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Limited Cigar Association

Blind Cigar Review: LCA Reserva Vintage 2021

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The Limited Cigar Association—a subsidiary of Privada Cigar Club—releases each year a single farm puro from a noted master blender. This 2021 release is a Honduran puro. Christian Eiroa—original creator of Camacho and now his own lines—is the man behind this blend. Honduran puros haven’t impressed me as much over the years, so this blind review was another test of what this region can do.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed- LCA Reserva Vintage 2021
  • Wrapper- Honduran Corojo
  • Binder- Honduran Corojo
  • Filler: Honduran Corojo
  • Size- 6’x 44’ (Lonsdale)

Appearance and Construction

The wrapper is light and silky with a noticeable thick vein on top. I can see the cap is crumpled looking and not very attractive.  There are noticeable soft spots as I squeeze the cigar which is concerning. The foot smells of barnyard and oak.

Taste and Smoking Characteristics

I clip the smoke with a guillotine cutter which takes a small piece of the lopsided cap. Taking a dry draw it’s sweet and salty with wood notes. Another puff and I’m picking up white pepper and almond paste. With a retrohale pepper and cedar come through with cocoa powder on the exhale. Thus far the cigar is in the medium bodied range with a nice whitish gray ash. With another draw there’s more toasted oak with some mustiness. More wood and light pepper on the sides of my palate are beginning to development in intensity. The second half of the smoke has some savory notes with nougat that ends in a creamy finish. With a slow draw biscuit and cedar keep the cigar well balanced to a medium body. The retrohale is creamy with cedar and earth coating the sides of my mouth as it wafts through my nostrils. A slight bitterness prevails on my next draw but saves itself with a rich earthiness on the back end. The ash continues to be straight, which was a concern with the soft spots I felt previously. Toast and oak prevail with an effortless draw that makes this cigar easy to smoke.

The last third gives off balsa wood, cherry and roasted nuts. Some bitterness returns with a slightly green taste from the tobacco. Just as quickly I take another retrohale and there’s a large amount of salted almonds and sweet cream. More biscuit and cream linger on the palate with a slow cool draw. I’m impressed at the end of this smoke there appears that the flavors are more pronounced. As I take final puff wood and cream created a long flavorful finish.

Conclusion

This was a wonderful medium bodied blend. The cigar had a balance of toast, oak, cedar with the right amounts of spice to keep you interested and along the way creaminess work its way through. The slightly green bitterness I picked up a few times was a drawback however it quickly corrected itself in the smoke. Finding out this was an LCA Reserva Vintage I was impressed that a Honduran puro had this much to offer. I would recommend a box or at least a fiver to let sit a few months.

Final Rating: 91

Blind Review: Cigar Clowns “The Ronald”

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Cigar Clowns “The Ronald”

In 2021, Limited Cigar Association (owned by Privada Cigar Club) released Cigar Clowns “The Ronald.” This toro size cigar recognizes the popular clown Ronald McDonald of the fast food McDonalds chain. Master blender AJ Fernandez created this smoke at his Esteli factory as a Nicaraguan puro. AJ has developed blends for a variety of cigar companies and has a superb reputation as someone that processes and treats tobacco with an expert touch. I’ve smoked many of his cigars which rarely if ever disappoint in taste and quality. Read on for the blind review.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Cigar Clowns “The Ronald”
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
  • Binder: Nicaraguan 
  • Filler: Nicaraguan 
  • Size: 6″ x 50 (Toro)
Cigar Clowns “The Ronald” Review
Cigar Clowns “The Ronald” Review

Blind Review: Cigar Clowns “The Ronald”

Appearance & Construction

There’s an oily sheen to this toothy, milk chocolate colored wrapper. The foot is a bit spongy and as I run my fingers alongside the cigar there are no discerning soft spots. Giving a roll in my palm, the uniformity of the smoke is evident and the quality in construction is there. The accent is the triple cap on the head that makes the cigar more attractive. The foot smells of cocoa bean and rich chocolate.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

A straight cut clips just enough of the head and giving a dry draw, there’s must and some grit from the wrapper. With a cigar taper I toast the foot which burns brightly. Taking a puff, the cigar starts off spicy with some heat and black pepper. The smoke turns up right away and is wafting thick in the air. Taking a retrohale there’s distinct graham cracker and floral notes resonating from my nostrils. The white/gray ash is uneven while I draw slowly. Vanilla and cream counterbalance the strength from the cigar’s full body. 

