Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is another of my very favorite cigar men.  Born in Cuba to a cigar-making family, the tall, slender former jazz drummer came to Miami's Little Havana to carry on his father's tradition of making great, Cuban-style smokes.  His La Gloria Cubana brand has long been one of my favorites, and his Serie R (all bold, robust, with big ring gauges) is a fabulous addition to the line for lovers of the most serious smokes.

Not to be confused with the fine Havana cigars made today under that name by Cuba's communist government (which illegally seized the original LGC name), honest La Gloria Cubanas are made by Señor Perez-Carillo, the rightful heir to the brand (which falls now under the General Cigar umbrella).  Today these excellent smokes are produced mainly in the Dominican Republic, from a multi-nation blend of tobaccos.  But a few are still American-made in the El Credito factory in Little Havana, their home and sole point of origin from the post-revolution 1960s to 1996.  In fact, during much of that period La Gloria Cubana cigars were one of Little Havana's most well-kept secrets.  But when the word leaked out, Ernesto's La Gloria Cubanas took off like wildfire.

Apart from his very recent release of a series of torpedos, the N° 7 is the latest vitola in Perez-Carillo's LGC Serie R line.  And, measuring a whopping seven inches in length, and with a stout 58 ring gauge, it is the biggest of the big.  This is a huge cigar.  Over the years I have tried just about every one of Ernesto's vitolas, but until this review I had never summoned quite enough courage to tackle this jumbo treat.  I knew from experience that these sticks smoke extremely well right from the tobacconist's shelves, but had also learned of their capacity to greatly improve with age.  So, about four months ago, I purchased four of these massive sticks for $7.99 each, and have been aging them ever since in perfect temperature and humidity conditions.

I must admit that the first one I smoked was outstanding in flavor and finish but had significant construction problems.  As this was perhaps the first LGC stick of any kind with which I had encountered such problems -- during well over a decade of smoking them -- I decided to postpone publishing the review until I had determined whether this was a fluke, or an unfortunate characteristic of the vitola.  Fortunately, it turned out to be a fluke -- somehting that can and does happen with even the best of cigars.  Therefore, this review will follow the second smoking rather than the first.

This second stick had an appearance which was virtually identical to the first.  A very large and intimidating cigar, it had a smooth, medium-brown wrapper with fine veins but not much visible oil-staining.  The cap was somewhat obvious.  The stick had a solid feel, and was not as light in the hand as was the first one (which felt unusually light for such a big cigar).

The draw was on the light side of medium, and the lightup seemed to be mature and developed right from the start.  Not at all earthy, the flavor was smooth but full, not overpowering in the least.

After five minutes the flavor was developing along cedary lines.  Cedar being quite dominant, the flavor profile was nevertheless not at all one-dimensional.  The N° 7 was sweet, elegant and enjoyable.  By ten minutes the draw had become nearly ideal, and flavors of tea were evident within the cedary flavor profile.

But for a moment I began to panic; the ash appeared to be somewhat loose and powdery, and would not hold onto the cigar as it burned.  As this was a catastrophic failure of the previous cigar, I began to suspect the worst.  However, this time it seemed fairly innocuous, and the burn was even, albeit somewhat fast.  (The first stick had had a far-too-light draw, had burned highly unevenly and much too quickly, and the ash had flaked and shattered, rendering the thing nearly unsmokable.)

However this second stick quickly righted itself.  At 20 minutes the ash had begun to cling well.  The cigar was full-flavored but paradoxically light-bodied, featuring flavors of cedar and tea.  There was not much finish yet, but the smoke was very aromatic, filling the club's smoking room with an enrapturing scent of rich tobacco.

At 25 minutes I removed 1-3/8" of white ash, which was now clinging nicely, although it still seemed somewhat light and fragile.  The stick was burning well.

At 40 minutes my companions and I were enveloped in gobs of aromatic smoke.  The cigar was becoming more full-bodied.  I was enjoying the rich cedary-tobacco character.  This was a pleasurable and interesting cigar which completely dominated the others in the room.

At 50 minutes I removed another inch and a half of ash, which was now more compact and took some effort to dislodge.  The finish was full and cedary-sweet; the flavor was full but smooth and complex.  This was a fabulously enjoyable, flavorful, and interesting cigar with no objectionable flavors.  It stood in absolutely perfect balance.

At an hour and five minutes the finish was incredibly long, full and cedary.  The flavor profile was smooth and fascinatingly complex.  Fifteen minutes later I ashed another inch and a half, now compact and white.  The smoke was becoming still fuller and more delicious, especially on the finish.

At an hour and a half the formerly enormous cigar was now only an inch and a half long; flavors were fuller yet, perhaps somewhat minty.  I finally gave the stick up after an hour and forty-five minutes, as I could no longer hold onto it.  It remained exquisite to the last.

This cigar featured a smooth presentation, exceptional, complex flavors and a delightful finish.  With an even burn, plenteous amounts of aromatic smoke and a delicious aroma, the La Gloria Cubana Serie R N° 7 was an elegant and supple giant of a cigar with great finesse.  Despite the one-time construction flaw I still consider this and all La Gloria Cubana Serie R vitolas to be highly recommended.