Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Shade Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Costa Rican, and Colombian
Size: Robusto 5.0″ x 52 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
The Gran Habano line of cigars is made in Honduras by GR Tabacaleras Unidas which is a father and son operation of Guillermo Rico and his son George. The 3 (Tres) Siglos line was first introduced in 2006 and is reputed to be a complex, full-bodied, spicy addition to the Gran Habano family of cigars. The key aspect of this blend is the use of three different types of ligero tobacco in the filler. This cigar features ligero from Nicaraguan, Costa Rican, and Colombian tobacco. I am making the assumption that this is why the number “3” is used int he name of the cigar so it got me curios about the word “Siglos”. I never had given any thought to that word until now and I discovered that siglo is the Spanish word for century. So that makes the name of this cigar (translated by me) “three centuries”. I’m not sure if there is any significance there. The company was founded in 1995 so it certainly isn’t three hundred years old. It may not have any significance at all, or it refers to something I was not able to ascertain. Really, I guess it is all irrelevant since what is important here is this question – “Is the cigar any good?” Well, lets find out…
The shade grown wrapper on this cigar is a very nice rosado in color. It is a little veiny with an oily sheen to it and has a neatly applied cap. The 3 Siglos seems to be well filled and very well put together. It sports two elegant white bands trimmed in gold leaf making for a very a handsome and elegant presentation. The smoke starts out very smooth and creamy with a hint of vanilla and very little spice on the finish. The first third of this cigar had me wondering if this really was all ligero in the filler. As I moved into the second third I was still asking myself that same question. The flavors were excellent with notes of creamy toasted nuts and a little bit of a musty earthiness, but still very little spice and none of the pepper I’d expect from a cigar with a lot of ligero. At this point I’d describe the cigar as a mildly complex and very enjoyable medium bodied smoke. It burned slow and cool. The ash was a bit flaky, dark grey and black with swirls of brown in it.Things finally began to pickup a little bit in the last third with addition of more black pepper notes and a little more robust profile.
Overall this was a really enjoyable smoke with excellent flavors. Based on it’s makeup I was expecting it to be a fuller smoke than it turned out to be. I think maybe the shade grown wrapper contributed to toning it down a bit. Even though it wasn’t what I was expecting, it was still a very good cigar and I recommend giving it a try.
Matt's Cigar Journal 
I think siglos has a couple other meanings as well. One is age, as in a long time, “haven’t seen you in ages,” which would make this “3 ages.” Doesn’t make much sense either, unless the tobaccos are really old. Another meaning appears to be “world,” which would make this “3 worlds.” That might make more sense, if the ligero originates from 3 different regions.
As for the cigar, I’m not a huge fan. I expected more flavor and more spice from what folks had said about it. My review would mirror yours, only I didn’t find it all that enjoyable – just kind of boring, to me anyway.
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Nice review Matt. I have been enjoying these for some time now and they never disappoint. You nailed the flavor profile. In my view the 3 Siglos are a very fine cigar flying under the radar. It is a shame that they are often judged by unfortunate expectations.
Matt, I have had a few of these and they seem a little too mild for me. I think a little more time in the humidor would have brought out more in the flavor of this stick.
I’m not sure I agree. How much time are we talking? a few months or even a year isn’t going to do much to “age” the tobacco. At best all that will do will allow the cigar to acclimate to the environment in your humidor. If well maintained that that is useful because it can help prevent burn and draw issues but it won’t do much for effecting the flavors of the cigar except maybe prevent some harshness due to the cigar being too dry.
If we are talking about real time for aging, like over two years in the humidor, then the cigar is likely to mellow even more over time. Aged cigars typically mellow out as they get older loosing some of their youthful punch. That is why it is generally believed that stronger cigars age better and that milder cigars lose too much with any significant age on them. Of course that isn’t a heard and fast rule as aging cigars is as much art as it is science I think.
As for this stick, I am not sure that any significant aging would do much to change it, but the is purely speculation on my part as I have not, and will not be aging any of these to find out.