Famous Customer Picks: 5 Best La Gloria Cubana Cigars
So what does it take to be a top-rated La Gloria Cubana cigar? We’ll answer that in a minute. First, here’s a little background on what made them popular in the first place.
A brief history of La Gloria Cubana Cigars
La Gloria Cubana traces its roots back to 1885, but it’s most important milestone would happen nearly a century later. It was 1980. Ernesto Perez-Carrillo inherited his father’s El Credito factory in Miami’s Little Havana. Within a little over a decade, Ernesto was a big part of transforming cigars from a niche hobby for old men into the biggest premium tobacco renaissance in U.S. History – the Cigar Boom.
Yuri Guillen, LGC Operations Manager, inspects a bundle – pic via LGC Instagram
When smokers caught wind of LGC’s blends through a (then) new publication called Cigar Aficionado in 1992, his little company began outselling established brands almost immediately. It transformed La Gloria Cubana from a small boutique brand to one of the largest independently owned cigar companies.
Ernesto sold the brand in 1999 to Swedish Match. Pretty incredible for just seven years. No wonder they call him “Godfather” of the cigar industry.
Today, Yuri Guillen stands at LGC’s helm and continues the company’s legacy of a big tobacco name wearing those same boutique cigar shoes. The brand has earned countless high ratings from just about every publication you can think of – but today, none of them matter. The only cigar reviews on our radar are yours.
How do we pick the top-rated La Gloria Cubana Cigars?
Like our previous entries to our Top-Rated Series (see some more of them below), each cigar must receive at least 10 reviews and maintain a 4.5-star average to qualify. This ensures that you’re getting a wide range of opinions that determine if the cigar is worth your time.
*Note –These ratings are accurate as of date of original publication and may change over time.
Check out some our previous Best-Rated cigar guides:
Tony in ND says: “Smokes as beautiful as it looks.”
Taking top honors as the highest-rated of the list is La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age Robusto. It’s a Famous-exclusive cigar packed with Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos and topped with one of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s favorite wrappers – Ecuador Sumatra. This one’s been given extra fermentation, leading to a dark, Oscuro hue. The blend builds dark flavors to match its looks, adding a sweetness and spice that’ll make your mouth water. If all this dark talk is putting you on the fence, no need to worry. Gilded age is medium-bodied and super approachable.
Ken in FL says: “This puppy will burn for a couple hours, but it’s time well-spent.”
I can’t say I’m surprised at all by seeing La Gloria Cubana Serie R earning second place in Famous’s consumer cigar reviews. Every article will tell you that Wavell won the hearts and minds of smokers in the 90s, but it was the Connecticut Broadleaf-wrapped (or Ecuador Sumatra for natural) Serie R that hyped in the lounges and cigar bars. This No. 7 ‘Churchill’ size is a mammoth 7” x 58…a big-ring cigar that should probably come with its own zip code. You’ll get 2-3 hours depending on how fast you smoke, all with smooth notes of earth, wood, pepper, and spices. Not a bad way to spend half a day!
Robert in NV says: “Excellent price makes it a perfect everyday smoke.”
It seems everyone’s got an ‘Esteli’ cigar. And why wouldn’t they? With Cuba out of the picture stateside, it’s the next best thing. Some (myself included) even say it’s better. Named for Nicaragua’s cigar capitol, La Gloria Cubana Esteli speaks to the contemporary smoker via a Jalapa-grown Nicaraguan wrapper that churns out bold notes of brown sugar, warm spices, oak, coffee, and black pepper. But don’t think that new age flavor comes at the cost of forgetting where they came from. The Esteli blend has just as much boutique magic as anything else they’ve crafted. I’d argue that’s why Famous customers consider La Gloria Cubana Esteli as one of the best cigars on the LGC menu.
Raj in CA says:“Thick, white smoke…Even draw…Tastes fantastic.”
