I stopped in at the downtown B&M of Arcade, Nashville, TN yesterday to reward myself from being released from tedious meeting.
I'm a Gran Habano Connecticut fan and was very surprised to find blue box and blue label Labeled Gran Habano VL. I inspected the open box and found it was dated 6/2005. I thought they had just been sitting a while and then noticed that he had four more unopened boxes. I asked him about them and was told that his contact at G R Tabacaleras had asked if he wanted the last boxes that had been found in a warehouse. So, he took them.
So.... For $8.95, about $5.50 more than I usually pay for a Gran Habano at internet prices, I decided to give it a try.
Inspection showed it was in fine shape and made as well as any of the same makers product. Cut and light were normal. I was hit with the pepper that I like so much from the family. The initial half, I found it to be full bodied and therefore not to my liking. But I kept after it as I was enjoying the pepper. After about 40 minutes, over halfway through, the smoke mellowed out a bit and added a very slight amount of sweetness.
Overall an OK smoke just a little more body than I care for. Nicotine level was average. No buzz experience in the hour and 15 minutes that it took me to go through it.
So, for those who like this family and enjoy full bodied smokes I recommend it. For me, I'll pass on another. So, if you really, really like this old cigar, Arcade has a few boxes left with the standard 10% off for a box discount.
It was interesting to find a slightly vintage cigar at the B&M. It made the visit to a new B&M worthwhile even though I paid to much for a cigar that wasn't to my taste. That won't stop me from trying something new the next time though!
I'm a Gran Habano Connecticut fan and was very surprised to find blue box and blue label Labeled Gran Habano VL. I inspected the open box and found it was dated 6/2005. I thought they had just been sitting a while and then noticed that he had four more unopened boxes. I asked him about them and was told that his contact at G R Tabacaleras had asked if he wanted the last boxes that had been found in a warehouse. So, he took them.
So.... For $8.95, about $5.50 more than I usually pay for a Gran Habano at internet prices, I decided to give it a try.
Inspection showed it was in fine shape and made as well as any of the same makers product. Cut and light were normal. I was hit with the pepper that I like so much from the family. The initial half, I found it to be full bodied and therefore not to my liking. But I kept after it as I was enjoying the pepper. After about 40 minutes, over halfway through, the smoke mellowed out a bit and added a very slight amount of sweetness.
Overall an OK smoke just a little more body than I care for. Nicotine level was average. No buzz experience in the hour and 15 minutes that it took me to go through it.
So, for those who like this family and enjoy full bodied smokes I recommend it. For me, I'll pass on another. So, if you really, really like this old cigar, Arcade has a few boxes left with the standard 10% off for a box discount.
It was interesting to find a slightly vintage cigar at the B&M. It made the visit to a new B&M worthwhile even though I paid to much for a cigar that wasn't to my taste. That won't stop me from trying something new the next time though!