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Last post 2 years ago by mike45567. 42 replies replies.
La Gloria Cubana Serie R -- Sweet?!?!
ripcurlksm Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 06-19-2019
Posts: 38
I just picked up a 5 pack of these and did anyone notice there is a type of sweetener or something added to the outer wrapper? It reminded me of an Acid (terrible), and left a sweet taste in my mouth just from putting the cigar in my mouth. Why doesn't the description say sweet? What did they do to it to sugar coat the head of the cigar? I AM DEVISTATED


La Gloria Cubana Serie R

Wrapper Connecticut Broadleaf, Ecuador Sumatra, Maduro
Origin Dominican Republic
Flavored False
Pressed False
Has Tip No
Binder Nicaraguan
Filler Brazilian, Dominican, Mexican, Nicaraguan
Sweet False

https://www.cigarsintern...cigars/1411516/#p-103973
LeeBot Online
#2 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2020
Posts: 1,920
That's weird. I've smoked a couple of those, had one about a week ago, and I haven't noticed any sweetness. At all.

Could be that the worker who packaged them for shipment dropped them on his powdered donuts, tried to wipe it all off, but failed. Happens all the time.

Edit: now that I think about it, I was smoking the Esteli. The donut guy never packs those.
Jakethesnake86 Online
#3 Posted:
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 3,945
All cigars say that on this page. Maybe the wrapper has a natural sweetness to it. They aren’t sweetened though.
Jakethesnake86 Online
#4 Posted:
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 3,945
Check a different cigar on cbid. It will say the same
Jsnyder147 Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 12-26-2020
Posts: 478
Jakethesnake86 wrote:
All cigars say that on this page. Maybe the wrapper has a natural sweetness to it. They aren’t sweetened though.

Definitely a natural sweetness. Although I don’t pick it up on the serie r, I do occasionally pick up the sweetness at first on the classic. Never minded it.
Jakethesnake86 Online
#6 Posted:
Joined: 12-29-2020
Posts: 3,945
I have one of those left. Not something I’d call sweet
CheapPrick Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 11-25-2019
Posts: 535
Maybe you have type 2 diabetes...

I have some of those and there's no sweetness except what I taste with any maduro wrapper.

Didn't like that cigar. way too peppery with really bad burn and kept having to relight.
Stogie1020 Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 12-19-2019
Posts: 5,231
RipCurl, you are NOT imagining this.

I got a 10 pack a year ago from CBID and they were definitely sweetened in the tips. No doubt at all. I still have one left, I had to snip them pretty aggressively to get rid of the sweet caps.

Dunno what happened to these, but it really threw me off.

See posts #7 and #8 in this thread: http://www.cigarbid.com/...ts/663364/new-to-cigars

My guess is that CBID bought some "sweetened experiment" rejects, and didn't know it. They probably just don't have the ability to sort it all out from the non-sweetened Series R, so they figure the will just simply sell their current stock and let the problem sort itself out over time.
delta1 Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,754
my son also got a batch of the LGC Serie R that he swore had a sweetened tip...the next couple fivers didn't...
hnixon12 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 04-20-2009
Posts: 2,873
have had these, but like there Series N better
PonyBoi Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 03-08-2021
Posts: 1
Wow, I’m apparently not the only one to get this. Definitely artificially sweeted tip. like something out of drew estate or an Acid (as you said). Unsmokable 🤢
WSC Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 10-19-2015
Posts: 48
Not the Serie R's I just purchased but the most recent Wavells (Classic) now have a sweetened head and cap. Not cool.
midmofan Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
WSC wrote:
Not the Serie R's I just purchased but the most recent Wavells (Classic) now have a sweetened head and cap. Not cool.


Yup, just found out the same here on the Wavells. Not as horrible as a DE stick - sweetness is much less prominent - but not what I want.
midmofan Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
Update on the LGC Wavells.

If I cut off about 3/4 of an inch, that pretty well takes care of the sweetness.

Tested the taste a cap&stump I cut off and saved. Yuch. Nasty sweet. Tasted much worse than it when just lit up and smoked the thing.

Anybody check any of the other forums, blogs or reddits about this? When did this happen and, more importantly, why‽‽‽
Stogie1020 Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 12-19-2019
Posts: 5,231
Mid,

I actually went on to the LGC web site and contacted them, but never heard back... Didn't do much looking elsewhere.
midmofan Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
Stogie1020 wrote:
Mid,

I actually went on to the LGC web site and contacted them, but never heard back... Didn't do much looking elsewhere.


