Flor de Gonzalez 90 Millas Unidos – A Worthy Journey

For those that have met Yadi Gonzalez, you know what a hard-working cigar woman she is. You see her posts on social media constantly and follow her through her travels as she introduces the Flor de Gonzalez  brand to consumers. That is what it takes if you are going to be successful in this business and Yadi knows this well.

Born into the cigar business, Yadi is the President of Flor De Gonzalez cigars and has been the spokesperson for the brand for as long as I have known her. Back in 2016, the company released an interesting extension to their successful 90 miles line. For those that may not be familiar, 90 miles is the distance from Key West, FL to Havana, Cuba. The original line was created to pay homage to the sacrifice of the many Cuban refugees who made the arduous journey to America to escape the Castro repression including the company’s founder, Arnaldo Gonzalez, who made the journey in 1980. Though Arnaldo grew up with tobacco in his veins, he would not see such work until 1993 when he opened a small factory from his home Hialeah, Fla.

The new extension to the line is known as the 90 Millas Unidos and according to Yadi:

“The Unidos was inspired by the changes taking place both in Cuba as well as in the relationship between Cuba and the United States – Unidos is the spanish word for United”

Using that them, the company decried to use a barber pole method fo wrapping the cigar where the two different leafs used int he wrapper signified the two countries, Chiba and the United States.  Today we take a journey with ith the 90 Millas Unidos though not as treacherous as the trio from Havana to Key West in the 1980s.

She added that the barber-pole design of the Unidos is inspired by the changes taking place both in Cuba as well as in the relationship between Cuba and the United States, with the two wrappers symbolic of the two countries.

The Flor de Gonzalez 90 Millas Unidos

As noted, the 90 Millas Unidos is a barber pole style cigar with a blend described as:

• Wrapper – Connecticut shade/Ecuadorian habano maduro
• Binder – Nicaraguan and Dominican
• Filler – Nicaraguan

The Unidos is available in 3 vitolas and packaged in 20-count boxes:

• Robusto (5 x 52)  MSRP $9.65
• Toro (6 x 54)  MSRP  $9.85
• Belicoso (6 1/2 x 54)  MSRP  $10

For this review I sampled the 90 Millas Unidos Toro which I received from Yadi for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.

Pre-Light Examination

The first thing you notice about the Flor de Gonzalez 90 Millas Unidos is the wrapper, that is after you get past the beauty of the band itself. There are two wrapper leafs that intertwine along the cigar and the darker habano is a gleaming maduro. Rich in oily content and provides a perfect contrast to its sister leaf, the Connecticut shade.

The Unidos is finished with simple cap and is packed fairly tight with a nice weight in the hand.

You most likely will notice the bold blue am silver band on this cigar. It is an upgrade from the original 90 Miles offering. It is a nice die cut band that simple states 90 Millas in the center. There is a secondary band under this that uses the same blue and silver motif and declares it as the Unidos.

Running the Unidos across the nose I picked up a sweet and spicy fermented leaf aroma along the barrel and the foot exudes notes of fruit, cocoa and a touch of pepper.

Once the cap is sliced, the cold draw offered a very sweet note on the head along with a peppery sensation. The draw was excellent.

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Cigar Review Notes

• On first light there is a little pepper that tingles the nose and sweetness on the tongue
• Butter notes enter fairly quickly
• Nice light grey ash and thick char line
• Decent smoke volume
• Dry leather after an inch
• Sweetness dances back in
• Coffee bean fills out the first inch plus
• Very smooth smoke at this point
• Ash falls at the end of the first third
• Flat and centered burn cone
• Lots of dryness coming in before the secondary band
• Citrus peel and cedar continue the journey
• Butter climbs back in midway
• Floral aroma
• Peppery spice enters near the final third
• The dark wrapper shows increased oiling
• Burn is a bit hot at the final third
• Finished with a touch of fruity citrus
• Medium plus in strength
• Total Smoking time was around one hour and ten minutes

Overall, the Flor de Gonzalez 90 Millas Unidos was a complex cigar with great transitions and balance. Like most barber pole style cigars it had nuances that shifted in and out throughout the burn. Speaking of burn, the cigar offered no issues throughout the journey. Being a medium plus in strength I would suggest enjoying this in the mid afternoon with a cup of Cuban Coffee to enhance the sweetness and carry you through the day.