Gispert Cigars – A Second Look
With so many consumers looking for the latest and most expensive premium smokes available today, we tend overlook some real bargains that have stood the test of time. One of those unsung brands in stogy land is the Gispert cigar. With a storied pedigree that traces back to 19th century Cuba, they are now made by industry giant Altadis USA in the famed La Flor de Copan Cigar Factory in Honduras.
For those of you not familiar with Altadis, they are the talented folks who make Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Don Diego, and Saint Luis Rey Cigars, (just to name a few).
In maintaining their old world heritage, Gispert produces top-quality handmade cigars that are expertly crafted with a unique blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan grown long filler tobaccos, a Honduran binder and a rich Ecuadorian shade grown Connecticut seed wrapper.
My personal favorite size out of the whole lineup is the Gispert Churchill. I recently revisited this gem after a long hiatus, and I wondered why I waited so long!
Right out of the cedar box, I was impressed with this big and surprisingly affordable 7 x 54’s smooth, oily natural wrapper. It was silky to the feel, and had a very solid double cap. Although packed like a rock, after snipping, the pre-light draw produced a lot of air, so the chance of getting a hernia from pulling too hard was quite remote. Upon toasting and lighting, my palate was greeted with a heavy dose of earthy tobacco, mixed with pepper. Shortly thereafter, a mosaic of flavors that include nuts, cedar, cocoa, chocolate and caramel entered the fray, while the slightly stronger top notes began to fade. I have to say that this well-aged stogy produces tons of thick billowy clouds. In fact, it was so bad that I was faced with a dilemma. Take the batteries out of my smoke detector, or continue puffing outdoors. Since I was wearing pajamas, and it was raining, I stuffed said detector in my sock drawer until I was finished smoking.
I’m sorry, in a thoughtless attempt to be amusing, I made that last part up – Now, back to the review…
Much to my delight, as the cigar got smaller, the aforementioned flavors intensified with elements of sweet spice and cream coming to the forefront. The last third was as good as the first, and the lush and velvety, core flavors remained constant right down to the nub.
If you are looking for a refined, complex medium-bodied smoke that is very reasonably priced, you may want to give Gispert a second look, I’m pretty confident that you will enjoy it as much as I do. If not, please don’t send me nasty emails or insult me!
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