La Gloria Cubana Glorias (ER Germany 2015)

While I take issue with many things about Cuba, one thing I have admired is Cubatabaco’s and Habanos S.A..’s seeming specificity when it comes to the naming of cigars. There are defined ranges for the ring gauges and lengths of common cigar vitola names, i.e. coronas, grand coronas, robustos, double robustos, and so on.

Then there are specific names for each vitola, so two robustos with the same ring gauge but with a slight difference in their length would have two distinct names, known as the vitola de galera or factory name. If anything, two cigars with the same vitola de galera might have two different names on the boxes—the cigar name or vitola de salida.

But then there are situations where the cigar’s name—the one that shows up on the box—will have had multiple incarnations, such as the case of the La Gloria Cubana Glorias, which has been used for not one, not two, but three different sizes.

The original Glorias vitola was a 6 3/8 (162mm) x 46 grand corona that predated the Cuban Revolution but which was discontinued in the 1970s, according to CubanCigarWebsite.com. That also means it predates Habanos S.A., which was founded in September 1994.

The Glorias name would return for this Edición Regional release, though the size was different, now a 7 1/10 (180mm) x 54 double pyramid, a double pyramid that is also known as a Rodolfo, as that is its vitola de galera. Then, in October 2022, the Glorias name reappeared as a new exclusive release for La Casa del Habano stores; it is a 6 1/8 (156mm) x 49 grand corona that has the factory name Flechas. It was also the first time that vitola had been used.

As we have documented before, the Edición Regional program debuted in 2005, giving distributors the opportunity to commission exclusive cigars for their area of the world. In the program’s early days, selections were limited to the 17 local and niche brands, that is, none of the more well-known “global brands” such as Cohiba, Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta. In 2019, when Habanos S.A. reorganized its brands, it allowed the Cuaba and San Cristóbal de la Habana brands to be added to the available options. There have also been instances where brands were created for Edición Regional releases, notably the Edmundo Dantes brand for Mexico.

The size selected must currently be in Habanos S.A.’s portfolio but must not be in a brand’s regular production offerings, and a distributor has to commit to purchasing at least 25,000 cigars. Prior to 2012, distributors could commission multiple cigars per year, since that time it has been limited to just one release, though larger distributors have found some workarounds by creating smaller regions within their territories and creating releases for those smaller slices. Additionally, Habanos S.A. needs to accept the proposal for the release and has the ability to reject it.

Just 6,000 boxes of 10 cigars were produced, a total run of 60,000 cigars. While the cigar was part of the 2015 group of Edición Regional releases, it would not debut until November 2016, a delay that is common for such releases. Additionally, while the cigar was initially announced as being released just in Germany, it eventually became available in Austria and Poland, the other two countries serviced by 5th Avenue Products Trading GmbH.

Here’s what I said about the La Gloria Cubana Glorias Edición Regional Alemania 2015 when I reviewed it in April 2017:

For as seemingly unique as the size of the La Gloria Cubana Glorias is, the uniqueness of the flavors fell far short of expectations. Only one sample had any vibrance, and at that the flavors seemed to still be a bit young and unrefined. Tack on burn issues that are consistently problematic in the second half and you have a cigar that is tough to recommend at this point, unless you simply collect Edición Regionals or are willing to rest them for some time. While I would probably have picked up a box of these had I been in Germany when they came out; having smoked three, I’m happy to say that I’ve got that money to spend on other things.

• Cigar Reviewed: La Gloria Cubana Glorias Edición Regional Alemania (2015)
• Country of Origin: Cuba
• Factory: Undisclosed
• Wrapper: Cuba
• Binder: Cuba
• Filler: Cuba
• Length: 7 1/10 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: €19.10 (Box of 10, €191)
• Release Date: November 2016
• Number of Cigars Released: 6,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (60,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

While the double corona is my favorite vitola, this Glorias vitola, a double pyramid, might not be too far behind. Its size isn’t obnoxious, and it suggests that I’ll have a couple of hours over which to enjoy it, presumably—maybe hopefully—without any distraction. The wrapper has a beautiful reddish color to it, reminding me of clay-laden earth. The seam lines are visible, while the veins are some of the smallest I can remember seeing on a Cuban cigar in some time. It’s a firmly rolled cigar, from what I can tell from a few delicate squeezes, and the cigar looks good from a visual inspection. If anything, my only gripe—and it’s not going to be a gripe for long—is that both the bands are loose and easily move around the cigar. The foot has an aroma that is a combination of mandarin orange skin and Cheerios, with a touch of black pepper on the finish. The cold draw is smooth and creamy and also has a touch of the Cheerios flavor and mandarin orange peel sensation, just with inversed intensities from the aroma.

The La Gloria Cubana Glorias Edición Regional Alemania 2015 starts off with a flavor that has touches of cedar, pepper, and cream; a mild flavor sensation that is enjoyable if slightly short of what I would call engaging. Having been sitting in my redux humidor for a little more than seven years, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this definitely tastes like time has mellowed out the flavor. Much like I do after a decent night’s sleep, flavor progresses more slowly, but after the first clump of ash drops off, I get a touch of damp cardboard that leans into the creaminess, while a more pronounced black pepper emerges and makes its way to the retrohales. Speaking of retrohales, they’ve been fairly mild like the flavor. Not long after the one-inch mark, I wonder if I should take a bit more off the head of the cigar so as to get a bit more smoke, but then I remember it is a pirámide for a reason, and the vitola is part of the experience. As the burn line approaches the midway point, I get a bit of oatmeal in the flavor, but still with some pepper that only allows the sensation to go so far. As the cigar approaches the midpoint, I get the sensation of a smoky marshmallow both via the flavor and retrohale, which might well be my favorite sensation thus far. Flavor is medium-minus, body is medium and strength is mild. Construction is fantastic, with no issues.

The second third of the La Gloria Cubana Glorias Edición Regional Alemania 2015 starts with a touch more dampness than the first third offered, an interesting mix of wet wheat bread and vibrant black pepper. From there, the flavor picks up more of a dry wood flavor that quickly usurps the leading role, pushing out the creaminess for a few puffs. It returns around the start of the final third, and with it comes some black pepper that hits both the tongue and the back of the throat. The final third is a return to the greatest hits of the cigar, mixing a bit of creaminess, some pepper, some Cheerios and some woodiness, none of which are particularly distinctive but the sum of which is enjoyable without having to really think about what’s being offered or eliciting the kind of reaction that would come from a truly stellar performance. Flavor is medium, body is medium and strength is mild. Surprisingly, combustion struggles in the second half, but the burn line remains even, the draw remains smooth, and smoke production is good when the cigar is burning. The cigar wraps up after three hours and 10 minutes of smoking time.