Rafael Gonzalez Perlas Cigar - Box of 25

My example had a small tear in the wrapper but other than that the construction seemed fine. How wrong I was. The burn was constantly uneven.....this later turned into canoeing. Later on strange cavities appeared in several places. The wrapper also needed to be re-glued. CGars gave me a full refund. Turning now to the smoking experience this wasnt much better. I found it to be extremely light bodied.....so much so it was hard to tell that it was Cuban. Sometimes it was a little harsh and then there would be very brief moments of peppery potential. All in all a total disappointment.....especially after reading all of the good reviews on this website. Considering that for not much more cash you can be smoking a H. Upmann I cannot recommend this cigar at all. H Upmann seem to do light bodied cigar with flavour better than most. 2.8 stars.

Fantastic value, especially here in Ibiza where I found them at €2.70 each. Construction, draw and burn all very impressive at this price point. Great flavour for a small stick.

I’m not a football man, but today’s euphoria at England’s win against Sweden sucked me in enough to want to celebrate with a nice cigar. I’d had a crack at a Quintero Favoritos earlier in the evening, which promised more than it ended up delivering. The RG Perlas is happily a different matter altogether. Beautifully constructed, I’m guessing box pressed, as mine has slightly square shoulders, but flawless is every way. Aromas before lighting it came across well with a sweetness that makes you want to taste it even more. The draw unlit wasn’t tight but required more effort than say a robusto or similar gauge. Once lit though, there is enough smoke there to negate any need for an easier draw. Burn was near perfect all the way through and it holds its ash really well. In the first few draws the sweetness is prominent, but settles down to become the underpinning of other flavours. There is hay, nuts and maybe even a hint of spice there, perhaps a hint of toasted coffee or dark chocolate too, maybe even a bit of nutmeg? It starts milder and gets stronger as it goes, but never becomes harsh or bitter. All in all a lovely smoke and worthy among more expensive company. This is the only one I had in the humidor and has been languishing there for 6 months or so, I have a feeling this is one to allow to age for a bit longer and it will repay you dividends far above its modest price. This is a cigar that is going to be perfect with a nice double espresso on a warm summers Sunday morning, when all you have to do is sit there and enjoy it. I will be placing an order for a few more, so watch this space in a year or two for an update.

Nice little smoke. Was one in a sampler I got for Xmas. Enjoyed while the Mrs was cooking the turkey. A nice 30 min smoke. It was a pleasant su prise in the pack. I'm ordering more.

A superb small Cuban hand rolled cigar that cannot be beaten for the price, construction on par with a Monticristo, excellent draw with flavour of a grassy hay starts off relatively mild in the first third rising to medium in the second third then finishing quite strong but never bitter in the last third, Highly recommended for a forty minutes smoke with a good cuban cigar aroma