Por Larranaga Cuban Grade Figurado | Additional Cigar Reviews | Content

It’s a bit of a bummer when you see one of your old favorite cigars being liquidated at J.R. cigars. I suppose though that’s the pessimists view. The optimist in me should focus on the fact that what was once a $150 a box cigar is now being cleared out for just under 40 bucks a box. While I was out bargain hunting I stumbled upon the Por Larranaga Cuban Grade line of cigars getting absolutely blown out.

Those were the facts that faced me when I decided to break out a few Por Larranaga Cuban Grade Figurados to enjoy on a nice spring evening. This would also serve as a nice test to see if I would dip in and pry open my wallet and take advantage of these low prices. They had to be good as well, as this economy had acted like Gorilla Glue in keeping my wallet closed.

Por Larranaga Cuban Grade is the creation of master cigar blender Michael Argenti, and his company Cuban Imports. Mr. Argenti had previously been what Tabacalera Perdomo, (Michael Argenti is the brother in law of Nick Perdomo Jr.) and in late 1995 branched out on his own. Would he get the opportunity to do was fantastic, re-blending some famous brands like Por Larranaga, and H. Upmann.

Michael and his brother Al run Cuban Imports, and are the sole distributor of all of their brands. This can be confusing to some, considering the famous names they are re-blending, don’t let this confuse you. The cigars are still made by Altadis in their Flor de Copan factory in Honduras. I don’t think Altadis would let these big names too far out their sight.

I had always liked Mr. Argenti is blending back in the Perdomo days, and his follow ups have been fantastic as well. The figurado is a 6 1/8 x 52 cigar with a Ecuadorian wrapper, Dominican and Honduran filler, and Mexican binder. The original retail price of the cigar was $7.50, but as I said earlier checking JR, they are quickly being cleared out. That said I have also seen in show up on some of the very auction sites, and you can get some unbelievable bargains they are as well.

On to the cigar, and it’s interesting to note that most of the cigars in this line had a similar flavor profile. So my opinion what applies to the cigar can be applied to the rest of the cigars in line.

The Por Larranaga Cuban Grade Figurado is an interesting smoke to say the least. The flavor changes constantly, and contains coffee flavors, honey, and other earthy profiles. It can be considered a mild to medium bodied cigar, and while lingering on the edge I would still call it smooth even though there are hopes and downs in the flavor profile. I’m not sure if these ups and downs can be attributed to the figurado shape, they are there and the good news is they are bearable.

You’ll be surprised at how dark in oily the Ecuadorian wrapper his. I’m looking at the cigar you expected to be stronger than strong, but it’s not. The spiciness seems to come from the Ecuadorian wrapper while the earthiness seems to resonate from the Mexican filler. All in all the flavors balance fantastically, and the light pepperey tones that enter the cigar as it winds down are something that you will definitely notice. Net and

There is a certain “finesse” with this cigar that is hard to describe. I can’t quite put words to it, but I can tell you it is far more evident in the natural line that it is in the Maduro. The Maduro line is definitely meatier, and past enjoyed with something else to complement your palette as well.

So as you see the Por Larranaga Cuban Grade cigars on clearance I would shoot for them in this order: Robusto, Toro, Figurado, Corona…of course not overlooking the Maduro versions either, which had a dark Mexican wrapper.

So I will get back to the optimist in me and celebrate the fact that I can now get these once proud, once expensive cigars at absolutely fire sale prices. What makes this even better is that with the clean tobaccos the cigars are made when they will age well, and we can all feel comfortable letting them sit in our humidors for years to come.

Oh yeah and back to the first paragraph, I did pry open wallet and I did or myself a few boxes. An investment I’m fairly confident will pay off.

Comments (1) Add Comment

I concur
written by Aaron, June 30, 2009

I just happend to stumble upon these on CI and had never heard of them before. I ordered a box due to the fantastic price and interesting description in the flavor profile. At $3 or so per stick I was really impressed with the complexity of the taste and even burn.

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