The Particulars

The Review

This review for the Gran Habano S.T.K. Black Dahlia - Corona Gorda (5.63 x 46) is based on the journal entry dated 2026-03-15

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Good (3)

The Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper is a very nice and warm milk chocolate brown. It has a light sheen, mild toothiness, nice medium mottling, and a lot of ultra-thin veins that centralize some of the color variation. All the seams are tight, blending in well, and the triple cap is immaculate. I love the details in the label with the black showgirl samba headpiece and gold accents; this cigar is dressed to impress before the curtain even goes up. This is just a great-looking cigar.

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Average (2) / Great (4)

The draw is a little bit on the tight side, but nothing close to requiring the draw tool. It’s just past my acceptable range for a good start, but it does improve with heat and gets back into the good range. The burn starts beautifully and is tightly controlled, damn near dead-nuts even with a razor-sharp burn line. The ash is a very light gray with super tight and deep dark striations, with each crack slightly feathering outward but with no flaking. The ash holds into the second third before falling; it’s a wonderful burn.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Excellent (5)

Immediate nuttiness, caramel, and a light citrusy sweetness. There’s mild earth and light cedar present as well, with a bit of baking spice. Cedar and the combination sweetness both increase, becoming more citrus-like and less caramel. Coffee is slightly creeping in, bringing that aromatic aspect you get from a fresh pot being brewed. The blend is super smooth, but not super creamy on the finish. It’s a little bit on the drier side, but this is off to a fantastic start.

Getting into the second third, the profile is still heavily defined by nuttiness and an increasing citrusy sweetness. It’s a little lemon, a little orange, all citrus bite with a hint of salted caramel. There’s still a moderate earth, cedar, and coffee base, but it’s light. At times, it gets a little sourdough-like, but just mildly, quickly reverting back to cedar. But the sweetness—it’s just off the hook. How many cigars have orange as the dominant note? There’s just enough nutmeg and cinnamon to provide extra color. Black pepper snuck in, slowly creeping up, with just enough strength to tingle the tongue and soft palate, but the creaminess increased more than enough to offset any harshness. Complexity has really hit in the second third, and this blend is singing harmoniously.

In the final third, woodiness does start to creep up with coffee as the sweetness pulls back just slightly. Overall, it’s finishing strong. All of the flavors have balanced out nicely in strength, bringing them all to a medium to medium-full level of intensity. What a fantastic blend.

Overall Experience (0-5):  Excellent (5)

Sitting just outside what I consider the current budget price range, this cigar is an unbelievable value for what you get. Smooth, complex, and beautifully balanced at a very affordable price, you can’t ask for more. Really the only caveat I would throw out is if you prefer darker, more savory cigars, this might not be a perfect fit for your palate, but it’s a banger. The OG boutique still punches above its weight. If you haven’t had it, go get it. 🔥

Review Base Rating (0-5):

4.75

Would I Buy It Again?

Without a doubt (box worthy)

Review Final Score (0-10):

9.67

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.