When LGC wanted a Serie R sequel that was both delicious and affordable, they turned to Nicaragua and made their first puro – La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black. Clearly, the fans were impressed. With a potency just a hair north of the Esteli series, Black is among the strongest of La Gloria’s catalog. If you like fiery spices, sweet peppers, earth, and life-affirming retrohales, Serie R Black should be in your humidor. Pair it with a sweet bourbon like Woodford to sand down the edges…or go full bore and smoke it neat. Either way, it’s a damn fine example of what a reasonably-priced cigar should be.
Perry in VA says: “Full flavor, great draw…worth every penny.”
Remember the Wavell I was talking about earlier? La Gloria Cubana Glorias is the same blend. Truth be told, Wavell received a lot more reviews than the Glorias, here, but didn’t make the cut on minimum average rating. And that’s what we love – when consumers topple the big dog reviewers. Like the Gilded Age, this LGC is wrapped in Ecuador Sumatran leaves atop Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos for a punchy flavor that’s rich, lush, and smokes sensibly with a medium body. If you’re looking for the flavor that set the boom ball rolling, there’s no better analog.
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Jared Gulick
Features Editor, Jared Gulick, is a Certified Tobacconist, nerd of all things science, musician and serial abuser of the Oxford comma. He made his way to the Famous Smoke Shop retail store in 2018 and joined the Advisors when it was discovered that he could locate the shift key. Prior to his work in the cigar industry, he was a recording studio engineer, songwriter, and a journalism major at Northampton Community College.
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Taking top honors as the highest-rated of the list is La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age Robusto. It’s a Famous-exclusive cigar packed with Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos and topped with one of Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s favorite wrappers – Ecuador Sumatra. This one’s been given extra fermentation, leading to a dark, Oscuro hue. The blend builds dark flavors to match its looks, adding a sweetness and spice that’ll make your mouth water. If all this dark talk is putting you on the fence, no need to worry. Gilded age is medium-bodied and super approachable.
I can’t say I’m surprised at all by seeing La Gloria Cubana Serie R earning second place in Famous’s consumer cigar reviews. Every article will tell you that Wavell won the hearts and minds of smokers in the 90s, but it was the Connecticut Broadleaf-wrapped (or Ecuador Sumatra for natural) Serie R that hyped in the lounges and cigar bars. This No. 7 ‘Churchill’ size is a mammoth 7” x 58…a big-ring cigar that should probably come with its own zip code. You’ll get 2-3 hours depending on how fast you smoke, all with smooth notes of earth, wood, pepper, and spices. Not a bad way to spend half a day!
It seems everyone’s got an ‘Esteli’ cigar. And why wouldn’t they? With Cuba out of the picture stateside, it’s the next best thing. Some (myself included) even say it’s better. Named for Nicaragua’s cigar capitol, La Gloria Cubana Esteli speaks to the contemporary smoker via a Jalapa-grown Nicaraguan wrapper that churns out bold notes of brown sugar, warm spices, oak, coffee, and black pepper. But don’t think that new age flavor comes at the cost of forgetting where they came from. The Esteli blend has just as much boutique magic as anything else they’ve crafted. I’d argue that’s why Famous customers consider La Gloria Cubana Esteli as one of the best cigars on the LGC menu.
When LGC wanted a Serie R sequel that was both delicious and affordable, they turned to Nicaragua and made their first puro – La Gloria Cubana Serie R Black. Clearly, the fans were impressed. With a potency just a hair north of the Esteli series, Black is among the strongest of La Gloria’s catalog. If you like fiery spices, sweet peppers, earth, and life-affirming retrohales, Serie R Black should be in your humidor. Pair it with a sweet bourbon like Woodford to sand down the edges…or go full bore and smoke it neat. Either way, it’s a damn fine example of what a reasonably-priced cigar should be.
Remember the Wavell I was talking about earlier? La Gloria Cubana Glorias is the same blend. Truth be told, Wavell received a lot more reviews than the Glorias, here, but didn’t make the cut on minimum average rating. And that’s what we love – when consumers topple the big dog reviewers. Like the Gilded Age, this LGC is wrapped in Ecuador Sumatran leaves atop Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos for a punchy flavor that’s rich, lush, and smokes sensibly with a medium body. If you’re looking for the flavor that set the boom ball rolling, there’s no better analog.
