Dias De Gloria Tasting Notes
I have been holding off on discussing the
flavor profile on this bad boy until now. The reason being this is a new cigar.
There is not much on the internet regarding how it smokes or tastes. Most reviews refer to the flavor profile as
sweet, cedary, earthy, and spicy. They have not nearly begun to do this cigar
justice. For my review, I went with a Toro. It's
such a beauty with that delicate box press. My mouth is already watering.
Prelight
The Dias De Gloria presents with an immaculate
wrapper, no tooth, smooth as silk. It is halfway covered with a cedar wrap and
embellished with the signature ornate AJ Fernandez bands. The wrapper is rife with notes of mixed
spices (perhaps curry, ginger, and black pepper). Creamy cedary notes emanate
from the foot.
Cold draw speaks of a sweet barnyard nuance
comingled with floral notes, milk chocolate undertones, and a spritz of black
currant. I may have tasted a bit of black pepper,
shy notes of anise, and a robust black coffee base. Even from the cold draw, you can already
tell this is going to be a complex stogie. Before we go into it, I decided to do this
review in two sections instead of my usual three. This is because later, I want
to do another review. Ideally, after the cigar has been in the market for a
while.
You can't conclusively determine the rating
of a new cigar for two reasons. One is consistency. A cigar needs time, and
a couple of hundred thousand productions to determine if the quality is
consistent. Two is aging. This is especially true for
master blenders like AJ Fernandez. A cigar like this one will drastically
improve with a little time in the humidor. In a word, like a fine piece of art; rating
cigars cannot be rushed.
First Half
My Dias De Gloria opens with a tsunami of
peppery cream. The spice is on my tongue and the back of my throat. But the
cream covers it like a thick coat of paint. On the side-lines are nuances of black
coffee, sweet brown sugar, a skosh of fruity tang, and delicious spicy ginger.
Still somewhere in there are nutty notes with decadent buttery flakes, sweet
black grapes, and raisins.
The finish is a delectable heavy cream that
feels like butter on the tongue. It lasts all the way to the next draw. Strength at this point is a good medium. I
have a razor-sharp burn and solid ash. A few inches down, and the complexity kicks
in. Spice takes a stand. It's a savory mix of cinnamon, ginger, and flakes of
red pepper. The cream morphs into delicious
butterscotch. There is a dainty warm bread-like decadence bathed in a thick
lazy flow of sweet buttery goodness. The earlier overbearing dark chocolate and
espresso notes recede to the back burner.
Final Half
Past the halfway mark, the nicotine picks
up. As this happens, the flavors shift to a savory, smoky, meaty flavor with a
malty disposition. Spice never really leaves, and this time around, it's a
fusion of black, red, and white pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and jalapeno.
The sudden nicotine rush recedes. Or rather
it is overtaken by warm sweet melted butter deliciousness backed by croutons of
butterscotch. A whole nutty world opens up, dishing out
notes of hazelnut, smoked almonds, and premium Brazil nuts. As I approach the nub, I can feel the
strength inching up to a strong medium to full.
But that is not the focus. My cigar
suddenly adopts an explosion of complexity and intensity. I am almost
overwhelmed. There is a perfectly balanced symphony of
spice. Buttery cream smoothness is on another level. Still, I am bombarded with
perfectly poised amalgamated flavors that I cannot put my finger on. Strength goes up to a walloping full. This
nub is intensely enjoyable; I do not want to put it down.
My Toro smoked for more than 2 hours. It
was an incredibly slow burner. I almost cannot believe how good my Dias De
Gloria was! I cannot wait for my other Dias De Gloria to age a little more. If
it turns out that this cigar is regular production, I will never be without
this bad boy.
How Has Dias De Gloria Performed So Far?
Dias De Gloria is doing very well. Word of mouth is spreading fast, and these
bad boys are flying off the shelf. In fact, we at Gotham Cigars sold out of our
first shipment in no time. So, if you have not yet grabbed one of these, you
are missing out!
Let us know your experience with this new cigar.
We love to hear from you!
