The G.A.R. line of cigars is currently only offered in the Original or White Label. There were two other blends in the G.A.R. lineup called the Lux and the Vanguard but both have been recently discontinued. I heard a little “rumour” that there may be a new addition to the G.A.R. lineup very soon so be sure to keep your eyes peeled on the Gran Habano website! G.A.R. stands for it’s creator’s initials, George A. Rico, who is the mastermind behind Gran Habano Cigars. Be sure to check out some of our other Gran Habano reviews, including the new Azteca, Gran Reserva #3, Corojo #5 or the Connecticut #1 which was part of this Blind Review post. There is also a ton more information about the company in each of those reviews if you were curious to learn more about Gran Habano and it’s history.

The G.A.R. line was blending by Mr. Rico to be a full-bodied and full-flavored cigar that promises to be complex throughout. It is currently offered in 4 vitolas and today I will be lighting up the Robusto Grande size. One interesting thing about this blend is the use of a mild Connecticut leaf as the binder underneath the more powerful Corojo wrapper. Sounds like it could be a nice creamy compliment to the spicy and full offering, we’ll see how it plays out as I burn through the cigar.

Cigar: G.A.R. by George A. Rico. White Label / Original
Drink: Quinta do Tedo Fine Tawny Port
Vitola: Robusto Grande (5.5 x 52)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: About $6
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• A very even and round looking cigar wrapped with a wonderfully oily and dark cinnamon brown wrapper
• A triple cap tops off this cigar with a mostly clean finish
• The wrapper is mostly vein-less and smooth except for two large veins running the length of the cigar
• The cigar has a perfect soft spring when squeezed that is consistent from cap to foot
• The band holds it together at the foot which appears to be well packed
• The cut cut off as clean as could be and with minimal effort

Burn:
• Took quite a bit of time to get the foot glowing and even then it wasn’t even, but after a quick draw everything was back in order
• The burn started off promising but then needed a correction within the first inch
• The cigar kept burning a little uneven and eventually it needs a slight re-light every so often
• It is burning quite slow and letting me enjoy it without extra attention
• Cigar began to tunnel and burn a bit hot near the end

Smoke & Ash:
• Each draw is offering up a full mouth of smoke
• Resting smoke is very minimal and gives off a woodsy aroma
• Ash is a very light grey color, almost white, and appears to be holding strong
• Tapped off the first ash just past an inch, it could have held on longer but my re-lighting seemed to affect it’s structural integrity
• All the other ashes were still around the one inch mark or less

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a light sweet tobacco aroma
• The foot has a similar sweet tobacco aroma but paired with a faint fruity-coffee mixture
• The pre-light draw offers up a kick of spice and cedar that you could never guess from the aromas
• Initial draws smack you in the face with a ton of tasty woody flavors
• The retrohale at this point is also full of woodsy flavors and lacks any bite
• A nice mellow bready flavor kicked in, nice
• After about an inch I’m getting some nice mild coffee flavors
• As I approach the middle I’m getting some clove flavors and a slight tartness to the mix
• The retrohale still has no bite and the same woodsy finish
• The body has held steady around the mild/medium and is continually giving me a nice creamy finish
• The coffee, bready and clove flavors are all still present as I reach the last third, they are each developing slowly on their own and taking turns as the dominant flavor
• I find that the clove flavor is developing the most and also mixing in a white pepper like flavor, I believe this is the Corojo wrapper starting to shine near the end
• The body started to pick up a bit more as I passed the past third
• The G.A.R. ended with more coffee and clove notes and subtle hints of pepper, very little harshness

Final Thoughts:
This was a tasty smoke with a good variety of flavors to keep you on your toes as you smoke through it. None of the flavors were overpowering or off-putting. My only complaint on this cigar would be the number of touch-ups it required. The touch-ups usually tend to change the flavor for at least a few draws and I try to avoid it as much as possible. Some of these burn issues could also be attributed to the cold temperature out here today, I find that below freezing temps can easily affect a delicate wrapper. But aside from that issue this is a cigar worthy of trying. It promised to be more full bodied then I found it to be, but that might have been because of the Port that I paired it with. It also promised to be complex and full-flavored and I fully believe it lived up to that. It’s offered at a fair price which can make it a good option to be included in your regular rotation.

Pairings:
Sorry for the lack in uniqueness in my pairings lately, I haven’t gone shopping for beer in awhile and I picked up two bottles of this port because they were on sale. If you’re one our wonderful faithful readers you’ll recognize this Quinta do Tedo Tawny Port from a couple of my recent reviews including the Monte Pascoal and the Miraculous Templar Maduro. Please check out those reviews for more details on this Port. The fruity flavors here are pairing well with the cloves and coffee. The higher sugar content of the Port is also helping to any nicotine effects that this cigar may have offered. I think a nice Scotch would have been a great choice here or a tasty bold coffee.

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These sample sticks were sent to me courtesy of Gran Habano a week or so prior to IPCPR. Many of you may know there were a few things going on that really set me back on my review line up, but alas I am back on track and finally getting around to reviewing this cigar.

