Sam Leccia Black Gordo

Back in November I reviewed the Sam Leccia Black Robusto and it became my #4 cigar for 2013. As I begin this review I also wondered, is bigger better? Well, let's find out...

Quick Details

• Cigar Size: 6 x 60 Gordo
• Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Habano
• Binder: Nicaraguan Rosado
• Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican, Brazilian, fire roasted Kentucky dark fire

Once I'd finished smoking the Sam Leccia Black Gordo, I went back and compared notes with the previous robusto review. I was surprised to find out just how close these two cigars were in regards to flavor, strength and burn.

The Black gordo also had top of the line construction. Visual inspection of the cigar showed the wrapper contained only smaller veins and the cold aroma had sweet flavor notes of smoke, nuts and toast. Checking the body of the cigar, it was packed hard, almost rock hard, but once the end was clipped the draw was perfect. Testing the cold draw I found the same flavors mix as the cold aroma plus some added brown sugar and each draw left a lingering sweetness.

After toasting the foot and lighting the cigar, the first couple of puffs yielded medium strength black pepper, brown sugar, smoked almonds (that's as close as I can be on a flavor reference) and toast. After the first few puffs the black pepper disappeared leaving a tasty flavor mix that remained constant, but the strength did increase, until the final third where the flavor shifted to a mix of brown sugar, oak, smoked almonds, leather and earth just past the mid point.

As this slow burning Sam Leccia Black Gordo, it started in the medium range for strength and moved into the medium/full range at the nub. As you can see in the second photo as the burn progressed it left behind a medium gray ash and a clean burn line. The ash held on until a strong gust of wind blew it off a few minutes after the last photo was taken. Overall I found the gordo a great size for this blend!

Rated: 95