La Gloria Cubana: From Calle Ocho to the Serie R
La Gloria Cubana started in Havana in 1885, disappeared from the American market, and came back to life in a small factory on Calle Ocho in Miami's Little Havana. The man rolling them there launched the cigar boom's most sought-after brand. This is the full story, plus every line we stock, from the Wavell robusto to the Serie R Estelí No. 8 at a full seven by seventy.
Shop La Gloria Cubana Browse the Forged portfolioLa Gloria Cubana is one of the few brands where the American story is more interesting than the Cuban one. The name dates to 1885 in Havana. After the revolution and the embargo, the Cuban brand continued under what became Habanos S.A., and the US trademark went its own way. What made the name matter to American smokers happened in Miami, not Havana.
In the 1970s the Perez-Carrillo family bought El Credito Cigars, a small operation on Southwest Eighth Street. Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. took over the factory and built La Gloria Cubana into the cigar that people queued for during the 1990s boom, when demand outran what a Little Havana factory could physically roll. General Cigar Company acquired El Credito in 1999. Perez-Carrillo stayed on until 2009, then left to found his own company, which rebranded to Casa Carrillo on 11 April 2025.
From 1885 Havana to a storefront on Calle Ocho
The brand was registered in Cuba in 1885, one of hundreds of marques circulating in the pre-revolution Havana trade. Most of those names vanished. La Gloria Cubana survived on both sides of the water: in Cuba as a small Habanos marque, in the United States as a trademark that eventually landed with El Credito Cigars in Miami.
El Credito was a working factory, not a marketing exercise. Cuban-trained rollers, bunching by hand, output measured in the low thousands per day. When Cigar Aficionado rated the cigars highly in the early 1990s, the waiting lists ran to years. That scarcity is what built the reputation, and it is why older smokers still talk about the Miami-rolled Gloria as a different animal.
Ownership since: General Cigar bought El Credito in 1999. General Cigar became part of Swedish Match, then Scandinavian Tobacco Group in 2010. On 1 February 2021 STG created Forged Cigar Company as a sister house and moved five brands into it: La Gloria Cubana, Partagas, Bolivar Cofradia, Diesel and Chillin' Moose. Alec Bradley joined Forged in mid-2023 after STG acquired it.
The 2 February 2026 reshuffle moved three more brands into Forged, Cohiba, Punch and Havana Honeys, and moved Partagas, Room101 and Don Tomas out to General Cigar Company. Macanudo, CAO and Hoyo de Monterrey have been General Cigar brands throughout. Both houses sit inside Scandinavian Tobacco Group.
Serie R: the line that made big ring gauges normal
The Serie R arrived in 2002 and did something the industry had been circling for years. Where most premium lines topped out around a 50 ring gauge, the Serie R went straight past it and kept going, eventually reaching a 70 ring in the No. 8. Ernesto Perez-Carrillo blended it to carry that volume rather than simply scaling up an existing recipe, which is why it works where a lot of fat cigars taste hollow.
Serie R runs in two wrapper expressions, Natural and Maduro, and the numbering is by size rather than blend. The higher the number, the bigger the cigar.
| Serie R | Size | Natural | Maduro |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 | 5.5 x 54 | In stock | In stock |
| No. 6 | 6 x 60 | In stock | In stock |
| No. 7 | 7 x 58 | In stock | In stock |
| No. 8 | 7 x 70 | In stock | — |
Serie R Estelí: the Nicaraguan turn
Serie R Estelí takes the same big-ring philosophy and moves the tobacco to Nicaragua. Estelí is the northern Nicaraguan valley whose volcanic soil produces the country's most powerful leaf, and the line is built to be noticeably stronger and earthier than the original Serie R. It also comes in Natural and Maduro.
| Serie R Estelí | Size | Natural | Maduro |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 60 | 6 x 60 | In stock | In stock |
| No. 64 | 6.2 x 64 | In stock | In stock |
Wavell: the classic robusto
Before the Serie R, the Wavell was the La Gloria people reached for. It is a 5 x 50 robusto and the size that most clearly shows what the classic blend does, without the ring gauge doing any of the work. We carry it in both wrapper expressions.
Wavell Natural Robusto 5 x 50 and Wavell Maduro Robusto 5 x 50. Other vitola names that have run in the traditional La Gloria line over the years include Charlemagne, Torpedo No. 1, Medaille d'Or, Soberano, Glorias, Corona Extra and Panetela Deluxe.
