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CIGAR CYCLOPEDIA REVIEWS: NEW DIGNITY PREMIUM LINE
Los Angeles, August 6, 2010 – So there's a recession on. So business is tight. So what?
It's time to introduce a new cigar!
The energetic Don'Juan Gross, who splits his time between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, is debuting his new, three-line Dignity Premium brand next week at the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association convention and trade show in New Orleans. We got an opportunity to check them out ahead of time:
The Dignity line is crafted by the Tabacos de Cordillera complex in Costa Rica, using genetically-pure, ancestral seeds from Cuba that date back into the 1940s and 1950s. All of the farming there is done in a pesticide-free environment that already places it in compliance with coming environmental regulations for agriculture, allowing Dignity owner Don'Juan Gross to call his cigars "Reserva Ecologica."
  | Dignity Premium Black Gold: [Costa Rica: available in 4 sizes] How good are they? The black-labeled Black Gold line impresses you immediately with a full body and a spicy aroma, then with a powerful blend of spice and pepper. The maduro wrapper adds a touch of dark caramel in the background as well, but this is not a cigar for the novice. It is muscular, intense and unapologetically offers up a note of bitterness along the way. However, for those who enjoy such cigars, it is also well made, draws well and has a fairly even burn throughout. It is slightly mellower in the second half, but retains its spicy, peppery, sweet and bitter power right through to the end. All four sizes of this all-Costa Rican blend are offered in clamshell-style boxes of 25, with the Black Gold line priced from $10.00 to $14.00 each, not including local taxes. Overall grade: : Very Good.***1/2 |
 | Dignity Premium Gold: [Costa Rica: available in 3 sizes] The Dignity Gold line is also made with all-Costa Rican tobaccos, but offered a balanced, medium-to-full-bodied presence in the mouth and a spicy aroma in a rigidly square-pressed format. It is excellently constructed and draws smoothly, featuring notes of dark caramel and light spice in the first inch, with a medium finish. The flavors are distinct and direct, but never overpowering and proportional, right through to the final third. The burn stays even and the dark, sweet tone and spicy accent is nicely maintained. All three sizes are offered in boxes of 25, with retail pricing from $12.00 to $16.00 each, plus local sales and tobacco taces. Overall grade: : Very Good. ***1/2 |
 | Dignity Premium White Gold: [Costa Rica: available in 3 sizes] The Dignity White Gold blend is also rigidly square-pressed, but that’s the only sharp edge in the entire cigar. This is a mild-to-medium-bodied cigar, with a spicy aroma and a sweet and tangy pop of caramelized flavor right from the start. The intensity of the caramelized, sweet taste is remarkable, and is nicely accented with a light note of spice that comes in on the finish after a few puffs. The burn is even and although the spice notes take the lead in the second half, they are wonderfully challenged by a continued burst of sweetness. The richness of this blend is what makes it a cigar to be admired, perfect for a summer evening. All three sizes are boxes in 25s with retail prices of $12.00 to $16.00 each and worth it. Overall grade: : Excellent. **** |
Gross has created an interesting and entertaining line which should have appeal to both casual smokers (White Gold) and the experienced power-smoker (Black Gold). He will have a most interesting week coming up in New Orleans.
~ Rich Perelman
