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Author
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Topshelf14
Very Active Member
Registered: March 2007
Location: Old Hickory, TN
Posts: 505
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Review Date: Tue April 24, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Tasty, well-constructed, great price.
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Cons:
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Wrapper was spotty and the color inconsistent.
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The Gran Habano #3 that I sampled was a solidly constructed cigar with a spotty Colorado wrapper. The cigar had a rich tobacco aroma and the pre-light draw was perfect and gave a spicy taste on the lips. Initial burn was even and gave off billowing clouds of smoke.
My initial impression of this cigar was that it was medium-full bodied with pronounced flavors of nuts and wood. The medium finish left a slight mineral taste on the palate. As I burned through the first half of the cigar I was rewarded with lots of thick, chewy smoke and a solid, light gray ash.
The second half of the cigar introduces more of an earthy flavor with a slight flinty overtone. Draw and burn are still good. Near the 2/3 mark, the cigar starts to develop a hint of bitterness due to some tar buildup. After a quick purge, the original nuttiness returns and the cigar remains rich and flavorful to the last inch.
Overall, the Gran Habano #3 Habano Gran Robusto was a very enjoyable cigar that most smokers will enjoy. While not a pretentious smoke, it was complex and well-balanced enough to hold the attention of more veteran smokers. An added bonus: they can be had for around $3 a stick.
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Joe
Nashville Cigar Club
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bobbyg29
CL's Mad Cigar Scientist
Registered: April 2007
Location: Mesa, AZ
Posts: 1719
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Review Date: Sun July 15, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: $3.00
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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price, lots of smoke, nice wood and pepper flavors
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Cons:
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dry finish, one dimensional and mild, unattractive burn
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Gran Habano Habano #3
Robusto
6” x 54
Habano wrapper, Dominican tobaccos.
ATMOSPHERE: Smoked on a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning paired with coffee and Govt Mule on my iPod.
PRE-SMOKE:
Scent: Cocoa and light spice from wrapper. Tobacco and light wood from the foot.
Appearance: Very smooth, dark chocolate brown wrapper with a nice even cap. Very nice double band.
Feel: Little hard in some spots but not too bad.
Pre-light draw: Slight tingle on the tongue after my punch cut. Light wood (pine) and a little pepper on the draw.
SMOKE:
Taste & Flavor: Mostly wood (oak) with some black pepper. More black pepper when expelled through the nose. I picked up some very mild hints of bitter chocolate about 1/3 of the way in. No other changes.
Strength: Medium verging on mild.
Feeling: Good resistance to chewing and a slight fruity flavor from the wrapper. Large ring gauge was a little uncomfortable to hold in mouth for a long time.
Scent of smoke: TONS of great white smoke..more than enough to play around with and blow smoke rings Smoke had mostly a woody scent with a hint of nuts. I also picked up a mineral odor on a few draws that I couldn’t quite identify.
Heat: None at all.
Draw & Burn: Perfect resistance on draw. Pretty uneven burn and messy burn line (see photo). Went out on me at about the ˝ way point.
Finish: Mild, dry sawdust finish with some pepper tingle on the lips.
OTHER:
Ash: Very unattractive grey black ash that held well.
Duration: Smoked about 2/3 of cigar in 1.5 hrs due to time constraints.
CONCLUSION: A good average cigar, especially at its $3-4 price point, with some nice wood and pepper flavors. Decent construction with lots of smoke and a dry finish. To me this would be a good “yard gar” (i.e., one to smoke when you are doing something else) since the flavors don’t real grab your attention. In the Gran Habano line I much prefer the VL or 3 Siglos.
FINAL RATING: 6/10
Cheers!
Rob
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Contributing Author and Resident "Cigar Science Guy", Team Stogie Fresh
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