more. Although I recall that these cigars also had burn issues in the past, their consistently excellent flavor more than compensates for this small inconvenience, especially at their relatively low price. In my opinion, this is one cigar that every cigar smoker should try.
