Toro, 6" x 54 ring gauge / $5.55, Leaf and Ale, Knoxville
Gispert is an old Cuban brand that has been picked up more recently by Altadis for sale in the United States...yes, we have reached part 3 of the "can Altadis impress me" series. To refresh, part one featured the H. Upmann Sungrown in the Lancero size and it bears the distinction as being one of my least favorite cigars of the year so far. Part two featured a Frank Llaneza 1961 that was better than I expected and that I might actually buy again at some point. This Gispert is made in Honduras and features Honduran and Nicaraguan filler, a Nicaraguan binder and a Mexican San Andres Morron Maduro wrapper. So this ends up being not only a test of whether or not Altadis can impress me, but whether or not a Mexican wrappered cigar at a very attractive price point will actually be something I would buy again. Let's get started...
When these folks said "box pressed" they were apparently serious: the shape is almost a perfect box, rather than the rectangular shape most box pressed cigars end up as. The leaf was dark, but not quite as oily as I expected it to be. The banding is well-executed, with the red and silver offset against the dark chocolate brown very nicely. Putting wrapper to nose, I picked up leather, earth and some chocolate; from the foot I got manure and earth mostly, with a bit of something spicy, too. I gave this cigar a straight cut, since I wasn't sure if the square shape would fit well at all in the V-cutter. The Prelight draw was excellent and there were subtle natural tobacco notes as well as some cocoa powder and the slightest hint of spice. The more I drew on it cold, the more I got, too...there was a sweet, almost raisin flavor in there.
Initial puffs on the Gispert Maduro revealed a nice chocolatey sweetness as well as more of the raisin and light spiciness that I got on the cold draw. The retrohale had more cocoa powder along with some more spice...although not a nostril burning spice, but subtle and understated as I experienced on the palate. Shortly into the first third I noticed a problem with the draw; what had started out producing plenty of flavorful smoke was now producing next to nothing. When I was able to tap ash I found a huge void where the Ligero would normally be. What smoke I was able to get out of the cigar was better-tasting than I had expected, proving that it's a bad idea to let preconceived notions run your life. I was getting chocolate and raisin mostly, but with an undercurrent of earthiness and unsweetened cocoa powder. What's more, there was no real hint of the signature Mexican wrapper bitterness that so often overwhelms my palate.
The construction got better during the second third. At the beginning it threatened to banana peel on me, but once I got past that section, the draw was great, the burn was great and there was plenty of smoke. Unfortunately, the flavor took a downturn around the same time. There was more earthiness and the sweeter notes drifted away, leaving a fairly unbalanced feel to it.
The earthiness only increased in the final third and there really wasn't much else there any more. The sweet Maduro promise exhibited early on pretty much seemed to fade away to nothing. Overall this wasn't a bad cigar, but it just didn't have the flavor or complexity I like to experience. As with any cigar, your mileage may vary, but I can't help feeling somewhat disappointed in the Gispert Maduro since it had such a decent start. So, the hunt for an Altadis product I enjoy has ultimately turned up nearly fruitless. After trying three cigars in the last few weeks, there is only one I would turn to...the Frank Llaneza 1961. Final thoughts on the Gispert Maduro...it was medium to full in body and had a bit more than average nicotine strength, but not nearly enough flavor throughout to really recommend unless you're as curious as I am. As far as the typical Mexican flavor...it really wasn't there. This wrapper seemed very good, but if it were me, I would have tweaked the blend further to make the entire cigar perform as good as the first third.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 6/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 7/10
Gispert is an old Cuban brand that has been picked up more recently by Altadis for sale in the United States...yes, we have reached part 3 of the "can Altadis impress me" series. To refresh, part one featured the H. Upmann Sungrown in the Lancero size and it bears the distinction as being one of my least favorite cigars of the year so far. Part two featured a Frank Llaneza 1961 that was better than I expected and that I might actually buy again at some point. This Gispert is made in Honduras and features Honduran and Nicaraguan filler, a Nicaraguan binder and a Mexican San Andres Morron Maduro wrapper. So this ends up being not only a test of whether or not Altadis can impress me, but whether or not a Mexican wrappered cigar at a very attractive price point will actually be something I would buy again. Let's get started...
When these folks said "box pressed" they were apparently serious: the shape is almost a perfect box, rather than the rectangular shape most box pressed cigars end up as. The leaf was dark, but not quite as oily as I expected it to be. The banding is well-executed, with the red and silver offset against the dark chocolate brown very nicely. Putting wrapper to nose, I picked up leather, earth and some chocolate; from the foot I got manure and earth mostly, with a bit of something spicy, too. I gave this cigar a straight cut, since I wasn't sure if the square shape would fit well at all in the V-cutter. The Prelight draw was excellent and there were subtle natural tobacco notes as well as some cocoa powder and the slightest hint of spice. The more I drew on it cold, the more I got, too...there was a sweet, almost raisin flavor in there.
Initial puffs on the Gispert Maduro revealed a nice chocolatey sweetness as well as more of the raisin and light spiciness that I got on the cold draw. The retrohale had more cocoa powder along with some more spice...although not a nostril burning spice, but subtle and understated as I experienced on the palate. Shortly into the first third I noticed a problem with the draw; what had started out producing plenty of flavorful smoke was now producing next to nothing. When I was able to tap ash I found a huge void where the Ligero would normally be. What smoke I was able to get out of the cigar was better-tasting than I had expected, proving that it's a bad idea to let preconceived notions run your life. I was getting chocolate and raisin mostly, but with an undercurrent of earthiness and unsweetened cocoa powder. What's more, there was no real hint of the signature Mexican wrapper bitterness that so often overwhelms my palate.The construction got better during the second third. At the beginning it threatened to banana peel on me, but once I got past that section, the draw was great, the burn was great and there was plenty of smoke. Unfortunately, the flavor took a downturn around the same time. There was more earthiness and the sweeter notes drifted away, leaving a fairly unbalanced feel to it.
The earthiness only increased in the final third and there really wasn't much else there any more. The sweet Maduro promise exhibited early on pretty much seemed to fade away to nothing. Overall this wasn't a bad cigar, but it just didn't have the flavor or complexity I like to experience. As with any cigar, your mileage may vary, but I can't help feeling somewhat disappointed in the Gispert Maduro since it had such a decent start. So, the hunt for an Altadis product I enjoy has ultimately turned up nearly fruitless. After trying three cigars in the last few weeks, there is only one I would turn to...the Frank Llaneza 1961. Final thoughts on the Gispert Maduro...it was medium to full in body and had a bit more than average nicotine strength, but not nearly enough flavor throughout to really recommend unless you're as curious as I am. As far as the typical Mexican flavor...it really wasn't there. This wrapper seemed very good, but if it were me, I would have tweaked the blend further to make the entire cigar perform as good as the first third.Body: 7/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 6/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 7/10
Man I remember when I first got into blogging how the Gispert line was much talked about. Basically a cigar that was once above average sounds like its best days are behind them.
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