Several complaints about this in the reviews on the "junior" cigar site. Looks like they had a special where you got a free fiver with box purchase. The fiver was old stock, box was the new sweet version. People liking the old, hating the new.
Bucephalus Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 01-05-2005
Posts: 436
I actually came here this evening to see if anyone else noticed this.
I Received a five pack last week. I’ve been smoking cigars for decades and have never tasted a wrapper like it. Definitely not natural.
You taste the sweetness as soon as you put it in your mouth. It’s not a bad smoke after you light it up....and get used to the sugary flavor. However, I won’t buy again.
midmofan Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
I had gotten my Wavells on a special deal from the Tenskie place.

Just got off a web-chat with them and they are going to set up a return/refund and credit my account. The CSR said she was forwarding the issue to the people the "cigar team" to look into the blend.

Who knows if they will do anything but happy getting a refund on all 10 even though smoked two of them!

Was only on "hold" on the chat for a minute and problem fixed right away.

Nice customer service....just sayin'.....
delta1 Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,754
wth?

REAL C.S.????????


used to be like that here...anybody remember the free matches?
midmofan Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
delta1 wrote:
wth?

REAL C.S.????????


used to be like that here...anybody remember the free matches?



I still have a box of the matches. Was going to use them the other day but was worried it might take a couple hours listening to "on-hold" music after striking them before they actually caught fire.

And then the cigar it did light would probably be the wrong one - not the one I ordered! :)
Stogie1020 Offline
#21 Posted:
Joined: 12-19-2019
Posts: 5,231
Just read a review on HW about a new line from LGC. Reviewer notes that one of the samples seems ?sweetened?. WTF General/Forged?

https://halfwheel.com/la-gloria-cubana-spirt-of-the-lady-toro/392637/
opelmanta1900 Offline
#22 Posted:
Joined: 01-10-2012
Posts: 13,954
Um, gross... noted that the tip was not sweetened, the filler or binder was, as he detected an artifical sweetness on the cold draw... again, gross...
opelmanta1900 Offline
#23 Posted:
Joined: 01-10-2012
Posts: 13,954
Also, 7 year old Honduran wrapper and then just a bunch of leftover tobacco from all over the place... another winner from General...
midmofan Offline
#24 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
All quite sad. The Series R was a really good cigar. Even after General took over and they did lots of other funny things with the brand, they left the Series R alone. I read somewhere once that Carrillo had some sort of contractual deal when he sold out where General could not mess with the Series R, since that was sort of his baby. Perhaps that restriction (if it did exist) has expired or they just don't care. The original Wavell's were also a very good solid cigar which surprised me. They were clearly more cheaply made than the R, but still pretty good. A good cigar from General? Well, I liked them anyway.

Those were two good "standby" smokes that you could always pick up at most shops or cigar bars when on the road and be confident you would not be disappointed. They were also ones I would recommend to someone who was not a big cigar smoker and didn't know what they should get at the bar.

Maybe we could get the FDA to go after these sweetened sticks!
powerkor_ Offline
#25 Posted:
Joined: 08-06-2020
Posts: 1
Found this because the one I had was definitely sweetened and went to look it up. Strange that it’s mixed. I don’t mind sweetened tips I just didn’t think the serie R was. Apparently it’s
A mixed bag, which is really weird and makes me question the quality
fortyfourcaliber Offline
#26 Posted:
Joined: 04-09-2021
Posts: 1
I can confirm that the wrapper is artificially sweetened. If you lick your lips after a puff, it tastes sweet. Also, this is the only cigar I have stocked that attracts wasps. That said, this stick does not even taste infused at all, it is one of my favorite smokes, along with the Serie N. Strange that they don't disclose the sweetness though. Good thing they didn't, because I would have never bought it.
PhilsFanDrew Offline
#27 Posted:
Joined: 04-20-2021
Posts: 3
A few weeks ago I won a 10 pack of these and I can confirm the first one I smoked had the sweet tip but other than that was no different than what I remember from smoking these about a year ago. I just smoked another one last night and it was a little sweet but not nearly as sweet as the first. I'm guessing these were known defects that they send to CI in a bulk packaging for them to cut up and use for auctions and keep the normal product for standard purchase on the CI site. I work 5 mins away from the downtown Bethlehem shop. I may stop in there and pick up a single of the Serie R to confirm.
midmofan Offline
#28 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
If the defect theory is correct, it is not limited to the original Series R or just from CI. I got my batch of "wavell-classics" from the tenskie place and out of the 10 pack the 1st 2 were both sickly sweet. Returned the remaining 8 for a full refund.
delta1 Offline
#29 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,754
killer marketing plan...lots of guys who woulda never thought about smoking a LGC Serie R will now buy at least two, possibly 3 to see for themselves...
opelmanta1900 Offline
#30 Posted:
Joined: 01-10-2012
Posts: 13,954
midmofan wrote:
If the defect thepry is correct, it is not limited to the original Series R or just from CI. I got my batch of "wavell-classics" from the tenskie place and out of the 10 pack the 1st 2 were both sickly sweet. Returned the remaining 8 for a full refund.