The Good Stuff: The Azteca sits in its own little corner as the newest, and most different cigar of Gran Habano’s line. The Azteca is a double maduro composed of a Mexico Maduro wrapper and binder grown in San Andreas encasing filler tobacco grown in Nicaragua and Panama. According to our friend Barry over at acigarsmoker.com (Check him out if you haven’t hear of him, great guy), “the first release of the Azteca has been aging since August, 2009”. This is a full body cigar and what seems to be a possible turning point for Gran Habano’s current portfolio. If I’m not mistaken, recently Gran Habano actually announced that they were going to be haulting the production of two of thier lines, the 3 SLS and the Cabinet Selection in order to put more attention to the Azteca Line.

Size: Puma 6 x 60  –  Wrapper/Binder: San Andreas, Mexico Maduro  –   Filler: Panama/Nicaragua  –  Body: Full

Prelight: The Gran Habano Azteca Puma is a very thick and heavy cigar. I could probably knock someone out with this thing. It’s very firm to the touch and incredibly hard. The wrapper is very silky, and tough with very large veins running the entire length of the cigar. The wrapper itself is a deep, dark chocolately brown leading up to a seamlessly round cap. The band makes a huge statement sporting a large, brown Aztec calendar surrounded by orange and gold inlayed titling of the brand “Gran Habano” as well as the bold cigar name “Azteca”.  The back of the band has a small light brown and teal crest and the Brand Owner’s names “George and Guillermo Rico”. The band that surrounds the foot is a simple dark brown band with gold and teal bands as well as a gold and orange inlayed name of the vitola, in this case the “Puma”. These are incredibly detailed and beautiful bands. The wrapper of the Gran Habano Azteca doesn’t give off much more than a faint tobacco smell, where as the foot boasts of tobacco, cocoa, and earthy aromas.  The Azteca cut very clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw is VERY interesting. The first puff exclaims of a rich, more natural tobacco flavor teased with a very spicy, and earthy undertone with just a dash of cocoa.

First Smoke: The Gran Habano Azteca is a very differently tasting cigar. At least, in comparison to what I am used to. The initial flavors are jam packed with a very sweet, light, natural tobacco taste backed by soft spice, and bittersweet chocolate. The draw is remarkable. Each small puff produces a massive amount of thick, grey smoke. The Azteca give off quite a bit of earthy and enticing wood scented stationary smoke. The burn line started off slightly wavy, but corrected itself about a half inch into the cigar. I blame my single flame lighting technique on this larger ring gauged cigar. The ash left behind is a compacted, darker grey with black spots and just a few flakes here and there, mostly towards the foot of the cigar. As I got about an inch into the cigar the ash on the foot flowered and actually “bloomed” open.

This is common and didn’t hinder the experience in anyway, it’s just always interesting when you run into it. As a side note, this only happend to this sample, not the previous one I smoked. After the main “pedal” fell form the ash, The ash carried on and still held on for almost two inches before giving way.

Halfway There: Two thirds into this Gran Habano Azteca, I started to get a really, deep, and pleasant spiced woodsy flavor. This was followed up by the creamy cocoa, and sweet natural tobacco flavors. At this point this cigar has been smooth all the way though with no signs of nicotine. The retrohale is a bit spicy (not peppery) but gives your nasal passage a great little woodsy priming. The burnline tends to do its own thing every now and then, but always seems to correct itself before my lighter intervenes. I have yet to really feel any nictotine from this cigar.

Finish:  To my surprise the massive band on this Gran Habano Azteca slid off with extreme ease. Up until the final third  I haven’t felt much, if any nicotine buzz from this cigar but that has change up a bit. The body has definitely ramped up a bit. I’m not feeling a whole lot, but it’s there for sure. The cigar has remained incredibly smooth all the way though. There was no harshness built up towards the end and the final flavors were that of cocoa, wood, and again, that sweet spice. The flavors didn’t change up too much, the but the complexity and deepness were very satisfying and enjoyable. The burnline gave me no problems in the final stretch. All in all it took me about 1.75 hours to take down the Gran Habano Azteca Puma, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Oerview: Gran Habano is in the process of actually haulting manufacturing of a few of their lines in order to pay more attention to the Azteca. That being said, a lot of work has, and is currently being put into this blend and it shows. The Azteca is more an old school maduro producing great cocoa, woodsy, and earthy flavors with a smooth and balanced body. The 60 ring gauge was a bit large and uncomfortable to me (usually I enjoy larger vitolas but over the past few months I’ve been drawn to coronas). I really think the double maduro wrapper and binder would shine through with even more flavor on the smaller sizes of the Azteca. All in all I think the complexity makes for an excellent cigar not only for long time cigar smokers, but the flavors paired with the smoothness will satisfy beginners as well. At a price point of around $6 – $8 I think the Gran Habano Aztec will be finding it’s way into my regular rotation very soon.

Pairing: Having the Azteca before, and being quite aware of its smooth, creamy, chocolate upbringing I decided to pair it with another one of my favorite beers. St. Peter’s Cream Stout. St. Peter’s Cream Stout is a 6.5%, sweet, milk stout brewed a the St. Peter’s Brewery in Suffolk U.K. This cigar is a great pairing with most sweet tobacco, or maduro cigars. The creamyness helps smooth out the experience while the sweet chocolate undertones only enhance a cigar’s flavor. Black coffee, Brown Soda, Water,  or a rich Port would pair perfectly with this cigar.

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