"What is your favorite cigar?" is a question that I have been asked many times. It is one that there is no
simple answer for.  It's like asking a parent to choose their favorite child. The biggest problem, if you can call it a problem, is that there are so many different cigars in all shapes and styles. This makes it very difficult to single out just one stick.

If you really want to see a head explode, ask a wine person their favorite wine. The answer you would probably get would be in line with how I would answer the cigar question. "It depends on the occasion and the type of smoking experience one is looking for."

Someone who loves and truly appreciates wine will find something good in almost all styles. If you went to a nice restaurant and wanted a great bottle of wine with your dinner, you wouldn't want a sommelier who hates white wine and only drinks Cabernet. I have always been amused by "cigar people" who only
like or promote a single style of cigars. I'm certain you have spoken with or read an article written by one of these people. A true connoisseur appreciates a wide range of types, styles and vintages.

When it comes to cigars, I love all styles and strengths. What I think makes a great cigar is what the person smoking it is looking for in that cigar. If I want a full-bodied cigar with lots of rich tobacco flavor, with notes of coffee and cocoa, then I am going to be very disappointed after I light up a Macanudo Lords Cafe. The Macanudo Lords Cafe is a wonderfully constructed, mild cigar which would serve one well for an early morning or pre-meal smoke, but it hardly contains the rich flavors I expect out of a full-bodied cigar. Having those same expectations, but this time lighting up a La Gloria Series R #7 Maduro, will make me just like Phil Robertson on the opening day of duck season:  happy, happy, happy. What makes a cigar great is how it fulfills your expectations of what you think it should be. If it does, then it is a great cigar.

Now back to the subject of favorites. The fact that I have mentioned the La Gloria Series R #7 Maduro is no coincidence. If I had to pick a favorite then LGSR7 Maduro would be my "go-to" cigar.  I made my first trip down to the Dominican Republic in 2006 with a few friends from work. Our guide on that trip was Rick Rodriguez, who, these days, is the master blender for CAO. It was a great trip where we met great people and learned a lot about the processes involved in making a premium cigar from the field to the humidor. I recall taking a handful of LGSR7 Maduros with me on this trip. Of course, I know taking cigars to the DR is like taking a trip to Napa with a bottle of Cabernet in your luggage. I guess I just wanted to make sure I had enough for the ride from the airport to the hotel.

It was great to be smoking a LGSR7 Maduro in the factory as the rollers and bunchers were making that very cigar. It was also worth noting that the atmosphere in the room where they make the La Gloria's was much different than the other parts of the factory. They seemed to be a lot more loose and a lot more of the workers were smoking their finely crafted work.

Fast forward six years and I am at the same factory. It was nice to see many of the same faces from my previous visit. I couldn't wait to stroll into the La Gloria section. When we finally made it in there, I mentioned to one of my hosts how the LGSR7 Maduro was my favorite cigar. This was overheard by Yuri Guillen, General Cigar's Manager of Manufacturing, and after giving me a big hug, he explained to me why he loved that cigar so much. Although he is responsible for the manufacturing of all General Cigar and El Credito brands and oversees more than 1200 employees, La Gloria is where Yuri got his start and he is very passionate about this cigar. Yuri made that trip really special, as he let me sample some of his special blends not yet slated for production.  It is at La Gloria where many of the artisanal blends for the General Cigar Portfolio are created. But despite the many new cigars and creations, there is just something about that LGSR7 Maduro that makes it a special cigar.

The La Gloria Series R #7 is a full-bodied smoke that gets its punch from the Nicaraguan Ligero filler that packs this 7 x 58 Dominican monster. The strength of the Ligero in the filler is softened a bit by the Dominican Olor binder, but not too much. The cigar is completed with its dark and oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. With three distinctly different tobaccos making up this cigar, they work well together to create a strong, but balanced, smoke. The cigar starts off strong right away so expect dark, rich coffee notes early on.There is also a nice undertone of cocoa and a mild sweetness in this cigar. It's not a spice bomb, and if that is your fancy, then give the Natural a shot. It has the same filler and binder as the Maduro, but covers itself with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, which is well known for its heavy spice flavors. As you get into the latter stages of smoking the LGSR7 Maduro, the smoke remains cool and the flavors really blend together with no taste profile bullying the other. I have seen others complain in reviews of burn issues, but I can't recall having one with this cigar—ever. It has always given me a nice even burn along with a nice tight ash that doesn't drop off until the first quarter of the cigar is completed.

So, the next time you have two hours to sit down and relax, let me suggest that you give the La Gloria Series R Maduro a shot. I can't guarantee that this will become your favorite cigar, but I am willing bet you will want to add a few to you humidor.

 Long Ashes,

Chris Gwaltney

ABC Fine Wine & Spirits regional manager in Jacksonville. Follow him on Twitter @chrisgnole