La Gianna Angelic is back after a lengthy hiatus. There is nothing more polarizing in the cigar industry than a sweet tipped cigar. It joins the La Gianna Havana Natural and Maduro lines and is named after David Garofalo’s daughter, Gianna. The cigar is described as having a kiss of sweetness on the cap of the cigar, and admittedly, reluctantly, we lit one up when the arrived. For today’s review we are now smoking our 5th one since its release one week ago.
Cigar Review: La Gianna Angelica
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Size: Robusto
The Look: The entire La Gianna line is packaged in innovative packaging where the box slides open. The box designed by Garofalo and United Cigars came to be when the FDA was mulling warning labels for boxes, making it a less invasive design should that ever go into effect. Inside sits 20 cigars with a Connecticut shade wrapper and a halo of Maduro just below the cap. The band featuring a cherub has an old school feel to it with a modern design that denotes La Gianna Havana Limited Reserve. In the hand the cigar is firm, with no voids of tobacco and an average weight.
The Notes: As expected once the cigar is cut there is a sweetness to it, but it is far from overpowering. For me it reminds of the the gum that would be inside a Topps Baseball Trading Cards pack. The subtle sweetness allows that the cigar to also showcase mild coffee on the cold draw. The aroma off the foot serves up earth and cedar and once the cigar is lit there is a subtle raisin component.
As we smoke the first third the kiss of sweetness remains, but it isn’t by any stretch of the imagination the focal point of the cigar. Notes of raisins, split top toast and sunflower seeds show up on the flavor profile with sunflower seeds becoming most dominant by the end of the first third. The smooth retrohale serves up cedar and a mild coffee component while the finish of the cigar has a subtle rye and a hint of sweetness.
Moving into the second third the sweetness of the cap of the cigar is almost non-existent or I have just grown accustomed to it. The sunflower seeds slowly slides into the background with notes of earth, raisins and rye. The finish has a subtle fig component to it and there is an ever so slight sweetness present as well. The retrohale remains incredibly smooth, maybe the smoothest of any cigar I have ever smoked and it showcases hints cedar and a mild coffee.
Moving into the final third, the La Gianna Angelic sees all remnants of the sweetness disappear as the cigar becomes more along the line of the Natural release. Notes of raisin toast dominate the palate with nuances of earth and cedar making this a finger burner of a cigar. The retrohale remains ultra smooth right until the end with elements of a breakfast blend coffee and cedar.
The Finish: This is a sweet capped cigar done right. The kiss of sweetness provides a unique experience on the La Gianna Havana line and it is a damn good one at that. As a cigar purist, sweet tipped cigars would get a strong opinionated response from me, but the La Gianna Angelic has changed that opinion. A great breakfast cigar, the La Gianna Angelic is a guilty pleasure, and I am sure as I continue to smoke these I will do so without guilt.
Score: 93
Price: $7.99 / $135.99
La Gianna Angelic
La Gianna Angelic Foot
La Gianna Angelic Burn
