The Curivari brand has been selling in the the European Markets but started making some headway in the United States recently in the past year. Supposedly, Curivari has been trying to use non cuban tobacco to make blends that most closely resemble Cuban Brands such as Romeo y Julieta or Hoyo De Monterrey.  It seems that there could be some truth to that as you can tell from the bands such the Gloria De Leon Fuerza which I am reviewing today.

Curivari’s website:

 

The handmade cigar is the epitome of the tobacco culture. In all our cigars, we use only the traditional Cuban cigar making process with authentic Cuban Criollo and Corojo seed grown in Nicaragua.

Curivari cigars are made with 100% Cuban seed Nicaraguan tobacco. We blend for a classic Cuban flavor profile that we enjoy, not with focus on strength, but more looking for flavor and aroma in a right balance. All cigars are finished with a triple cap.

 

The Gloria De Leon is made in 3 different sizes and come in boxes of ten:

Fuerza “4 1/2 x 50″

Dominante “5 1/4 x 54″

Prominente “6 3/4 x 54″

Curivari Gloria De Leon Fuerza

Wrapper:  Cuban seed Nicaraguan

Binder/Filler:  Cuban seed Nicaraguan

Size:  4 1/2 x 50

Vitola:  Petite Robusto

MSRP:  $6.00

Days In Humidor:  30

Smoke Time:  50min

Drink: Water

Location:  Castro’s Back Room

Construction/Appearance:

The wrapper has a beautiful reddish brown color to it with a soft spot or two on the cigar.  It does feel light in my hand and even though it’s a Petite Robusto, I think it is underfilled just a bit.  The triple cap looks like to be of average quality although the veins on the cigar don’t seem to be as noticeable as the average quality of the rolling.  The Gloria De Leon has a spongy feel to it but I do like the overall look of the cigar.  The band compliments the cigar well as it’s simple yet elegant and reminds me of a Romeo y Julieta Band.

Burn/Draw:

The cut across the head was average and not nearly as clean as I would have liked it.  I don’t know if this was because of the head was softer than what I expect on cigars.  The cold draw was loose and I’m hoping it will tighten up.  The burn was even at times though it did need a correction in the second third of the cigar where one side became jagged.  Considering how the cold draw was, I was happy with the draw of the cigar.  It could have been better and the cigar felt hotter in the last third but I just spaced out the inhales to accommodate for that.  The smoke was constant and I’m impressed with the amount of smoke in the petite robusto considering the size.  The ash had a salt and pepper color and lasted about 1/2 inch before falling.  It just looks too fragile for it to stay on any longer than that without babying the cigar.

Flavor/Aroma:

The smell of the wrapper reminds me of oak, cedar and tobacco and the foot is similar but perhaps a little bit more prevalent.  The initial draw was of mild spices with a specific sweetness to it mixed in with cedar.     Only a few minutes into the cigar and I can see how much the aroma contributes to the experience of the cigar as it reminds me of nuts and cocoa.  The first third continues flawlessly with a creamy profile similar to coffee with right amount of floral and honey notes.  This medium bodied cigar has a very good amount of complexity while not overwhelming you with strength.

In the second third I can taste some coffee notes with pepper in the background on a medium finish.  There is plenty of pepper and a bit of cocoa on the retrohales.  I like how well balanced the cigar feels in this part.  There also notes of cedar and earthiness but these are not as dominant.  In the last inch of the cigar, wood and cedar notes are noticeable with strong amounts of pepper though it doesn’t feel as cohesive.

Final Thoughts:

• The Gloria De Leon Fuerza starts off brilliantly with a multitude of flavors via the nose and palate.  The first third was very good and the second part was even more balanced.  I was very much impressed but felt the last third let me down a bit, not by a lot, but just enough to not give it the score I initially intended.
• The cigar might burn a tad too hot in the last inch or so affecting the flavors and draw.  I plan to smoke the larger sizes to see if the flavors are still exquisite while minimizing any issues in the last third.
• The Gloria De Leon Fuerza is a medium to a full medium cigar with high amount of complexity.  I would smoke these just to see if I can taste the other various notes as it’s easy to get lost in the more dominant ones.
• The construction left something to be desired though the appearance was a good selling point for me.  I felt the burn was average and the draw had some issues that may have contributed to the performance of the cigar.
• Regardless of what Curivari intended with this cigar, the Gloria De Leon provides more than enough to the cigar smoker to make this vitola stand on it’s own.  It certainly doesn’t remind me of a Nicaraguan Puro and perhaps one can make some similarities to a cuban but it’s certainly not needed for it to sell.
• This is easily a box worthy purchase not because it’s the best cigar that I’ve ever had or the least expensive but rather it had a very very good flavor profile combined with a very good price per stick.  And since the boxes contain ten cigars, it shouldn’t cost more than $60-$80 for a box.
• This cigar and the other various lines from Curivari are available for purchase from Eric at Castro’s Back Room.  You can reach him at (603) 881-7703.