Isn't the tenski place owned by CI now?
midmofan Offline
#31 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
opelmanta1900 wrote:
Isn't the tenski place owned by CI now?


Nope, not yet, anyway. It was started by one of the co-founders of CI after the sale (sellout?) of CI to Swedish Match (CI is now owned by Scandinavian Tobacco Group that also owns cigarbid and makes CAO, LGH, and the non-cuban Cohiba and Partagas among others). You might be thinking of the formerly-florida-based machine-gun place

In February 2021, the Vandermarliere family, the owner of J. Cortès and Oliva, made "an investment" in Brandshopper, the Pennsylvania-based company that owns the tenski place.

So... you can guess where all those Nicaraguan 'seconds" at the Tenski place come from!
opelmanta1900 Offline
#32 Posted:
Joined: 01-10-2012
Posts: 13,954
Hmmm.... isn't it owned by Meier? As in Meier and Dutch? As in the the wholesale sister company of cigars international?
midmofan Offline
#33 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
opelmanta1900 wrote:
Hmmm.... isn't it owned by Meier? As in Meier and Dutch? As in the the wholesale sister company of cigars international?


Keith Meier is the one that (co) founded CI and then started the Tenski place after selling to Sweedish. When he sold CI and the CI affiliated companies to Sweedish, the Meier and Dutch division went along with it. Meier and Dutch do not own the Tenski place.


So Keith Meier is now a competitor of his namesake, Meier and Dutch. Below is an edited-for-Cbid [not that I think anybody is checking things around here anymore....] article from the ministry of cigars webpage, who looks like they lifted most of the article from the same press release halfwheel got their info from.



Oliva Cigars partner of [TENSKI. The Belgian owners of Oliva Cigars, the Vandermarliere family, now has a share in Brandshopper, the parent company of [TENSKI]. And with that, Oliva Cigars and the large online retailer now have close ties.

BRANDSHOPPER
Brandshopper is the brainchild of Keith Meier. Meier was also one of the founders of Cigars International. The wholesale division of Cigars International, Meier & Dutch, still carries his name. Cigars International was born in 1996. 11 years later Maier and his companions sold it to Swedish Match. When Swedish Match and Scandinavian Tobacco Group went into a joint venture, Cigars International became part of the new conglomerate.

Meier is also the founder of cigarbid, the annual cigarfest in Pennsylvania is his idea. And while at Cigar International, they acquired [THE-OTHER-CIGAR-SITE].com and incorporated that website into the company. Both cigarbid and cigarfest are now part of STG as well. After his departure at Cigars International, it was just a matter of time before Meier would start something new again. In 2015 that was the case with [TENSKI]. But Brandshopper also has an online hunting store and an online outdoors store.

“The new investment will help accelerate growth and provide the extra push to acquire greater market share in this environment,” says Meier in a press release. “It was important to work with the right partner – and Fred was the one. It was clear early in our discussions that we had a shared vision.”

VANDERMARLIERE
The Vandermarliere family has a legacy in the cigar industry. A legacy that started in 1926. Maurits Vandermarliere started making cigars in his attic. But over the next 95 years, his family business grew and grew. The Vandermarliere family is one of the few family-owned manufacturers of dry-cured short filler cigars in Europe.

Five years ago, the third generation Vandermarliere, Fred, knew the company had to expand in premium handmade cigars. So the family bought Oliva Cigars. In recent years, they renovated both factories in Esteli. Besides cigars, the Vandermarliere family owns a cookie factory in Belgium as well.

