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FROM CUBA TO FLORIDA TO NICARAGUA AND BACK |
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 Tasting six blends from the Flor de Gonzalez
Los Angeles, June 22 – Arnaldo Gonzalez was a tobacco grower in Cuba, in a family which had always been around the tobacco business. When he left in 1980, he started on a trek that today is the thriving Flor de Gonzalez cigar empire, headquartered where he started as a cigar maker, in Hialeah, Florida.
Gonzalez started his cigar making business in 1993, and with the Cigar Boom, sales skyrocketed. In 1997, with cigar sales taking a downturn as the Boom ended, he moved his manufacturing efforts to Nicaragua, where they remain today.
The Flor de Gonzalez line has seven blends, plus a new line – Vegas de Nicaragua – introduced last year. We took a taste of some of his best and discovered a superstar value cigar:
Flor de Gonzalez Black Label Reserva Selecta:
[USA: available in 6 sizes]
This is a maduro-wrapped blend using Connecticut Broadleaf for a medium-to-full body with a toasty, slightly spicy aroma.
There’s a creamy taste at the core of this cigar, accented by just a hint of spice on the medium finish. Well made, this cigar burns very slowly and the longer sizes can tire you if you’re looking for bright flavors or spicy highlights.
With an even burn and its creamy character, this is a gentle cigar despite its dark wrapper. There’s a little more spice on the finish of the second half, but it’s never aggressive. If you enjoy a cigar that lasts, with demure flavors, this is a good choice.
Overall grade: B+: Very Good.
Flor de Gonzalez Green & White Label:
[Nicaragua: available in 6 sizes]
The Green & White is a mild-bodied cigar that immediately impresses you with its spicy aroma and easy draw.
The blend features a clear, clean, caramelized flavor that’s quite light, with a medium finish. It’s well made, with a solid ash and an easy draw. It’s consistent right to the end, with an even burn, offering a flavor that perhaps better characterized as creamy than caramel.
In any case, it’s a delight and at suggested retail prices of $3.00 to $3.40 before local tobacco taxes, a fine cigar for a relaxing afternoon.
Overall grade: A: Exceptional.
Flor de Gonzalez Gold Label:
[USA: available in 12 sizes]
This is the original blend conceived by Gonzalez when he opened his shop in Hialeah in 1993. It’s medium-to-full in body and has a toasty, slightly spicy aroma to it.
The flavor is creamy and slightly sweet, but did not offer the highlights we enjoyed in the Green & White Label. This is a very well made cigar, with an easy draw and a fairly long finish.
But its light and reserved nature gives way to more spice and a peppery note in the second half. This is a sophisticated cigar that more experienced smokers may find rewarding and is reasonably priced at a suggested retail of $4.40 to $6.00 (before any tobacco taxes) except for the nine-inch Gigante ($6.80).
Overall grade: B: Good.
Flor de Gonzalez Habanique Reserva Selecta:
[Nicaragua: available in 12 sizes]
This is a medium-bodied blend with a slightly spicy aroma and an easy draw.
The Habanique offers a creamy, slightly sweet taste that remains consistent throughout the cigar. There’s a medium finish and a distinctive character to the taste. It’s very well made and burns easily so that even the larger sizes won’t tire you as you enjoy it.
There’s just a tingle of spice near the end to signal it’s time for another, or that your table should be ready . . .
Overall grade: A-: Excellent.
Flor de Gonzalez Sandwich:
[Nicaragua: available in 5 sizes]
The Sandwich is a mixed-filler cigar which burns like a long-fill. There’s a sweet aroma to this cigar and a medium body. This is a wonderful cigar and a fabulous find at a bargain price.
The flavor is sweet and caramelized right from the start. Well made, it burns easily and maintains a solid ash with rich and bright flavors. There’s a note of spice well into the second half that signals the end of this cigar is near. But at $1.00 to $1.32 each in bundles of 25, who cares? Light up another; add this cigar to your list of remarkable values and with all of the sizes measuring from 7 to 7 1/2 inches in length, it’s a perfect golf cigar.
Overall grade: A: Exceptional.
Vegas de Nicaragua:
[Nicaragua: available in 3 sizes]
The Vegas de Nicaragua was introduced in 2006 featuring an Ecuadorian-grown wrapper. The blend is medium-to-full in body and has a spicy aroma.
The flavor is quite unique, with a spicy taste on the tongue, balanced by a light, caramelized flavor on the medium finish. This balance is attractively maintained well into the second half, when a peppery element enters. However, the cigar is never harsh or aggressive and the balance of tastes is easy to appreciate. Suggested retail prices are quite reasonable and range from $4.40 to $4.80 each for a very nice cigar.
Overall grade: A-: Excellent.
The Flor de Gonzalez line also includes a candela-wrapped edition called Esmeraldas and a Red Label blend with a Habano 2000 wrapper. Those will have to wait for another day; I’m off to enjoy a sandwich . . . followed by a terrific Flor de Gonzalez Sandwich Churchill!
~ Rich Perelman
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