Lane Limited La Gloria Cubana

Lane Limited - La Gloria Cubana.

Going on the name and picture of a lady smoking a cigar on the tin I expected a blend containing cigar leaf, but this is a cigar-free smoke!

The blend's quite appealing on the eye: coarse ribbons, some black, some brown (medium and dark), and some yellow. The moisture of this tin was perfect the second I opened it.

La Gloria' couldn't be any easier to get burning, and my initial thought on my first bowl was "spicy little number"! The Oriental and Perique dominate the first quarter, it tastes like there's more than just a pinch of Perique; as per the description. The Latakia gives more wood than smoke, and reduces the temperature. The Oriental leaf really makes this sparkle, giving extra pizazz, keeping strength of flavour once the Perique begins to abate. A little issue for me is tongue bite, it doesn't 'hurt', but gives me a slight nudge if it's not sipped. The burn from L.G.C. is a little fast, I prefer a large bowl of it otherwise it's over too quickly, and the temperature's about medium.

The nicotine makes this a suitable morning smoke: quite strong, and the room-note's quite pleasant, albeit a little heavy.

To me, even though it bites a touch, it's easily worth full marks:

Highly recommended.

The woody, earthy, very spicy, rather floral and sour Orientals take the lead here. The smoky, woody, musty, earthy, mildly sweet Cyprian latakia is an important supporting player. The citrusy, grassy Virginia is mostly a condiment. The spicy, raisiny, plumy perique plays a background role; one you’ll always notice. The strength level is medium, while the taste just steps across that line. The nic-hit is a tad closer to medium than it is to mild. Won’t or get harsh, but the spice content may tingle your tongue is puffed fast. It does have a rough edge at times. Burns slightly warm and clean with a mildly sweet and fairly savory, spicy consistent flavor from top to bottom. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

I have been smoking La Gloria since it's arrival a few months ago. It quickly became one of my favorite blends. I will give you the reasons for this. Most importantly English blends are my preference followed by Virginia blends, but English by a large margin. Next is the flavor. This is tasty in the truest English sense. It is not going to bowl you over, but come on as a mellow blend that can be smoked any time of day for as many bowls as you choose. Next are the little things like it packs easily. It stays lit. It's smooth even to the bottom of the bowl. My experience with La Gloria differs a bit from the reviews already posted. I think it is helpful to know that I have not experienced any bite from La Gloria. Just the opposite in fact. I have smoked the blend several times in succession without any mishaps what so ever. On the issue of nicotine I am very sensitive. I am a nic wimp! La Gloria does not speak nicotine to me at all. For me the essential reason to smoke any particular tobacco blend is it's taste. If it doesn't taste good I will not smoke it. Just like with food. If I have a choice between something that tastes good and something that does not have a taste that appeals to me the choice is clear. The same with tobacco. La Gloria is full with flavor. Not only is it typical English but there are abundant high notes that makes it sparkle. I like to use music as a metaphor when describing tobacco tastes. The blend is a musical score. The orchestration needs to have balance and depth. The tobacco needs high notes or it will taste dull, even boring. The mid range is the body of the flavor. The low notes give strength, the driving force of the blend. La Gloria is orchestrated to near perfection. It is a beautiful sound, a beautiful flavor. Enough said.

I really, really like this one. It was offered up at a pipe club meeting, and i nearly passed on it as i presumed it was a cigar leaf blend. Not so. This is a lane offering, and i can't say what is the connection with LGC. Probably a simple licensing of name. Regardless, this is a tart, deliciously bright and fragrant English mixture. The oriental/perique/latakia are melded well into a tangy (almost tart) effervescent bright flavor. The va here bring some subtle sweetness and depth. It hints at orange zest while retaining the incense and wood. I'd be surprised if there wasn't a very mild light topping, but it greatly improves the smoke and is in no way distracting. Nicotine seems mild to medium and it smokes coolly without bite. Easy to recommend and well worth a try. A truly tasty, soothing blend.

I like this tobacco, it burns very well, has medium to low body. Medium acidity, low bitterness, and a little sweet and spice. The aftertaste is kind of rubber-like, however it is very enjoyable. Good for an everyday tobacco.

I’m surprised this has so few reviews. I picked this up a few years ago. Apparently, I also forgot to review it.

With all the English tobaccos on the market , This is a little different in presentation. There are some large thin “flower pedals” of tobacco mixed in which I don’t recall seeing before. I had to double check because I thought for sure it was cigar leaf, however according to the description that is not the case. I really like the tin art. One of my favorite English tins to admire. The smoke had a tendency to burn a little hot before it was set in a jar for a while to air and age. Fresh it was still good, had mild complexity and id say it’s a very Englishy English. But if you give it that time, It’s extra smooth and enjoyable, lights and packs easily and again it is pretty typical English blend. Large billows of creamy smoke. It’s quality English.

