Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5.625 x 46 “Corona Gorda”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $7.00

This cigar is interesting. This ain’t your CI Gran Habano on closeout for $39.95. Not even close. Gran Habano has entered the new millennium with a bevy of New Breed-like blends. Last year, they debuted their Opium and Zulu Zulu.

Only 100 boxes of 20 of the Barracuda were made in the robusto format. Because, technically, that is the only size Rico had intended. Robusto.
But Podman Cigars has 4 sizes: Robusto, Corona Gorda, Toro, and Cabinet Gran Consul.
Prices vary from $7-$8 per stick. I read that they were made especially for Smoke Inn but there is no information confirming that. And as I said before, SI only has the Robusto and they are completely out of stock. Meanwhile, Podman has the whole array of sizes available: http://www.podmancigars.com/categories/Cigars/Gran-Habano/

Podman Cigars was able to get George A. Rico to provide this special size(s) just for them. And I love this size, so all is well.
According to Podman, the blend was actually “tweaked” a bit for their Corona Gorda by Rico. Why? I have no idea. They don’t explain. But again, this is a small batch cigar which comes in boxes of 10 and only 100 boxes were produced. But that stick count varies at Podman. This is very confusing.

I’m sure all reviewers are going nuts trying to take photos of the band on this cigar. It has an aluminum type finish with a bright silver picture of a barracuda and the name of the company. So forgive me if my photos suck.

Construction is very consistent. Solid, but with some give. A triple cap with a nice Cohiba type pigtail. A fair amount of veins but nothing that off-putting. And a slightly reddish hue to a medium brown wrapper. Seams are invisible. So let’s move on.
I sniff and detect immediate sweetness. And a nice dose of leather and a surprise of caramel intensified at the foot. And there is the smallest hint of cocoa. Spiciness is apparent at the foot, as well.

I clip the cap and off we go…

My first puffs bring strong cocoa and coffee. Plus a wallop of sweetness. There is nice, fresh, hewn cedar. A black pepper begins to build in the back of my throat. And a classic medium body is at hand already.

Half an inch in and the cigar explodes with flavor. Now I’m dying to compare the Robusto to this Corona Gorda as Podman explains the blend was tweaked on CG for them. The CG is a perfect cigar for flavor bombing. Any small cigar is. If you have the dough and patience, bigger cigars are great after 9 months of aging. I bought some Room 101 Daruma Monsters with a 60 ring gauge a few months ago and they still aren’t ready to smoke.
Give a small ring gauge 2-3 weeks and they are rip roarin’ ready to go.

The caramel sweetness becomes very apparent at the 1” mark. The cocoa is just as strong. The pepper keeps building. No Kleenex required yet.
The ash does not want to adhere to the cigar and falls off at the slightest provocation. That is unusual for a cigar this packed with tobacco. Go figure.

As I close in on the end of the first third, the power of the cigar strengthens. The PR claims it is medium for the entire ride, I’m just not sure at this point if that is totally accurate.
This is a great cigar. I am a sucker for flavor bombs. One blender after another, find the way to fuse their blend to an array of great flavors and components.

Smoke just pours from the foot…obscuring my laptop screen as this is the perfect size for me to chomp on. Of course that doesn’t make a pretty picture in my photos.

The cedar is right at the front of the charge and I’m digging this. Very few cigars have this quality…a strong, cedar finish.
The cigar develops into a well-balanced cigar with a long finish. The sweetness and the other components make this a must-buy stick.
The black pepper has fooled me into thinking the power was increasing. It is not. It is still classic medium. Usually, by now, the pepper has moved to the front of my mouth and becomes red pepper; but not with this baby. It has a mind of its own.

And as I write those words, the spiciness becomes a strong red pepper felt on the tip of my tongue. The pepper continues to get stronger.
At the halfway point, it’s a candy bar. And I mean this with the utmost respect. It is just that the flavors are so dominant that I have no other words to describe this blend.

Creaminess shows up and completes the flavor profile. Fait de compli. Now I am just cruising…enjoying the ride of the cigar. By the halfway point, I’ve invested 30 minutes.

The last third begins and the flavors intensify and the complexity really digs in.

I should have mentioned earlier that the char line has been somewhat erratic. At times, it is right on; others, sort of funky. But I only worry about that because I want a perfect photo. Normally, I would not give it another thought. It falls well within acceptable standards and parameters.
Caramel, cocoa, coffee, cedar, leather, spice, and creaminess are what this cigar brings to the table. And with little resting in my humidor required. The balance of my cigars shall sleep the sleep of the dead for a couple months.

The chomped on cap has behaved admirably. No detritus. No loose tobacco.

I read that S.T.K. stands for “Stay True Kid.” Cannot confirm this.
The Gran Habano web site has not yet listed this cigar. Get on it George.

Well, with these being a very small batch cigar, I have to get more of these. So I stop to buy another 5 pack and am shocked at the shipping cost. Podman is very secretive about their location. They have no contact phone number using the lame excuse: “Sorry the phone system crashed. New number shortly.” This has been up for a very long time now. I think they are a clearing house for cigars and not actually a store.

I am finishing up the stick and the strength is shy of full bodied. I can feel it in my head and gut.

The cigar ends cool and without any harshness. It took me an hour to smoke the Corona Gorda.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS