| LA GIANNA HAVANA CHURCHILL RING GAUGE:49 LENGTH: 7" FILLER: NICARAGUA BINDER: NICRAGUA WRAPPER: ECUADOR |
This is a mild to medium-bodied cigar. It is smooth-tasting with a dry spice character and hints of nuts and earthy flavors. U.S.: $5.95 |
|
|
|
|
| 
| ||||
 
LA GIANNA #2
PRE-SMOKE Aesthetics: This cigar has a light-brown, smooth wrapper which is uniform in color/ Not a bad-looking stick, nice sheen, a little veiny, but otherwise decent looking/ Smooth, light and clean looking. Construction Before Lighting: Well made, no soft spots. A little firm, but with some give/ Some soft spots in the construction, but looks like a winner - an underdog, but a winner/ "Finger friendly". SMOKE Construction After Lighting: All samples drew very well, had great looking ashes, and burned evenly and slowly/ Draws well, even smoke... light but pleasant/ All five sample cigars held their own, maintaining a firm hand-feel and an adequate draw/ The draw was relatively good, although the ash would keep on splitting and falling to the floor without my permission. How it Smoked/ Flavor: Excellent medium-bodied stick, somewhat complex in flavor. I did notice some spice and leathery-type flavors... this is a satisfying smoke!/ Flavorful, multifactorial, very pleasant, outdoorsy/ Coffee and earthy tones dominated these straightforward sticks from top to bottom/ An above average medium-bodied cigar with straightforward flavor characteristics. Aroma: Produces somewhat of an earthy aroma/ Tart and lingering, the aroma was not unpleasant/ The medium-strength smoke produced a fairly mild, earthy aroma that dissipated quickly. Aftertaste: Rich, long-lasting and robust/ Definitely heavy, but not repulsive/ You're going to need to wash this cigar down with something, because the flavor does not want to leave. GENERAL COMMENTS "Great stick to smoke after lunch. It has enough strength and flavor to satisfy you, but is not so strong that you want to take a nap after it." "In the top three... perfect for a walk, after dinner, or just watching the football game with some nachos." "The 'E' would have enjoyed this cigar, as it provided the ideal compliment to a peanut butter and fried banana sandwich." "A good, well-rounded cigar, although nothing to write home about." SUMMARY You may have seen La Gianna's familiar Botticelli-style angelic label inside the "Cigar Jar," another product of Gary Scott International. The Gianna #2 is a fairly straightforward stick characterized by mildly spicy flavor characteristics, and a superior draw. A pleasing mild-afternoon smoke. |  
LA GIANNA Havana Special Selection Robusto
PRE-SMOKE Aesthetics: The wrappers were the color of coffee with cream/ A few veins protruded prominently from the wrapper/ Nice, light, Connecticut-style wrapper that is fairly smooth, although a little veiny/ Smooth, light beige wrapper/ Great pre-light bouquet/ Smooth, yellowish-brown wrapper leaf that is smooth and possesses a nice plume. Construction Before Lighting: The roll was firm, although not too firm, and was very consistent throughout the samples/ Solid construction that is very tight and dense, with just the proper amount of give/ Seems to be loosely rolled with several soft spots/ Firm roll, but very lightweight/ Some were soft, some were firm, although very few knots or hard spots could be found. SMOKE Construction After Lighting: All but one of the samples burned well, and the draw was very good/ These cigars had a fairly good draw and they all burned evenly/ This cigar is firm in the mouth but had a somewhat tight draw/ Nice draw, solid ash, but they burned a little uneven, with occasional runs/ Light-colored, solid ash/ No soft spots showed up, although a few of the samples had tight draws/ Draw was good on most samples, but one was too tight/ Burned impeccably and slowly/ Very solid construction/ An excellent draw that allows plenty of smoke into the mouth. How it Smoked/ Flavor: Nice and light on the palate, with a pleasant, sweet taste/ Smoked cool, with a light, fruity sweetness/ Light-bodied, sweet, almost fruity, with earthy undertones -- very nice!/ Tasted earthy, although a little bland/ A little spice produced by hot smoke/ Each of these samples had a fairly beautiful earthy flavor/ Medium-body with a slight saltiness on the lips/ This is a very mild smoke, with a woody and creamy flavor/ So mild you can smoke them on an empty tank/ Kind of bland/ Very light flavor that is slightly sweet and haylike. Aroma: A very light and mild aroma/ Produced a very distinct, medium-bodied aroma that lingered a bit/ Mild aroma that was lively/ Extremely mild and pleasant aroma/ Very light and mildly spicy/ Smelled good. Aftertaste: Finished clean, with almost no lingering aftertaste/ Extremely mild and bland/ As the cigar burned down, it left a lingering and salty aftertaste/ Spicy aftertaste that lingered a little/ Very mild, not much to speak of/ Left a light, sweet aftertaste. GENERAL COMMENTS "An exquisite and exciting cigar. A pleasurable event." "Great for novice smokers or for those who prefer light cigars." "A nice cigar that could use some more punch in the flavor department" "Robusto fans will greatly enjoy this cigar." SUMMARY The La Gianna scored high marks with our reviewers, who were attracted to this cigar's light-to-medium body and earthy, sweet flavor. This unassuming smoke is more of a leadoff batter -- a strong singles hitter with a high average -- as opposed to your home run hitting cleanup guy. It's a great stick to keep in your humidor for when you're not in the mood for a vertigo-inducing heavy hitter. Recommended. |
La Gianna Angelic Selection Belabusto
I panned the shade wrapped stock La Gianna in the last issue of the MOTT, but these Angelic Selection are a totally different story. The dark Sumatran wrapper really gives this cigar life, and the Belabusto, a fat stocky short torpedo, is a real pleasure to smoke. It is a medium bodied cigar with distinct flavors of oak, hickory, and cedar. The finish is long and creamy smooth - this is a definite finger burner! Needless to say I really enjoyed this Nicaraguan cigar, and highly recommend it as a must try stick!
Fuji Publishing Group All rights reserved.