Glorias en Cedros
The Collection Glorias en Cedros is a 6 3/4 x 48 lonsdale-leaning format sold in an aluminum tube. Cedar is the point: the tube keeps the cigar from drying out and preserves the cedar note that comes off the leaf, which is why this is a good travel cigar and a good gift.
Wrappers, binder and filler
La Gloria has always been a Dominican-and-Nicaraguan blend house with Ecuadorian and Connecticut wrapper leaf, and the Estelí lines lean hardest into Nicaraguan tobacco. The two constants across the range are the Natural and Maduro wrapper expressions.
Natural versus Maduro
Natural on a La Gloria means a lighter, reddish-to-medium brown wrapper in the Colorado range. Maduro means a Connecticut broadleaf or equivalent dark leaf, fermented longer and hotter until the starches convert to sugar. Maduro is not a stronger cigar by definition, it is a sweeter and darker one, and on the Serie R it is the version most people prefer.
Wrapper shades, light to dark: Double Claro / Candela Claro Colorado Claro Colorado Colorado Maduro Maduro Oscuro
Filler by plant position
| Leaf | Where on the plant | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Ligero | Top primings | Most sun, most oil, most nicotine. Strength and depth, burns slowest. Sits at the core of the bunch. |
| Seco | Middle primings | Aroma and mid-palate. The balance leaf. |
| Volado | Lower primings | Thin and mild. Its job is combustion. |
| Medio Tiempo | The very crown | Two rare leaves above the ligero. Highly concentrated, used sparingly. |
Often written phonetically as "lahero" or "lejero", the word is ligero, lee-HEH-roh. A big-ring cigar like the Serie R No. 8 needs the ligero-to-volado ratio handled carefully, because a 70 ring gauge holds a lot of leaf and will burn unevenly if the bunch is packed wrong.
Ring gauge, length, and what the numbers mean
Size is written length in inches by ring gauge, ring gauge being diameter in 64ths of an inch. A 7 x 70 is seven inches long and 70/64 of an inch across, meaning it is wider than an inch.
| Vitola | Typical size | In the La Gloria range |
|---|---|---|
| Robusto | 5 x 50 | Wavell Natural, Wavell Maduro |
| Lonsdale / Cedros | 6 3/4 x 48 | Collection Glorias en Cedros |
| Toro Extra | 5.5 x 54 | Serie R No. 5 |
| Gordo / Gigante | 6 x 60 | Serie R No. 6, Serie R Estelí No. 60 |
| Super Gordo | 6.2 x 64 | Serie R Estelí No. 64 |
| Double Corona | 7 x 58 | Serie R No. 7 |
| Presidente | 7 x 70 | Serie R No. 8 |
Other vitola names across our catalog: Petit Corona, Corona, Corona Gorda, Panetela, Lancero, Belicoso, Torpedo, Piramide, Perfecto, Rothschild, Churchill, Salomon, Culebra and Diadema. Browse every cigar we carry.
New to the brand? Start with the Wavell Robusto, then jump to a Serie R No. 6.
Shop La Gloria Cubana See the full rangeWhat we taste, from our own humidor
Our notes, from smoking what we sell.
Wavell Maduro Robusto
Cold draw is raisin and cocoa. Lights into dark coffee with a bready sweetness underneath, and there is a distinct cedar note in the second third that we associate with the brand more than any other flavor. Burn is straight, ash holds an inch. About fifty minutes.
Serie R Natural No. 6
A 6 x 60 that does not taste like filler. Earth and toasted grain up front, then a pepper build that arrives around the halfway mark and stays. The bunch is packed loosely enough that the draw is easy, which matters at this gauge. Ninety minutes if you take it slow.
Serie R Maduro No. 5
The one we recommend most often. Molasses and espresso, more sweetness than the Natural, and the 5.5 x 54 format keeps it from getting heavy. Consistent stick to stick.
Serie R Estelí Maduro No. 60
Meaningfully stronger than the standard Serie R. Black pepper, dark earth, leather. Not a first cigar of the day. The Nicaraguan filler shows immediately and the finish is long and dry.
Serie R Natural No. 8
Seven by seventy is a commitment. Two hours plus, and the flavor is broader and cooler than the smaller sizes because so much smoke is moving at low velocity. Needs a good cut. A punch will not work on this ring gauge, use a wide guillotine or a V-cut.
Glorias en Cedros
The thinnest cigar in the lineup at 48 ring, and the most classic-tasting. Cedar, toast, a little citrus brightness. The tube does its job, these arrive in good shape.
