Gran Habano Corojo Cigar

Corojo is the hardest tobacco to grow from seed to mature tobacco plant. It is a wrapper plagued with low yield, more susceptible to bugs, mold, disease, and has a higher damage rate, but it is one of, if not the best tobaccos used when creating a cigar; it is flavorful, stout, very oily, and gives a cigar a unique body. Corojo originated in Cuba in the mid-1940s and was the only wrapper seed grown in Cuba until 1997 when they switched to various Criollo hybrids that had a higher crop yield, but quality and flavor dropped when they switched seeds, so much so, that Cuba will be returning to the original Corojo. That is quite a testimony for the inherent qualities of Corojo seed. Much of the Corojo grown outside of Cuba is a hybrid Corojo, slightly different, but only slightly; it retains the Corojo seeds’ strengths but its low-yields also. Therefore it is economically difficult to produce Corojo cigars, but Gran Habano has produced an amazing Corojo for a very affordable price. The cigar is typical of those that use Corojo, full-bodied, rich, spicy and complex, but very balanced. This cigar is definitely not for the weak; it features a full-bodied blend of Costa Rican and Nicaraguan filler, with a Costa Rican binder, and a Nicaraguan grown Corojo wrapper. This blend creates a very leathery smoke, with tones of coffee flavors and a tantalizing spice. The Gran Habano Corojo cigar highlights all the qualities of the wonderful leaf called Corojo.

Gran Habano Habano

There are often many misconceptions in the cigar world. One of the most confusing aspects in the realm of cigars is country of origin versus the actual tobacco used in the cigar. In some cases a cigar is produced in a country and does not contain any tobacco from that country. The Gran Habano Habano #3 is a perfect example. Its country of origin, or where the cigars are rolled and packaged, is Honduras, but the cigar itself doesn’t contain an ounce of Honduran tobacco. This aspect of cigar production allows a company to create an exclusive blend with a certain flavor in mind and not limit themselves to in-country tobacco by bringing the highest quality tobacco to their already experienced rollers. Now that tobacco is being grown all throughout the world, the seed hybrids and the tobacco produced from those seeds are getting better and better and allowing for more complex and varied flavors. The Habano #3 is one such cigar with a blend of Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, and Mexican tobaccos as filler, a Nicaraguan binder, and a velvety rich Nicaraguan Criollo wrapper. Flavors of leather abound in this medium-bodied cigar, and there are undertones of cedar spice with a very subtle hint of dark chocolate covered coffee bean on the finish, which gives the cigar a very slight and pleasant sweetness. The Gran Habano Habano #3 line is expertly blended and a perfect example of the innovative and progressive nature of cigar production. That is what is great about the world of cigars, it is not “right” or “wrong” to use in-country or out of country tobacco, the only ultimatum for a cigar to be outstanding is that it must incorporate the highest quality tobaccos for that specific blend, the end result is the same: a great smoke.

Graycliff Chateau Grand Cru

Graycliff Cigar Company began as a single roller in the entranceway to Graycliff’s prestigious restaurant in Nassau, Bahamas.  The very first Graycliff was introduced toward the end of the boom and weathered the storm through the impending decline when the boom crashed.  The reason for this was Graycliff ignored the way of the failing fly by night tobacconists who flooded the market trying to get a share and instead took their time and produced a cigar that real cigar smokers would enjoy.

The major aspect that makes Graycliff cigars so exceptional is the minds responsible for blending all of the various cigars in the Graycliff line.  Those minds belong to Enrico Garzaroli, the owner of Graycliff, his son Paolo Garzaroli, and Avelino Lara, head of cigar operations and their Master Torcedore (Torcedore, in Spanish, means Twister, but we know the word better as roller).  Avelino Lara was once Fidel Castro’s personal roller and he is famous for his creations at the El Laguito Factory outside of Havana, Cuba, where he created blends for Cohiba and the famous Cuban Davidoff cigars.  Since the initial release, Graycliff has expanded into an award-winning cigar company winning the hearts and palates of new smokers and seasoned veterans alike.

  In 2005 Graycliff released Avelino’s newest masterpiece, the Graycliff Chateau Grand Cru, which is full-bodied, having deep flavors of leather and a spicy core; the cigar was noted as one of the best new cigars on the market by aficionados attending the 2005 Retail Tobacco Dealers Association trade show, known by many as simply the RTDA.  Many, including myself, compare this cigar to the premium Pre-Castro Cubans of yesteryear, and with carefully selected and expertly blended tobaccos from Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua, the cigar is very much like those aged Cubans, balanced and rich.