By midway, I’m picking up burnt almonds with the profile in the medium to full bodied range. On the retrohale there’s notes of tin and copper that is rather displeasing. Another draw yields spiciness that ends a bit harshly. The burn line continues to falter, and the spice turns to cedar with a short finish. I’m currently enjoying the spice and wood notes although I wish the flavors lasted a little longer. With another puff there is serious chocolate coming from the cigar, giving this cigar some sweetness and making the profile more interesting.

Reaching the last third the full strength continues with black pepper interplaying with cocoa and cinnamon. I’m getting sea salt with toasted oats and a full blast of smoke that coats my palate. The finish continues to be short with little left on the tongue as I exhale. There’s a metallic taste with a retrohale and bakers chocolate pushing through that’s becoming bitter. With a final puff the wood and pepper come together to emphasize the strength of this cigar.   

Conclusion

AJ has such a wide variety of blends and styles its hard to nail down where this one fits. Right away there was spice and heat with a full bodied profile. The toast and wood notes evident midway were enjoyable, minus the tin and copper notes on the retrohale which create some bitterness on the short finish. With the exception of the metallic tastes that resonated on the last two thirds of the cigar, this was an enjoyable full bodied smoke. I would recommend picking up one or two and laying them down for a few months and see where The Clown takes you.

Final Rating: 89

Blind Cigar Review: The Vince by Blackbird Cigar Co.

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If you’ve been following the cigar scene for the last few years, you’ll know that cigar marketing is getting more and more creative, especially among boutique producers. The latest Blackbird Cigars release, an LCA exclusive, is The Vince. Named for Tom Cruises’ character in the Martin Scorsese film The Color Of Money, this cigar stands out with its dark wrapper, box pressed shape and pigtail closed foot.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: The Vince by Blackbird Cigar Co. LCA Exclusive
  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
  • Binder: Dominican
  • Blend: Dominican and Nicaraguan
  • Size: 6” x 50

Blind Review: The Vince

Appearance and Construction

On inspection, this is a unique looking boxed pressed maduro with a closed pigtail foot. The head of the cigar is slightly tapered and there are minimal veins visible. As I give a squeeze to the wrapper, I can see it is firm all the way through. I clip the pigtail foot and there’s notes of oak and cherry with black pepper hitting my nostrils.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Clipping the tapered head and with the pigtail foot taken care of, I take a dry draw. It’s a bit airy with wheat and fruit that’s rather mild. The fruitiness that comes through lingers for a moment on my palate and the finish is buttery. Unfortunately, one layer of the wrapper comes loose early on. As I take a retrohale there’s cashews, oats, and a slight sourness on the exhale. The ash is straight as an arrow and glaringly white, with the cigar falling in the medium range.

By midway, the amount of smoke seems to be increasing along with sour cherry and a sharp bitter finish. Taking another retrohale I’m getting barnyard notes with cedar and strong espresso creating an unbalanced group of flavors. With another draw there’s a creaminess and butterscotch followed by vanilla that touches the sides of my mouth, though in short supply. The body picks up to medium-full with coffee, black pepper and a snap of leather on the back end. Drawing on this cigar even slowly does not seem to calm down its hefty smoke production, and the wrapper is starting to become looser as the combustion builds.

The final third sees the wrapper even more undone, and there’s an acidic bitter quality forming. Leather and white pepper cause a drying and tingling sensation all at once as I take successive draws. The bitterness deters from the flavors on the finish and taking a retrohale pepper, cedar and spice come through. There’s a grittiness on the wrapper at present with earthy notes and salinity from the smoke hitting my palate. I take a last puff which delivers coffee, cedar and a short burnt finish.

Conclusion

With such unique construction, I found this cigar intriguing from first glance with its dark wrapper, box press and pigtail cap. Unfortunately, the flavors did not deliver enough to keep my attention. From the airy draw to the wheat notes, coffee, cream, and pepper, all were present but they never lasted long. The bitter acidic finish midway coupled with the wrapper unraveling didn’t help the experience. I’m not very familiar with the Blackbird Cigar Company, nor do I fully understand the homage to The Color of Money movie and the cigar. I’d be willing to try something else in their portfolio, but I wouldn’t pick this one up again.

Final Rating: 86