Gran Habano VL Maduro

Upon their initial release in 2003, the whole Gran Habano line was touted as one of the best new releases of that year, and since then they have continued to impress smokers with their full but balanced flavors and excellent prices.  The most recent cigar to join the Gran Habano line is the Gran Habano VL Maduro.  The VL stands for very limited due to restricted production of only 250,000 cigars.  STC, the company that makes Gran Habano, limited the production of this cigar because of the particular tobacco and extra time taken to age those tobaccos which are used in the creation of the VL.  Specially blended by Guillermo Rico, STC’s cigar master, Gran Habano VL’s filler is combination of Costa Rican and Cuban-Seed tobaccos grown in rich Nicaraguan soil, a Dominican binder surrounds the filler, and the cigar is wrapped in an oily, dark Nicaraguan Corojo aged five years.  The extra age on the wrapper is apparent; it is almost as dark as the black soil it is grown in, and while the flavors are deep and rich, the cigar remains medium-bodied and smooth throughout.  The smoke is moist and the finish is long; flavors of earth and black coffee abound with a subtle hint of licorice and some spice is present when the cigar is rolled through the palate.  The Gran Habano VL Maduro is an amazing addition to the Gran Habano line and if you’re already familiar with Gran Habano cigars you will love this one also; if you haven’t tried Gran Habano cigars yet, the VL Maduro gives an outstanding introduction.