I am hoping this will be a UK first, I am pretty sure it is, as this cigar is from a new company, and not only is it currently only available in the USA, its only in a few stores. My friend in the US sent me this stick, he shops at The Party Source, and the LaABEJR cigar company has been started by the humidor manager.
Its quite interesting to think I may be the first person in the UK to smoke this cigar, and its really great to see someone start up a new company, I know I probably would not take the risk.
You can read an interview with the owner of LaABEJA cigars here… And below is my review of the corona.
Appearance 9.0/10
The wrapper is a lovely light chocolate brown, has a slight oily sheen to it, and is very well constructed with tight seams. As you can see form the picture there are almost no veins in this cigar. The band is quite interesting, its simple but well printed, and has an almost 1920/30’s look to it, its quite different to many existing bands, and I think adds to the overall feel of quality.
Construction & Draw 9.0/10
The construction of this cigar is absolutely top notch, as mentioned the seams are really tight, and the cap construction is so good that unlike many cigars you cant see where the seams are. The stick is well packed with tobacco, and prior to cutting had a slightly sweet aroma.
Cutting the cap was easy, and I obtained a nice clean cut, the pre-light draw had hints of vanilla and spice. The draw on the cigar is excellent, it has just the correct amount of resistance, the burn line was slightly ragged to start with, but quickly sorted itself out, and was sharp throughout the rest of the cigar requiring no corrections. This cigar easily supported about an inch of ash before it fell.
Flavour 8.0/10
The cigar started out with a nice level of spice, I am not a big fan of really spicy cigars and for me this was perfect, just enough spice on the tongue to be interesting but not overwhelming The first half of the cigar as my pre-light draw had suggested has a nice slightly sweet vanilla flavour to it, this really complemented the spice, making the whole experience creamy and smooth with just a little zing, very tasty.
During the second half of the cigar the vanilla changed to be a little more like caramel, and I also detected a slight taste of flowers/grass which added another subtle dimension. I would say that this cigar is probably light to medium strength to start, and moves slightly towards medium strength as you get into the second half.
Value 8.5/10
At 8 dollars per stick, the flavour, construction, and sophistication on offer here seem to match the price well, making this cigar very good value for money. Its not at the cheap end of the price range for its size (in the USA you can get some pretty nice cigars for around 6 dollars), but I feel the overall package more than justifies the price. I have to call out the quality of construction, for a new cigar from a new company, this cigar was really well made.
Summary 8.5/10
I really enjoyed this cigar, its well constructed, has a nice flavour profile, just the correct amount of spice for me, excellent draw,and burned really well. Its not a flavour bomb, but its quite a relaxing sophisticated cigar, and I really enjoyed the hour and forty minutes I spent with it. The biggest problem is when will they come to the UK so I can get some more? As I would absolutely have some in my humidor…
UK Cigarnewbie 