At IPCPR 2018, Warped Cigars introduced a few new cigar lines including the Warped Cigars Gran Reserva 1988. The cigar was blended to commemorate the birth year of Warped Cigars founder, Kyle Gellis. We talked to Kyle about the Gran Reserva 1988, along with other topics, at IPCPR 2018 which you can watch here. The cigar is available in one size with a MSRP of $9.00 and is a Nicaraguan Puro using Aganorsa tobaccos.
- Size: 5 1/2 x 50
- Wrapper: Corojo ’99 from Jalapa Valley
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: NIcaraguan which includes some Criollo ’98 tobacco
- MSRP: $9.00/box of 25
Pre Light
The Gran Reserva 1988 has a very smooth wrapper that is slightly mottled. Upon looking closer at the wrapper, you can see many of the smaller veins in the leaf that gives the appearance of old, cracked leather. It actually looks pretty cool. The cap is very well applied and the cigar has a nice golden brown color. Upon clipping the cap, I tested the draw which is slightly more loose than I would like. The notes on the cold draw is earth, leather and cedar.
First Half
After lighting up the cigar, I get notes of cedar, leather, graham cracker, peanuts and black pepper. There is a sourness on the first inch which was a little off putting. I will say that on some Gran Reserva 1988 that I had right when they came out, this sour note was much worse. Some age has greatly enhanced this flavor profile of the Gran Reserva 1988. Smoke production is great. I get more woodiness on the retrohale. The draw is loose but not uncontrollable.
Last Half
The final half of the Gran Reserva 1988 was pretty much the same as first. I get more of the graham cracker note and less of the peanut note. The cedar note faded some near the middle, but is slowly increasing again near the end. I’m also getting hints of coffee that seems to come and go at the final third of the Gran Reserva 1988. The black pepper is now less on the palate, but still strong on the retrohale.
Conclusion
The Gran Reserva 1988 was pushed back from it’s original release date by Kyle Gellis because he was said the cigar just wasn’t ready yet. I think these needed more time. When I first smoked these cigars, I was underwhelmed. They had a strange sourness in the beginning that I didn’t like and didn’t go away until near the midpoint. The last half of the Gran Reserva 1988 was much more flavorful, so the Gran Reserva 1988 ended well, but, still, I’m thinking there are several other cigars in the Warped line up I’d rather have. After a few months of age, the Gran Reserva 1988 did smoke much better, but still, I wouldn’t choose this over the Maestro del Tiempo or Lirio Rojo. Give these a shot though, you might like them more than I did. I mean, look at that score from Cigar gave it, but what do I know? I’m just a guy that loves cigars for the past 20 years. Each palette is different. All in all, not a bad cigar, but not a great one either.
Final Score: 88
(No pun intended)
