Warped Serie Gran Reserva 1988 Robusto is a special edition Warped Cigars release, timed to coincide with the 30th birthday of company founder Kyle Gellis. Kyle launched Warped Cigars in 2009 following a childhood fascination with handmade premium cigars. Since that time, they have become a firm favorite for their incredible range of blends and flavors.

This Warped 1988 Gran Reserva review will look in detail at the construction, strength, and flavor profile of what has become one of the Warped Cigars' highest-rated blends among fans of the brand. You can also click here to watch our one-minute Warped Serie Gran Reserva 1988 review on YouTube.

What you need to know about Warped

Warped Cigars deliver on a lifelong passion for premium handmade cigars, with Gellis carefully crafting an array of medium to full-bodied blends, hand-rolled to perfection in Miami, Florida, at the El Titan de Bronze cigar factory.

The brand is famous for its diversity of flavor, and the Warped Cigars line-up will suit almost any palate and preference - it's just a matter of finding the cigar that best suits your personal tastes. Warped Gran Reserva 1988 is a great starting point, highly rated among reviewers and celebrating a landmark birthday in the creator's young life.

Cigar Specs

• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: El Titan de Bronze, Miami FL
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo '99
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Sizes available: Warped Serie Gran Reserva 1988 Robusto (5.25 x 50)
• Smoke time: 1 hour 50 minutes (approx.)

A look at the cigar's construction

Warped Gran Reserva 1988 is rolled in Florida, but in terms of its ingredients, it's a Nicaraguan puro, with vintage Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobaccos for the filler and binder, expertly hand-rolled in a Nicaraguan Corojo '99 wrapper.

An interesting feature of the Warped Serie Gran Reserva 1988 Robusto is its band. This features a line-art crown with the number 976212 stamped over it - a number of some unknown significance to Gellis, who has not shared details as to its meaning.

The presentation box for the Warped Cigars GR88 is similarly understated, with 25 sticks per box and a simple, untreated wood, sliding lid design. For Gellis, presentation rarely overshadows the smoking experience but is just elegant enough to draw you into wondering what the cigar is going to be like.

What was the cold draw like?

The cold draw on the Warped GR88 is sprinkled with spice, but not the usual black pepper that is so common among present-day cigars. Instead, there are baking spices and nutty scents, cereal, cinnamon, and almonds, with a hint of coffee beans that combines to give the cold draw a breakfasty profile.

Flavors I enjoyed from the Gran Reserva

Smoking the Warped 1988 Gran Reserva Robusto is a delicious experience, as the flavor profile hovers around the upper end of medium-full. There's plenty of creamy smoke with a rich sweetness, and the vintage Nicaraguan tobaccos really shine through.

We think the Gran Reserva Robusto 1988 pairs perfectly with a cold ginger ale, which is the ideal partner for those baking spices to really bring your palate to life.

First Third

The Gran Reserva 1988 starts out creamy, with tobacco sweetness and that delicate profile of blended spices. Look for flavors of home baking: cinnamon, toasted almonds, brown sugar, and marshmallow.

Second Third

Toward the middle of the stick, the sweetness tones down and more of a savory profile comes through, with hints of barbecued meat and sticky BBQ sauce. Retrohales are subtle now, with cinnamon spice and powdered sugar. Everything is in perfect balance, making the second third of this cigar a truly delicious smoking experience to be enjoyed.

Final Third

As the GR88 burns down to the nub, the strength profile ratchets back up. The sweetness and spices come together to create a cookie dough character, with creamy marshmallow and a sprinkle of white pepper.

How strong is the cigar?

The Gran Reserva 1988 Robusto is somewhere around the medium-full to full level, with plenty of body. Gellis has said he tries to avoid the punchy pepper that is currently commonplace in the market, instead of creating blends that allow the more subtle spices to show through. As such, if you define strength as more than just black pepper retrohales, this could be the blend you've been waiting for.

Last thoughts

There's only one way to savor the GR88, as the sole vitola available is the 5.25 x 50 Robusto, which you can buy at Cigars.com in boxes of 25. Everybody should try at least one Warped Cigars creation, and you can't go wrong with the Gran Reserva, which is universally among the highest-rated releases from the brand.