“Becoming a partner in an e-tailing business is something which we have been looking into for several years,” says Fred Vandermarliere. “I strongly believe offline and online sales have a future alongside each other. Keith as our CEO will continue to do what he has been doing so well with Brandshopper.”

NOT THE ONLY ONE
Several cigar manufacturers are owners of stakeholders in online retailers. General Cigars owner STG owns cigars International, cigarbid, [THE-OTHER-CIGAR-SITE].com, [Sub-Machine Gun].com , and a few other websites. They produce brands such as CAO, Macanudo, and many more. Altadis USA owns [WHO SHOT ___?] Cigars. Ashton owns [THE OMB SITE], both the physical store as the online retail store. And now Oliva Cigars is a partner of [TENSKI] by becoming a stakeholder in Brandshopper.
midmofan Offline
#34 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
Ok, back to the OP. I posted about the sweetened sticks on the LGC Facebook page but no response. Lots of complaints about it in other forums as well, along with a few people that actually LIKE the sweet version, go figure.

Hey, since LGC and CigarBid are all part of one big family, perhaps the thing to do is call CBid customer service to complain
!LOL
24132413 Offline
#35 Posted:
Joined: 01-25-2017
Posts: 555
Jakethesnake86 wrote:
All cigars say that on this page. Maybe the wrapper has a natural sweetness to it. They aren’t sweetened though.
ThumpUp

Just smoke a 5.5"x54 Serie R that had been resting naked about 2 years. Very good slightly naturally sweet or tangy flavor. Like most fuller flavored smokes it gets better with age. Herfing
Stogie1020 Offline
#36 Posted:
Joined: 12-19-2019
Posts: 5,231
^I think some are sweetened and some are not and likely CBid has no idea which is which. You may have gotten a batch of unsweetened. Mine (I still have one left from the ten pack) tasted like they were dipped in sweet and low. Nothing "natural" or subtle about the sweetness.

Damn things were probably that gross "gluten-free" cigar, too.
midmofan Offline
#37 Posted:
Joined: 04-25-2014
Posts: 1,108
24132413 wrote:
ThumpUp

Just smoke a 5.5"x54 Serie R that had been resting naked about 2 years. Very good slightly naturally sweet or tangy flavor. Like most fuller flavored smokes it gets better with age. Herfing


If you are smoking two-year old R's, you won't be tasting what people are complaining about. The super saccharine sweet taste has just shown up recently.
ralbers1701 Offline
#38 Posted:
Joined: 05-15-2015
Posts: 1
I worked in a cigar shop from 2009-2019. LGC Serie R No. 6 both natural and maduro had been one of my go to's. I was out of the game for about 2 years and hadn't smoked a serie R for a while.

Started working at another tobacconist this past January, we just started carrying the original serie R. I can assure you this has nothing to do with Cbid, they're shipping these to retailers as well. Not real happy about it.
Stogie1020 Offline
#39 Posted:
Joined: 12-19-2019
Posts: 5,231
ralbers1701 wrote:
I worked in a cigar shop from 2009-2019. LGC Serie R No. 6 both natural and maduro had been one of my go to's. I was out of the game for about 2 years and hadn't smoked a serie R for a while.

Started working at another tobacconist this past January, we just started carrying the original serie R. I can assure you this has nothing to do with Cbid, they're shipping these to retailers as well. Not real happy about it.



Interesting. Sounds like General is shipping them this way from the factory.
nolen Offline
#40 Posted:
Joined: 09-05-2012
Posts: 1,083
I checked my humi's and after a few years rest, my LGC-R's have picked up a bit of a honey aroma.

This cigar has been rated in the past as one of just a few perfect cigars - 10/10. It has a long history involving some of the best cigar developers ever.

LGC-R = yummy
Stogie1020 Offline
#41 Posted:
Joined: 12-19-2019
Posts: 5,231
nolen wrote:
I checked my humi's and after a few years rest, my LGC-R's have picked up a bit of a honey aroma.

This cigar has been rated in the past as one of just a few perfect cigars - 10/10. It has a long history involving some of the best cigar developers ever.

LGC-R = yummy


Nolen, if you had one of the sweet-tipped ones, you would know. It's like the cap was dipped in sweet-n-low. Nothing subtle about it.
mike45567 Offline
#42 Posted:
Joined: 11-17-2014
Posts: 23
I got a few. Just cap is sweet. I wet it and removed, then smoked. Wish I had more. Makes u wonder if they let a marketing genius in to install caps tho.
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