My wife and I are planning a trip back over to the city of light – Paris, France. She has never been there so I promised her a little vacation for mother’s day, her birthday, and our 5 year wedding anniversary. having been there just last year I went back and read my article on a cigar weekend in Paris, to bring back some memory’s of this beautiful city. As I read over the article I noticed that I was smoking a Gran Habano #3 one morning in a little cafe outside of the Louvre. The sad part is, i never penned the review of it. Well, I took notes and snapped photos, but never published the review.
George Rico and Gran Habano Cigars, my humblest apologies, it is not like me to forget such a fine experience. I remember that morning so well. It is etched in my mind. It was a cool Saturday morning in Paris as I ventured out for a day of site seeing. My first stop was that quaint outdoor cafe around the corner from Louvre. I sat down to enjoy some breakfast as the sun rose and took in the awaking of the Paris.
After breakfast I order another cappuccino and took out the Gran Habano #3 Robusto I brought over from the States. It is actually a stunning looking cigar. The Gran Habano band just pops on the background of the dark brown and marbled wrapper. That wrapper covers a rich blend of Nicaraguan, Mexican, and Costa Rican leaf.
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
- Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
- Filler: Nicaraguan, Mexican, Costa Rica
I settled back in my chair and ran it across the nose and picked up spicy cocoa aroma on the foot and sweet fermented leaf along the shaft. A tasty start to the day for sure. I continued the exam as cut the cap and gave it few cold draws. Lots of red pepper and a touch of earth. It is just getting better.
The Gran Habano #3 is available in 8 different vitolas:
- Churchill 7 x 48
- Pyramid 6 1/8 x 52
- Gran Robusto 6 x 54
- Gran Corona 6 x 44
- Rothchild: 4 1/2 x 50
- Robusto 5 x 52
- Lunch Break 4 1/2 x 40
- Imperiales 6 x 60
Now that I have gone through the preliminaries, let’s see how it performs.
For this review I sampled the Gran Habano #3 Robusto which I received from Gran Habano early in 2016.
Cigar Review Notes
- Lots of pepper to start
- Full body of smoke
- Things settle in after a half-inch of burn as a pleasant buttery note picks up
- Hints of chocolate blend in
- Nice dark grey ash with a decently centered burn cone and a thin char line
- A hint of red wine in the background
- The pepper is still evident on the retrohale
- Spice enters after secondary band along with a spice aroma
- Nut finds its way in the final third
- Solid medium strength
- Total Smoking Time was right around an hour
Overall, the Gran Habano #3 was an outstanding cigar to start the day in here in Paris. The burn was spot on and the flavors, though not overly complex were still palate pleasing. It paired very well with the rich cappuccino I was enjoying. After I finished I started my day of site seeing but that is another story you can read in our Lifesyle/Travel section of Stogie Press.
Gran Habano #3
Great stick!! Goes well with coffee!!
It certainly did Tracy.