Rafael Gonzales (Cuba) Corona Extra

Not as tightly packed as most Cubans making it less of a head buzz

Not much to recommend here. Light flavor and mediocre construction.

Great construction and price, flavor was a little mild for my tastes but still pleasant enough. I would buy again. Almost perfect draw on this stick

This cigar was an '05, and a nice looking cigar, rather unassuming as alluded to by the last review. The roll was very tight but still smokable, though not as generous with the smoke as I would have liked. A pleasant woodsy flavor dominated the beginning, and it burned razor sharp. The cigar opened up a bit in the second half and the flavor became a bit stronger if not complex. Certainly more smoke and much more enjoyable. A nice mild to medium bodied cigar for the price.

The plain brown band captured the spirit of this unassuming cigar perfectly. The solid stick hit the table with a thunk. A beautiful coffee colored wrapper was laced with a fine spider web of veins and sparkled with tiny diamonds of plume. The cap was squared off and very attractive. One solid knot near the head was the only construction issue, and unfortunately it seemed to interfere with the draw.

I clipped twice and still had a tough time with the air flow, but the flavor was there from the start. Medium strong, this cigar offered spicy and peppery forward taste backed with a slightly musty background of corn husks and loam. Somehow it was able to successfully straddle the chasm between rich and coarse with a no-nonsense, solid character. The ash was medium gray and solid, and leaned a bit to one side as it burned down. The great even finish had a maize-like note, lingered, and provided another dimension of earthiness.

Smoked alone in the morning as the fog burned off the pasture and the sun struggled to muscle through, this cigar grabbed my attention and lever let go all the way to the band. I tried to massage the knot out, but was unsuccessful; still, despite the struggle with the draw, I never was left wanting for flavor or smoke. I got the pleasant impression of a slightly bitter French roast at the halfway point. The aroma was reminiscent of moonlit Havana nights with an edgy spectrum of Island richness.

Overall this cigar was a classic example of a good quality Havana. The flavor was not overly complex and rode roughshod over my taste buds, but satisfied completely. In retrospect it was probably not the best choice for before breakfast. When I took my time and let it have its head it delivered a fine, substantial flavor and reminded me of why honest Cuban tobacco is coveted.

This is a Rothschild sized smoke with a silky smooth, chocolate colored wrapper and a neat triple cap. The cigar had a substantial plug in it, that I could see at the foot of the cigar, where I could see a tightly bundled section of tobacco, just a little bit off center. The cigar lit ok, although the plug took a little bit longer to light and contributed to an unven burn. The first half of this medium boddied smoke was quite nice. The prelight toasting offered a coco scent that is remeniscent of the Monte No. 2. Initially the flavor was dominated by a bittersweet chocolate flavor that mellowed into a rich coco flavor with some peppery underpinnings. The draw began to even out as the second half began and the flavor seemed to be more woody and peppery with a sharp finish. The ash was one of the dirtiest I have seen, almost completly black. This is a cigar with unlimited potential, and is one that I would definatly add to my regular rotation.

This was always a cigar with great finesse--like the H. Upmann Lonsdale. However, today it suffers from construction flaws and none of the rich nutmeg and cocoa flavors of old.