Graycliff Turbo Edicion Limitada

With the exception of the G2 line, there is nary another Graycliff cigar available for under $10 or so.  Despite the hefty price tags we sell a ton of these top-dollar cigars in our retail stores, and there are a lot of loyal fans out there who aren’t afraid to pony up 12 to 22 bucks for these Bahama made delicacies.  Because of the steep prices on the premium lines of Graycliff cigars it prohibits most cigar enthusiasts from experiencing their greatness & their very unique flavor of quality and aged tobaccos.  The late Avelino Lara, the legendary creator of the Cuban Cohiba brand is the man that worked for Graycliff cigars for years, and he is personally responsible for almost all of Graycliff’s blends.  I’m sure Avelino himself would be very proud of the latest and greatest in the Graycliff Edicion Limitada line, and I believe it to be one of, if not the best Graycliff cigar to date.

 

We finally received these cigars in the downtown shop last week, and after waiting months for the cigars to properly age & ship in the factory I had them in my hands at last.  First impression of the cigars – flawless perfection - leathery, toothy, oily wrappers that are a beautiful dark brown with a slight reddish hue.  I was also pleasantly surprised to get a whiff of that “barnyard” aroma upon opening the mazo of 20 cigars.  For those of you familiar with that “barnyard aroma” of which I speak, then you know exactly what I’m talking about – for those of you that aren’t familiar, or haven’t heard anything about that “barnyard aroma” of very fine cigars (most often recognizable upon opening a box or mazo of cigars for the very first time) then let me fill you in on a little secret; When an unlit cigar smells like it just came out of a horse’s stable (or any other ‘pungent’ part of a barn) then that means that 99% of the time you’ve got an excellent, properly aged cigar that’s going to taste extremely good, and as a matter of fact, it will taste nothing at all like anything even remotely barnyard-like when it is fired up and enjoyed.

 

At this point I’m wide-eyed & salivating and I’m expecting a cigar of epic proportion…but along with that I’m also expecting a hefty price to pay when I ring myself up this limited edition Graycliff – after all I know that the retail price for a mazo of 20 toros is $320.00, but when I enter this cigar into the system I am shocked to see that these are nicely discounted, in true CI Fashion, and are on sale for ONLY $79.99 for a mazo of 20.  that’s less than 4 BUCKS per cigar.  OK, now I’m in for a whole mazo, and I haven’t even fired up the cigar yet.  Boy, am I a sucker for a great deal!

 

So now that I’ve just paid the bill for these brand-new cigars that I’ve been waiting months for, I cut and fire up the cigar with my newest toy – the Xikar Ultra Lighter/Cutter Combo – which I also just picked up for myself just days earlier.  This cigar’s draw had the perfect amount of resistance, and it fired up nice and even after roasting the foot for a few seconds.  I got tremendous amounts of flavor from the very first puff.  A little earth, well-aged, sweet Nicaraguan tobacco, a hint of caramel & a touch of leather on the palate.  Amazingly, this is one of the very few cigars I’ve ever had that started out with a complex array of flavors from the very first puff.  The cigar is not strong, I’d say it’s a little lighter than medium in strength, but it is packed with full-flavor goodness.  I could smoke this cigar first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee if I were in the mood for a full-flavored treat without the having to deal with the headiness & belly ache from a powerhouse like the Graycliff Espresso (not to mention that this cigar is $18 cheaper than a comparable size Espresso!!)

 

I’m about 1/3 of the way into this Turbo EL, and the ash just fell off gently into my Stinky ashtray.  It rests at the bottom in a big, solid light gray lump.  By this time the flavor has developed into a bit of spiciness along with that Nicaraguan sweetness, and the flavor continues to climb fuller & fuller without becoming strong.  This is such a perfectly balanced cigar that I’m surprised it’s not selling for much more.  At this point I’m telling everyone that walks through the door at the Downtown shop about this new gem of a cigar, and I’ve already sold through over half of a mazo.  I AM IMPRESSED! (and so are a lot of my friends/customers who took me up on this recommendation.  Joey B, from Wanaque, NJ tried one in the shop with me, and while enjoying it he noticed that we were getting low on them already so he picked up our very last mazo of 20 Toros.

 

Approaching the 2/3 point the flavor shifts to more earthiness with leather and some spice.  Not strong at all, but still all the while getting fuller and fuller in flavor, I’m enjoying this ever-changing cigar so much I forgot that I was writing about it.  So I’ll wrap it up and just say that this cigar was a finger-burning treat right down to the very last puff when I could barely hold onto the little stub it became.  This cigar is a gem.  At a measly 4 bucks per stick I’m shocked at the obviously superior tobaccos used, as well as the well-roundedness that only extensive aging can produce.  If I had factored the value of the cigar into the rating I gave it; it would have been a 96 or 97.  Dollar for dollar, this one can’t be beat.  And because it’s a limited edition cigar this is made in a one-production-run of this blend.  Try one today, and stock up NOW while they are available.  I know you’ve all heard it before from us, but this is the first time I’m saying it, “RUN, DON’T WALK!” and order now!