Cigar Review: Felipe Gregorio Pure Corona

Miami-based cigar house Felipe Gregorio just sent us some samples to taste and I got first crack at picking a stick. My eyes were immeidately drawn to the Pure, a Dominican Puro packaged in cedar. In fact, this cigar is aged for a spell in a Royal Spanish Cedar Trunk (not really sure how that’s different from a regular cedar box).

The wrapper was a deliciously oily and nutty brown Corojo, and though the stick felt a little sqishy near the cap, the construction was otherwise spot-on. Pre-light taste was bitter and predictably cedary.

The cigar lit easily and burned on the slow side, but I was able to smoke 2/3 of the cigar without a touch-up. With such solid construction I was able to concentrate fully on the flavors of this cigar, and boy were there a lot of them. The core is definitely woody, a flavor that leaps out during the long and luxurious finish. Then came an amazing cognac taste that kind of frames the aroma of the cigar and marries perfectly with the wood notes. I was also able to detect a subtle tartness and just the slightest hint of savory spice, almost like wood chips on a barbecue.

I would put this stick on the more medium side of medium- to full-bodied. It’s mouth-wateringly creamy and quite an amazing accomplishment in complexity given all the tobaccos came from the same farm. The long finish allows you to really take in the luxurious flavors of this cigar — I felt like I could still taste the cigar hours after I smoked it, but it was a pleasant and subtle lingering.

I will certainly be recommending to our buyer that we pick up a few boxes of Pure.