Gran Habano La Conquista

By Tony Casas | March 5, 2018

Ahoy! Finally feeling almost normal so I decided to throw back an Evil Twin Aun Mas Cafe Jesus paired with a Gran Habano La Conquista.

The Good Stuff:

Paying tribute to the Spanish Conquistadors, the Gran Habano La Conquista is one of the latest, full-bodied additions to George A. Rico’s stacker portfolio. The cigar is manufactured at the G.R. Tabacaleras Unidas S.A. factory in Honduras using a Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, Nicaraguan filler, and a mix of Colombian, Costa Rican, and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. The La Conquista is offered in three size: Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 54), and Double Toro (6 x 60). All formats are offered in 24 count boxes running between $8 and $9 a stick. Huge thanks goes out to the Gran Habano team for sending a few of these our way.

Size: 5 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Colombian, Costa Rican, Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8
Pairing: Evil Twin Aun Mas Cafe Jesus (Imperial Stout 12% ABV)

Prelight:

The Gran Habano La Conquista starts off with a light/medium brown wrapper which isn’t very consistent in color. There are splotches of orange and darker brown scattered throughout the cigar’s body. The texture on the cigar is semi-toothy with a whole ton of thick oils which rub of on my fingers as I handle the cigar. The cigar feels very firm and well-packed while the wrapper feels dense and tough as it leads up to the cigar’s round, triple-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with a very intricate white, maroon, and gold band showcasing some Conquistador artwork as well as a long cedar foot wrap with the word “La Conquista” printed on the front which runs little over half the length of the cigar’s body.

The wrapper on the Gran Habano La Conquista gives off a ton of cashew and cedar aromas while the foot of the cigar carries a nice spice alongside mostly natural, earthy aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my double bladed Xikar XO cutter. The cold draw produces quite a bit of spice, cashew, cedar, and oat.

First Third:

The Gran Habano La Conquista leads off with some very subtle pepper which I was expecting to be more pronounced, loads of cedar and honey, notes of orange zest and pine, as well as some great natural dirt and tobacco flavors. The cigar stats out much more mild than I was expecting, but that’s not a bad thing. The draw is great, as each puff releases a good amount of thick smoke. The burn line is dead even and incredibly sharp leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted medium/dark gray ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of The Gran Habano La Conquista and the flavors still lead with honey and cedar, backed by coffee, spice, natural tobacco, and some interesting saltiness. The retrohale really brings the spice and coffee out of the cigar and I find myself doing it quite often. The burn line has gotten a bit wavy but hasn’t needed any added attention while I close out the second third with nothing in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

Into the final third of The Gran Habano La Conquista and the orange zest flavor has made quite a return. As for the rest of the profile it’s still pretty consistent with lots of cedar, honey and coffee as well as notes of chocolate, spice, and natural tobacco. It took me an hour and half to take this cigar down to the nub. I experienced no harshness nor extended heat. I close out with a very minor nicotine kick.

Overview:

The Gran Habano La Conquista is a solid cigar. It’s not very complex, but it makes up for that with it’s pleasant flavor profile. I love how well the coffee and chocolate mixed in with the experience. This is a great cigar for novice cigar smokers who are looking for something more full-bodied as well as enthusiasts who want something solid that they don’t have to think to much about.

Pairing:

Aun Mas Cafe Jesus is an imperial stout brewed by our favorite Gypsy Brewers Evil Twin. Coming in at a rocking 12% ABV this beer is one you have to be a bit careful with. The beer leads with sweet fudge, chocolate milk, dark chocolate, vanilla, and just a bit of coffee with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter with more fudge, vanilla and milk with a bit of coffee on the aftertaste. I’m not too big on coffee in beers but this is a perfect example of it done right. Subtle, yet noticable. The booze is very well hidden and I could see myself getting stupid with a few of these. The chocolate and coffee paired beautifully with The Gran Habano La Conquista while the sweetness really helped by adding another dimension to the experience.