Up for review this week is yet another Bargain level cigar which comes in at less than $3.00 per single (including shipping). That cigar is the Gran Habano #5 Corojo. This particular vitola is the Rothschild and measures in at 4.50 inches long with a 50 ring gauge. Just as the name implies, the wrapper is a Nicaraguan Corojo leaf. The binder is Costa Rican while the filer is a mixture of Costa Rican and Nicaraguan tobacco.
While performing my pre light inspection I found the wrapper to be a consistent medium reddish brown color with an oily sheen. When handled I could feel a few heavy veins that ran the length of the cigar and when pinched the cigar felt hard and packed with tobacco. After a quick snip with my guillotine cutter I had the cap opened up and was getting a smooth draw with flavors of sweet spice.
After a lengthy toasting and lighting process (my lighter was acting up a little) the cigar burned evenly and produced a mouthful of smoke. The body kicks things off in the medium range while the finish is heavy and coats the mouth with a thick texture. The base flavor was made up of a sweet spice with a mild almond aftertaste. The spice was a little rough and tickled the back of my throat for the first few minutes before settling down. The burn line was even and produced a firm and compacted dark ash.
As I continued to puff away, I reached the second third of my Gran Habano #5. At this point the body was creeping a little further into the medium spectrum and was beginning to mildly irritate the back of my throat. The finish remained heavy and left me with a thick feeling on the walls of my mouth. The base flavors remained predominately a sweet spice with a fading mild almond aftertaste. The burn was beginning to run off a little at this point but was well within reason. The burn rate was slow and produced a generous volume of smoke with each puff.
As I made my way to the final third the finicky burn was straightening itself out. The ash remained firm and dark in color while the burn remained slow. The resting smoke was light and produced a medium aroma that I found appealing. The body peaked at medium to full while the finish got liter and left less of a coating on the walls of my mouth. The base flavor turned more to a natural tobacco flavor while the sweet spiciness that I enjoyed began to fade. The almond aftertaste completely faded and left me with a feeling that I wanted a little more form the cigar.
Overall I think that this cigar was average in most categories. I’ll be smoking more of these in the future but not nearly as often as some of the other bargain priced cigars I’ve reviewed this year.
Nice review Walt. I have the robusto size sitting in my humidor. I’m almost scared to try it from all the reviews I read about it. Everything I’ve read says it’s a powerful smoke. I’m thinking about lighting it up after gorging myself at Thanksgiving dinner.
Another kick ass review Walt. I just tried the Gran Habano Connecticut #1 last night and I enjoyed it. After watching this review I am really interested in trying the Corojo. Once again thanks to you and Jerry for all that you do.
I’ve had one sitting in my humidor for a couple months, but haven’t tried it yet. The last time I tried them GH’s I wasn’t real impressed with them, but that was a couple years ago.
Nice one Walt! What kills me is I had planned to review another in the Gran Habano line for my next review! I guess I’ll have to put that off for a week. (Grumble, grumble…)
This has been a favorite cigar of mine for a while, but I’ve run into a string of bad luck with it recently. I had a lot of tar build up in the churchills I’ve been smoking. But when it’s on, it’s great, and it’s hard to beat the price! I recommend people give it a shot.
Great selection for the intro music, by the way, I just picked up that Reel Big Fish album. Good stuff!
these are a staple in my humidor. they have an aroma and taste that is unlike any other cigar i have tried. they are really well constructed and have a great price too. i have been smoking these for a couple of months and i think the world of gran habano. no other brand has such a distinct taste and build.
it’s that Costa Rican Zwang! LOL
Great review and since I’m getting ready to order a couple of boxes, I’m excited to read this. I appreciate the timeliness of this review…like most others…because now I feel compelled to order some and give them a shot 🙂
What program do you use to produce your videos? I really appreciate the reviews and valuable information provided by your website.
Glenn,
Nothing special, just windows movie maker on Vista.
I wouldn’t ever use “average” to describe this cigar because it is rather unusual all around. A favorite of mine, but one’s mileage will vary.
Smoked the robusto tonight. It had spent the last 30 days or so in the humidor and I brought it home from a walk-in humi at the local shop. Had a lot of burn issues that needed retouching and it kept wanting to go out between draws. Maybe just an ‘off’ stick, but I’ll wait awhile before trying another. It required too much attention for the payoff