La Flor de Cano, Gran Cano UK RE

[tommggeorge]

Received on Xmas day 2013 from my Dad...

Is it just me or does anyone else feel a hint of the naughty schoolboy when receiving cigars from a parent? Despite being a fully grown adult I cant help but be reminded of my days hiding in the garage trying not to wake the rents up whilst smoking with my mates. Admittedly it wasn't normally cigars we were smoking back then but the pleasure is a similar one.

Construction on these is absolutely superb. They look like theyve been cast from a block of chocolate. Nearly zero veins and a beautiful oily sheen gets my mouth watering. A quick punch and we're ready to go. Others here have noted a draw just slightly on the loose side of perfect and mine is no different. I've just got back from the pub after catching up with an old friend (one of the crew from the garage when we were 16 in fact) so I completely forget to think about any cold draw notes and we're straight in to the first third...

This is an easy call. Mild as mild can be. The smoke is voluminous and has a lovely mouthfeel. Light notes of wood and very milky coffee float around but I cant help feel a little disappointed. I like a mild cigar, I really do. Mild and complex can be incredible. But this is 'light' which I find less exciting. I liken it to listening to music. You can listen to Joni Mitchell or Metallica. Both have their merits. I can listen to Metallica at low volume (Bolivar Lonsdale 2000) or high volume (Bolivar Belicoso Finos 2009) and on occasion I can enjoy Joni Mitchell. High volume (vintage Trinidad Fundadore) or even low volume (1991 SLR Lonsdale from JJ Fox). This though, is Natalie Imbruglia. At low volume. Not a good thing. Very briefly I catch a whiff of something more herbal, more green. For a second I'm back in the garage again and then its' gone : )

Browsing the forum and enjoying a beer I find myself well into the second third before I'm paying attention to the cigar. I think it was Ryan who described the flavours as toffee and chocolate and I get exactly the same. A touch of salt on the lips too and its benefited from an increase in volume. The dial on the stereo is inching up and chocolate eclairs spring to mind. Not the proper French ones but the cheap Cadbury's chocolates you ate as a kid (perhaps this is a British thing - not sure how many of the international readers have tried these). Someone's taken Natalie Imbruglia off and we're into something acceptable. Mild, but decent. Jeff Buckley's playing. Its still below medium but complexity and depth are emerging.

As the cigar meanders into the final third I find myself enjoying it more and more. Rarely have I had a cigar play out in this fashion. The flavours have started melding into chocolate biscuits, raisins and almonds. The guy choosing the music is pulling out all the stops. Suddenly we're on Pearl Jam. But not on the stereo. The're playing in the front room. Acoustic set. From an indifferent start I find myself loving it. In fact, for about 2/3 of an inch this is a 98 point cigar. Gone is any idea of lightness and there are just crescendos of flavour with the perfect balance of strength to back them up. I look down at the cigar and know that there can only be 10-15 of these magic puffs and we'll be heading towards the nub. But god this is good. One of those times that reminds you just why you spend so much time, cash and effort seeking out that perfect smoke. If the rest of it had been this good I wouldnt be writing this review. I'd be filling out a credit card application to buy 5 boxes.

Conclusions: All in all. Quite an unusual experience. I've rarely felt so differently about two ends of a stick. And if I have, I've loved the start and been turned off by the end. This is just the opposite. Not really sure what to make of it. I'm not going to be buying a box. But I'm certainly interested in another single. And I'm certainly looking forward to the 5 Grandiosos I've got stashed away. Consensus seems to be that the Grandiosos have a similar profile with a greater intensity than the Gran Cano's. If theyre approaching the final third of this one, my wallet should be worried.

As always, have a great weekend,

Tom

[cottierm]

Nice review Tom, thanks!

[Stanislaw]

Great review! Seeing the, "received from my dad" comment at the beginning hit home and drew me in for the rest... Nice word smithing indeed....

[tmac77]

Nice review Tom. I had the good fortune of being at a tasting of this cigar in Havana with Rob Fox, Nino and a number of other FOH members last November. A most excellent cigar.

[tommggeorge]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Always nice to know someone enjoys my humble ramblings.

[finecigar]

Love the way you wrote that! Thanks for sharing this Tom. I also found this cigar quite mild, but it's not too bad!

[nikonNUT]

Great review. As I ponder and search for the next cigar to sample information like this is invaluable. Thank you!

[choporoz]

Thanks for the review! Been looking forward to trying these. The 2010 short rob UK LFdC was one of my all time favorites. One of the few cigars I could still taste (and savor) for many hours after it was ashed.