La Gloria Cubana Britanicas Extra (UK Regional Edition 2017) Box of 10 Cigars
- Length: 137mm
- Gauge: 48
- Flavour: Medium
- Box of 10 Cigars
- Humidor Advised
- Aged by H&F since 2017
Some cigars are interesting for their tobacco, others for their history. The La Gloria Cubana Británicas Extra has rather a fine claim to both.
Commissioned as the 2017 Regional Edition for Great Britain, this exceptional Cuban cigar eventually reached the British market in 2020, following a considerable delay. Just 6,000 individually numbered boxes of ten were produced, making it one of those releases that deserves rather more attention than the average addition to a humidor.
The Británicas Extra is a particularly handsome shape. Measuring 137mm with a 48 ring gauge, its unusual perfecto construction features a rounded head, gently swelling body and tapered foot. This is demanding work for a cigar roller, and the resulting shape is a reminder of an earlier period of Cuban cigar making, when such elegant figurados were considerably more commonplace.
The presentation is equally thoughtful. Each cigar carries a beautifully detailed, historic-style La Gloria Cubana band, recreated from an example discovered in Havana, together with the distinctive red and silver Exclusivo Gran Bretaña regional band.
La Gloria Cubana itself dates back to 1885 and has long been associated with a refined, medium-bodied Cuban character. The Británicas Extra follows that tradition, offering aromatic cedar, earthy tobacco, restrained spice and a gentle underlying sweetness. Its changing proportions allow the character of the smoke to develop as the burn progresses.
The box pictured is especially interesting. Its factory stamp reads UBM DIC 17, identifying December 2017 production, while the purple Hunters & Frankau English Market Selection sticker bears the year 2026. It is a particularly appealing combination for anyone interested in the provenance of a distinguished Regional Edition.
Presented in its original wooden slide-lid box of ten, this is a cigar with a great deal of history packed into a comparatively modest space. Rather like some of the best old books, it rewards anyone inclined to examine the finer details.
