Cigars for the Recession: Gran Habano, 3 Siglos

Robusto, 5" x 52 ring gauge, $1.67
I purchased this 3 Siglos robusto as part of a Gran Habano flight sampler last autumn and the price was truly remarkable--12 sticks (3 each of 4 varieties) for $20, or $1.67 per stick. The Gran Habano website describes the 3 Siglos as a full-bodied Triple Ligero blend with filler from Colombia, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, a Nicaraguan Habano binder, and a Nicaraguan shade-grown Corojo wrapper.

The aroma from the body was sweet tobacco with a little barnyard; from the foot the aroma is very faint, but by being patient, I could detect some notes of chocolate. The cigar seemed to be well-made and very attractive unless you looked too closely; that's when you will see hints of its bargain nature in the wrapper: small blemishes, stretches, jagged trim lines, etc. The point, though, is that you do have to look hard to see this.

Construction and draw seemed very good as I lit up the 3 Siglos. There was some pepper initially along with leather and sweet tobacco. A very nice flavor although I would hesitate to say "full-flavored." The smoke was fairly thick and oily and had a relatively long finish, so it could probably be classified as "full-bodied," but just barely so. By the time the first third ended, the pepper had diminished to just a few occasional notes; the leathery flavor had continued, however, and there was sweetness, almost a fruitness, present as well. The second third was much the same.

And the last third did not change much, either. In all, this is a very good-tasting cigar that lacks much in the way of complexity. It is fairly full-bodied and has a decent amount of strength, though, which is fairly unusual in a bargain stick. The problem I have with it is "where does it fit?" It is too good to be a "lawn-mowing cigar" and stronger than I prefer in an early-morning smoke. This leaves it in a place where it would compete with other medium-to-full bodied smokes that might cost just a little more, but exhibit a wider range of pleasing characteristics (Benchmade or Padron regular series, for example). It's a good stick, but I have trouble seeing a time of the day when it would be something I would gravitate toward.

Grade: B