Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf / United States: Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan / Nicaragua: Regions undisclosed
Filler: Nicaraguan / Nicaragua: Regions undisclosed
Size: Billy (6 x 54)
Strength: Medium → Full (last inch)
Body: Medium-Plus → Full (early first half)
Price: $8.75 single; $85.00 box of 10 (Miami Humidor, U.S./USD)
Factory: Las Villas Cigar Factory, Nicaragua
Blender: Guillermo Peña
Release: 2023 PCA Convention (Commemorative release; production status not disclosed)
Smoking Time: 1:40
Experience Rating: 99
When I asked Mike Casas at Miami Humidor which Las Villas and GP cigars I should try, he recommended the Las Villas Selección Red, By the Book, and the GP 10 Aniversario. He said the other blends were great, but these three were special. He wasn’t just giving me a sales pitch.
Now that I’ve smoked all three, special undersells just how good these cigars are.
And my admiration for Guillermo Peña’s work continues to grow. I was not expecting the cigars to be this good. I knew what he could do with Paul Stulac cigars, but he definitely saved his best work for his own stuff.
As a blender, Guillermo Peña is like his Las Villas factory: he’s hiding in plain sight.
Synopsis
Strength begins at medium, edges upward during the early stages, and holds relatively steady through the middle before climbing sharply over the last couple of inches. It reaches full in the last inch and remains there through the nub. Body opens at medium-plus, rises to full during the first-half progression, and stays full for the remainder of the smoke. Activity begins at medium, surges during the progression, and maintains that elevated level through the last couple of inches before gradually receding through the last inch and nub.
This stick feels like a baton. It’s solid, and the box press has really packed the bunch. The skin is smooth, though its appearance is slightly rustic. The oils give it a matte-like finish.
The wrapper gives off that unmistakable Connecticut Broadleaf sweetness, along with hay, cedar, and a light citrus note. The foot smells deliciously of plum and caramel, with just a touch of barnyard. The cold draw is perfect, with resistance exactly how I like it, requiring just a little effort. It’s rich with sweet Connecticut Broadleaf and a little cedar.
With the first puff, rich cacao and cedar arrive alongside an incredible Broadleaf sweetness. Black pepper and cream immediately follow, accompanied by astringent coffee reminiscent of a light French roast.
It’s structure from the get-go. There’s that Guillermo Peña signature.
The smoke begins at medium strength with a medium-plus body.
The cigar settles almost immediately, and the core is set. Coffee moves to the front, followed by charred cedar, cacao, and black pepper. Cream lays the foundation beneath it all. A caramel-like sweetness forms on the finish as a light dose of nicotine arrives and pushes the strength slightly higher.
As the first half progresses, an entire fruit sampler begins appearing over the core: orange, pear, and stone fruit. The fruit comes with an assortment of roasted nuts, including pistachio, peanut, almond, and cashew. All of this is punctuated by that gorgeous sweetness on the finish, which has shifted from caramel to stone fruit.
The body texture is super-thick and rich now. I’m barely an inch into the smoke, and the body is already full. And yet, the strength remains so tame.
Guillermo’s signature is immediate identity, at least generally. With his own sticks, I’m getting the sense of a blender who delivers full-bodied smokes that never overpower and always carry an inherent energy. His blends steadily drive forward, but they’re never chaotic, as if the experience is choreographed. His cigars are fully expressive from foot to nub.
Getting into the second third, wood notes appear in the form of fresh cedar, teak, and oak. Then heavy baking spices arrive: black cardamom, clove, anise, and allspice.
The retrohale reveals different aspects of the profile from puff to puff. There’s also a flavor that keeps popping up in the retro that I can’t put my finger on. It’s familiar, but I’m having a hard time identifying it. The problem is that it doesn’t appear until the finish, as my sinuses clear. The retrohale is first dominated by different flavor combinations, and then that one flavor shows up. Whatever it is, the behavior is simply amazing.