Pairing, cutting, storage
The Naturals take rum, Highland scotch and coffee. The Maduros want bourbon, port or espresso. The Estelí lines can handle a peated Islay without disappearing.
For the big ring gauges, cut generously. A standard guillotine caps out around 60 ring, so for the No. 8 use a wide-jaw cutter or a V-cut. See our cutters and lighters. Store at 65 to 70 percent relative humidity and 68 to 70 degrees. Big cigars are more sensitive to under-humidification than small ones because the core dries last and the wrapper first. Our humidors and humidification range has what you need.
The bottom line
La Gloria Cubana carries real history and, unusually, the modern cigars live up to the story. The Serie R is the reason big ring gauges are a category rather than a novelty, the Estelí variants give you a genuinely stronger option under the same band, and the Wavell is still one of the better maduro robustos at its price. If you have only ever heard the name, start small and work up.
Keep exploring
Same house, Forged: Cohiba · Punch · Bolivar · Diesel · Alec Bradley
Sister company, General Cigar: Macanudo · CAO · Hoyo de Monterrey · Partagas
If you like the Serie R: Perdomo · Oliva · Espinosa · Plasencia
The blender's own brand: Casa Carrillo
Want a recommendation for your palate? Call and tell us what you smoke now.
Shop the collection Call 1 818-719-9885Questions people actually ask
Is La Gloria Cubana a Cuban cigar?
The brand name originated in Havana in 1885, but the La Gloria Cubana sold in the United States is an American brand made with Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco. A separate Cuban La Gloria Cubana exists under Habanos S.A. and cannot legally be sold in the US.
Who created the modern La Gloria Cubana?
Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr., at El Credito Cigars on Calle Ocho in Miami's Little Havana. He built the brand into one of the most sought-after cigars of the 1990s boom.
Who owns La Gloria Cubana now?
Forged Cigar Company, part of Scandinavian Tobacco Group. La Gloria Cubana was one of the five founding brands when Forged was created on 1 February 2021. General Cigar Company acquired El Credito in 1999.
Which brands actually moved in the February 2026 reshuffle?
Cohiba, Punch and Havana Honeys moved into Forged. Partagas, Room101 and Don Tomas moved out to General Cigar. La Gloria Cubana, Bolivar and Diesel had been Forged brands since 2021, and Alec Bradley since 2023.
What does Serie R mean?
Serie R is La Gloria's big-ring-gauge line, launched in 2002. The numbers indicate size, not blend, and run from the No. 5 at 5.5 x 54 up to the No. 8 at 7 x 70.
What is the difference between Serie R and Serie R Estelí?
Serie R Estelí uses Nicaraguan tobacco from the Estelí valley and is noticeably stronger and earthier. Standard Serie R is the original blend.
What is the Wavell?
The Wavell is La Gloria's classic 5 x 50 robusto, available in Natural and Maduro. It predates the Serie R and is the best way to taste the traditional blend.
Which La Gloria Cubana is the strongest?
The Serie R Estelí line, in either Natural or Maduro. Nicaraguan filler from Estelí carries more power than the Dominican-based blends.
Is Maduro stronger than Natural?
Not necessarily. Maduro means the wrapper was fermented longer and darker, which makes it sweeter and richer. Strength comes from the filler, not the wrapper color.
How do I cut a 70 ring gauge cigar?
Use a wide-jaw guillotine rated above 60 ring, or a V-cut. A standard cutter will not open around the head, and a punch cutter draws far too tight at that diameter.
What does ligero mean?
Ligero is the top-priming leaf. It gets the most sun, holds the most oil and nicotine, and burns slowest. It provides a blend's strength. Seco is the middle leaf for aroma, volado the lower leaf for burn.
How long does a Serie R No. 8 take to smoke?
Two hours or more at a proper pace. It is an evening cigar, not something to start before a meeting.
Why are the Glorias en Cedros in a tube?
The aluminum tube protects the cigar in transit and slows moisture loss, which makes it a good travel or gift format. The cedar character of the blend comes through cleanly.
What humidity should I store these at?
65 to 70 percent relative humidity at 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Large ring gauges are especially unforgiving of dry storage.
Are La Gloria Cubana cigars still rolled in Miami?
Production moved out of the original El Credito operation as the brand scaled. Today's cigars are made in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
Do you ship La Gloria Cubana?
Yes, to states where we are permitted to ship. An adult signature is required at delivery.
For adults 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.
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