Graycliff Cigars has established themselves as a premium brand in the cigar industry. The Graycliff name is known best for the historic Graycliff Inn located in Nassau, The Bahamas. Graycliff Cigars was created by Inn owner Enrico Garzaroli and master blender Avelino Lara. Graycliff’s reputation was built on two facts- namely the cigars are manufactured in the Bahamas and they have some very interesting cigar blends. I figured I was overdue to provide an assessment of a Graycliff Cigar, so I decided to select the Graycliff Original (i.e. the Red Label – known for its band) as the first Graycliff I would review.
One thing I must say right off the bat as that this cigar has been advertised in several places as medium strength and body. I’ve had plenty of medium strength and medium body cigars – and this cigar is not in this category. It is mild on both accounts. It is not quite as mild as its sibling cigar, the Graycliff Emerald (Green Label), but still mild bodied and mild strength.
Graycliff blends are always interesting and the Red Label is no exception to this rule. The cigar makes heavy use of Indonesian (Sumatra) tobacco – here is a summary of the composition of the blend:
Wrapper: Indonesia
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Honduras
The cigar is available in 13 vitolas. As interesting as the blend is, the vitolas available are equally as interesting. Note two of the long 14 inch cigars:
Big Bamboo (Pyramid): 50 x 14
Big Bamboo (Straight): 50 x 14
Chairman Gauge: 50x: 7 3/4
Corona: 38 x 6
Elegante: 38 x7 1/4
Gran Dame: 33 x 5
PG: 50 x 5 1/4
PGX: 50 x 6
Pirate: 52 x 6
Presidente: 48 x 7
Roberta: 26 x 4 3/4
Salomone: 58 x 7
Taco: 44 x 4 1/2
For this cigar experience, I opted to sample the PG size – basically a Robusto. I placed a perfect straight cut into the Indonesian wrapped cap and then proceed to toast the cigar. Immediately on the first draws, I did not pick up any strength from this cigar – it felt mild and in fact stayed mild for the duration of the cigar experience.
In addition to the mild strength, the flavor notes are not deep -resulting in this being a mild bodied cigar. This is not a complex smoke – and I definitely would categorize this as low complexity. The flavor stays pretty consistent throughout this smoke – notes of wood, mild cedar, nut, and some coffee are what I detected throughout this cigar experience. Not a lot of depth to the notes, but a smooth smoke
The construction of the Graycliff cigars is flawless. This results in a razor sharp burn that finishes soft and cool on the finish. What the draw was a bit loose for me, it wasn’t a bad draw from my point of view.
The problem with this Graycliff ultimately is the price point. The SRP for the PG vitola is around $15 – $16.00. While some online retailers discount it, even with the discounted price point – I would expect more body and complexity for a cigar of this price. I’m not anti-mild cigars, but do believe a mild strength cigar needs more body and complexity. While this might satisfy either new enthusiasts or enthusiasts who prefer mild strength and body, this probably will disappoint those who prefer a more robust cigar.
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Mild
Body: Mild
Assessment: See What You Think