Like the By the Book and Selección Red, this cigar performs a switcheroo of mini-transitions, presenting different flavor combinations with each puff. I’m shaking my head in disbelief at the complexity of this cigar.
At the halfway point, I ask myself, “Where’s the spice?”
Spice? We don’t need no stinkin’ spice. It finally arrives in a whisper, but the thing lifting the profile is that background sweetness.
Man, I’m in my happy place right now!
The mini-transitions keep coming. I’m swooning from the complexity and am no longer interested in picking out every flavor in the combinations. Black pepper steps forward a little, and the strength climbs ever so slightly.
As I enter the home stretch, the spice finally makes its presence known. It sneaked in like a wedding crasher and is now mingling with the guests, moving all over my mouth from puff to puff. Sometimes it’s on the tip of my tongue. Then it moves to the roof of my mouth. Right now, it’s sitting at the back of my tongue. It’s adding even more energy to the profile.
The core is asserting itself now and becoming dominant. Fine by me, because I can still see the secondaries in the lineup.
One nice change is a raisin-like flavor that appears at the beginning of the puff. A flavor combination follows, then the core takes over before the sweetness puts an exclamation point on the finish. The spice continues moving about the room. It’s not at all structural, content to float around the profile.
As I finish the second third, the finishing sweetness morphs into a toffee-like quality that is further enhanced by the retrohale. There isn’t a lick of compression yet, though the spice continues its upward climb in intensity. It arrives in a short burst, then settles into a nice afterglow on the finish.
With a couple of inches remaining, the core becomes thematically coffee and cacao, softened by cream. Add that sweetness and, well, mocha latte anyone? To me, this is archetypical Connecticut Broadleaf, at least from my purview.
The profile finally begins to compress, and the strength pushes toward medium-plus territory. It’s not quite there yet, but I’m beginning to feel more pressure from the profile. Despite the pressure, the profile remains incredibly articulate.
The spice has finally stopped moving and settled on my tongue, coating it. The deep richness of the Broadleaf is now beginning to shine, and I’m floating in the waters of dark, spicy goodness.
Suddenly, sourdough toast with a thick spread of sweet butter appears, followed by cinnamon roll. That was an unexpected transition, especially at this late stage.
Strength takes a jump as the spice intensifies and the profile compresses further. It’s still articulate, but I’m really starting to feel the pressure now. Through all of this, the combinations keep coming.
I giggle at the thought that Guillermo wasn’t playing around with this blend. As with the Las Villas sticks, this cigar has so much energy despite the compression I’m feeling. No collapse. No chaos. It’s just pure energy.
As I reach the last inch, the strength climbs to full. The spice hasn’t intensified, but it has become a persistent presence, like it’s now the life of the party. The astringency of the French roast becomes more pronounced, while the sweetness changes to burnt sugar.
The profile takes a darker turn and is now dominated by the core. The combinations are still coming, though at a much slower rate than before.
At the nub, the profile is that dark mocha latte core with a quadruple shot of espresso. Amazingly, the cedar and black pepper are still there, though they’re no longer riding shotgun. The combinations are gone, but I don’t sense any reduction in the flavor profile.
Wow! I just got a hit of black licorice. The real stuff that finishes with that tar-like quality.
Damn! This thing ain’t quittin’ on me at all!
The GP 10 Aniversario finishes as declaratively as it started.
Yet another remarkable cigar from Guillermo Peña. I almost feel like Wayne and Garth kneeling at Alice Cooper’s feet, saying, “We’re not worthy. We’re not worthy.”
And this is a guy you hear practically nothing about in cigar culture, let alone his cigars. It’s not surprising that his renown borders on obscurity. With thousands of brands out there, it’s difficult to stand out.
But I’m just going to say this: Guillermo Peña is someone you should know about.
I’ve smoked his cheapest cigars through his premiums.
This blender knows his shit.
As usual, you can buy these from Miami Humidor. At $8.75 for a single, this cigar is a steal.
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