OK, raise your hand if you bought this one strictly for the cool tin art. For me it trumped being scared off by the idea of a "cigar style" tobacco. Thankfully, the product has (as other reviewers pointed out) really nothing to do with being cigar-like.

The tin opens up to a deep, savory, raisin/bloody beef smelling mixture that won't be ignored and causes saliva glands to dew up. The stuff certainly falls on the English side of the style wheel, though without as much Latakia charcoal or spicy Oriental I've seen in others.

Texture packs well and moisture levels are a go, so spark this rocket up! Great tasting, full flavor smoke with solid nicotine. It commands some respect, but not so far as to cause choking or the need for a leather tongue. Huffing quickly may bite a tad however. As a heavy tobacco, I wouldn't consider this an all day smoker, but would be a great companion with a snifter of (insert favorite brown liquor here).

For me it was a nice change of pace from the Latakia heavy English (say Dunhill's Nightcap), without any of the bitter taste I associate with a cigar.

I happened upon the very familiar La Gloria Cubana label whilst surfing the tinned tobacco section at SPC. As a former cigar fiend-turned-pipe-enthusiast, it was a jarringly disorienting image, completely incongruous with my neoteric understanding of, and appreciation for, pipe tobacco. Curious, I kept an open mind, did some research, read the reviews, and ultimately decided to try – and I’ve been pleasantly knocked for six as a result.

After noting comments about being a quick and easy burning blend, I loaded one of my larger Jeppeson briars with what must have been 4+ grams of product. I was surprised how it did indeed consume so quickly (and cleanly), as it was all over in only 45-minutes (even using a left-of-center, Goldilocks cadence). There was an immediate and noticeable tongue-tingle, which I guessed at being a petite pepper-pop from the perique. This was a late-evening event, and I had just taken a small chunk of 92% dark chocolate directly prior to, so I wondered if the (abnormally sweet), velvety cacao concoction had unduly influenced my tongue’s sensitivities. Thus I awoke this morning and christened my ridiculously (clownishly) large Jeppeson bent brandy (a big, handsome hunk of briar, so much larger in life than what it appeared to be on my computer screen that it sat for months, as I had no idea what I could possibly employ to fill the vast void of its seemingly bottomless chamber). I must have packed 5+ grams of vegetation into the bowl, and it too was swiftly and easily consumed in less than an hour, even with a dawdling cadence (and only a single re-light). It all burned cleanly, with very little moisture towards the end (amazingly, given the sheer volume of material burned).

The tongue-tingle was all-enveloping and very real, and I could see how it might be misinterpreted as tongue-bite, but if there is a “nip,” it’s a spice-bite from the perique and/or orientals, and not a thermal bite (nor is it a chemical tongue-bite). I do concur with SteveB -- this is indeed a "spicy little number.” I also found the “sparkle”, “pizazz” and “effervescent bright flavor” descriptions to be spot-on as well. Distinctively tangy, sweet, spicy and tasty – I will be stocking more of this. 4-stars

I am finger happy to write a few lines on this blend because back when I lived in the US La Gloria Cubana was one of my regular cigars. Heck, the tin art is the same as the ring art of the above mentioned cigars, so as soon as it got back in stock at a local B&M I ordered a tin - building about 6 months of anticipation.

Right off the bat, the plastic round film covering the tobacco didn't sit right with me, I just have a prejudice against putting plastic and tobacco in the same sentence. Any road, the nose was something very familiar, somewhere in between old Romanian Cigarettes and those 1980s Camel Cigarettes that my father in law loved so much. Must be the oriental I said to myself ... and indeed it was, I will get back to that in a bit. The moisture level was dry by my standards (I for one like an above average moisture level in my english blends), not bone dry but just a little bit springy dry, with some unusable crumbs left at the bottom of the inner paper. I also blame the fast pace of the smoke on this dryness - it does tend to get a tad hot, but nothing one cannot handle. Spark, fire, puff puff ... disappointment, no cigar leaf, no Gloria Cubana of 10-15 years ago, but one heck of a spicy smoke. The oriental is quite forward, and the latakia a second violin. The perique is there with you all the way, as one can feel the peppery presence, but as far as my taste buds go I get little flavor from it. Virginia ... well some grassy sweetness seems to complement the latakia, so there is your virginia. I like this blend, mostly because it gives a degree of diversity to your otherwise rather flat english trend. The spiciness of the oriental assisted by all the other good stuff is interesting, but I am not sure at this point if I would have it as an all day smoke for that exact reason. The nicotine hit is above medium to my taste, so again a smoke to be enjoyed after a rich meal, or late in the evening with something strong. I would be comfortable to label this as a 3.5/4, but definitely not a full 4 star - it lacks a smoothness that I appreciate in these types of blends.

Review Edit: after smoking a full tin I am confident to say that this is definitely in the 3 star area, unlike my previous opinion. It's a uni level Balkan blend that leaves room for little evolution as aged in the jar six moths down the road, and in the bowl. It just gets boring after a while. A decent smoke that turned out to be nothing out of the ordinary.