News: La Gloria Cubana Releases Piramide Supra for Northeastern U.S.
What was described by Michael Giannini as “other special things” that he and Yuri Guillen were working on has resulted in a second limited run of La Gloria Cubana cigars, this time for the northeastern portion of the United States, a region that includes Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Delaware among other states.
The La Gloria Cubana Piramide Supra is a 7 1/4 x 62 cigar, a longer and slightly less girthy release than the 6 1/2 x 64 Gorda Gorda that was released for the western U.S. in late June. Production is being limited to 777 boxes of 10 cigars, for a total production of 7,770 cigars, notably more than the 500 boxes of 10 that were produced for the Gorda Gorda, which was reviewed here. The cigars were rolled in 2009 for another project that Giannini had been working on but never made their way out of the escaparte.
The Piramide Supra comes in a pyramid shaped box to deepen the connection between the packaging and the cigars. It features a sliding lid and red and white pinstripe design that is a bit of a departure from the company’s standard packaging. While the connection to the red pinstripes on the side of the La Gloria Cubana brand is fairly obvious, Giannini says there’s an additional purpose. “It was a shout out to the Phillies,” the Philadelphia native said.
(Image via General Cigar Co.)
The blend between the two limited batches is different, as the Piramide Supra is based off the La Gloria Cubana “white box” blend with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over Dominican broadleaf binder and filler but with the addition of a different type of ligero. Giannini and Team La Gloria were experimenting with different versions of the company’s existing blends in 2009, with this being one of the results.
For comparison, the Gorda Gorda uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and filler from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
“To be able to go down to the factory and work on projects like this is incredibly fun,” Giannini said. “You’re going to see some really fun things come out — including a cigar for the the Southeastern region around the first of December.”
Price for the Piramide Supra is $8.00 per cigar before taxes, which is comparable to the Gorda Gorda’s price.
La Gloria Cubana also released the Innovation 538 in late June, a limited run of their Artesanos de Tabaqueros line that came in a 5 x 38 vitola and was limited to 5,000 cigars.
7.25 x 62? That is a truly horrifying size. Wake me up when ring gauges return to normal.
@AronL Most posers love the giant ring gauges.
@maxx @AronL Yes but those so called "posers" drive a substantially larger segment of the market than the "hipster traditionalist".
@AronL Too right about ring and flavor relationship. I can't think of any 58+ ringed cigars that properly balance flavors, other than the one or two specifically built to be that big (JDN/Drew's My Uzi Weighs a Ton for example). Meanwhile, the most sought after sticks on the market are almost invariably 56 and below, and many are sub-50.
I don't mind the size in and of itself, if it tastes good. But with JFRs pushing 7x70s and all the new 62 and 64 ring crap out there, I know flavor isn't the main goal, and in my personal opinion, those who clamor for bigger and bigger are compensating a bit too much :-p Then again, like I always told my customers, there is no right or wrong, only personal preference.
@Cigar guy I said most posers smoke large ring gauge cigars. I did not say that most people that smoke large ring cigars are posers. If you are trolling for an argument, please look elsewhere.
@Cigar guy @AronL What's with the hostility? I'm no hipster. I'm about 180 pounds too heavy to be a hipster. I'm not denigrating that part of the cigar market that likes large RGs. They're simply not for me. And most serious cigar hobbyists find them somewhat iffy as well.
Before you verbally attack me next time, I suggest you learn about the importance of the cigar wrapper in terms of flavor. Then maybe you'll see the silliness in seventy ring-gauge cigars.
@maxx @Cigar guy @AronL So leaders smoke small cigars? This is becoming quite the pretentious hobby. I was unaware.
@Cigar guy @AronL There are scores of followers and very few leaders.
@AronL I hear you - though Michael told me he likes being able to put a lot of tobacco in a cigar to create a complex flavor while also giving people the chance to sit down with a cigar that takes a bit longer to smoke as a sort of forced relaxation. There are plenty of smaller ring gauge cigars out there -- like I always say, smoke what you love.
@PHXCigarGuy I totally hear you, too. I can certainly understand the 'forced relaxation' angle, but I have small hands, and larger RGs just aren't comfy for me to hold.
I just wish there was as much variety in smaller rings (not to mention similar price points) as there are in the larger rings. But there are still plenty of great sticks at 46-48 and below. And the resurgence in panatellas has been wonderful. But they just don't sell like the gordos
@Cigar guy @AronL @PHXCigarGuy Glad I could entertain you. Not quite sure what was so funny about what I wrote, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
@AronL @PHXCigarGuy ha ha ha! A small hands reference and the word comfy in the same sentence! That's classic! Comment of the year!