Tag Archives: La Sirena

by Craig Vanderslice | February 11, 2024 · 12:05 pm

La Sirena LS LEs, a Mexican Mermaid and a Wooden Indian 60th Anniversary Cigar

It’s probably quite apparent I have an affinity for the majority of the cigars in the La Sirena portfolio. I’ve been a fan of the brand for a long time. The La Sirena brand came into existence the same year I started this site, 2009. Back then it was a owned by Miami Cigar and Co., and the Classic La Sirena brand was made at the My Father factory. If you ever come across La Sirena cigars that have the Miami Cigar barcode label on the back, snatch them up. Don’t get me wrong, the current iteration are made at La Zona, and might be my favorite cigar from that factory. In the early years they made some limited editions, an A size and a Solomon (the Dubloon), which had Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers instead of he Habano wrapper. This was the inspiration for the La Sirena LS LE Lancero, and the newly released (at the recent TPE show) box pressed 6″ x 60. I had the great fortune of smoking both this week, something I’ve been looking forward to. First up was the Lancero, a 7½” x 39 version. These are made at Tabacalera La Isla, which is owned by Hostos Fernández Quesada, nephew of Manolo Qusada, and cousin of Terence Reilly. La Sirena has worked with the Quesadas before, they make their Oceano brand, not to be overlooked. In an effort to balance out the paragraphs, see the next one for the blend info! This cigar was excellent, it exceeded expectations. The burn and draw were perfect, assuming it’s smoked slowly like a lancero should be smoked. It was good for at least 2 hours. There were dark, rich cocoa and coffee with some earth and spice, a total package. These were made in 2022 and are being released at a rate of 1000 per year over four years.

The next night I had the La Sirena LS LE Box Pressed Gordo. This is 6″ x 60 but feels smaller due to the press. I get the idea that Danny Ditkowich is a fan of the 60 rings, as many of his Tobacco Plaza Anniversary cigars have been larger rings. My guess is that if the Lancero was Arielle’s smoke, this was her father’s. Gordos don’t bother me at all, although I’m not a fan of anything too much over 60. The blend, which I said I was going to mention in this paragraph to fill things out, is a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, San Andrés binder and fillers from the DR, Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. This is the same blend as the Lancero, we might imagine the proportions are quite different! The 2024 production of these was 100 boxes of ten, pretty small. Comparing the two is unfair, but fun as they are the same blend in polar opposite formats. Where the Lancero was straightforward and focused, the gordo was mellower and more complex. This could be the proportions or the temperature of the burn or some of both. It’s a great cigar, which compares more with the Mexican Mermaid in my mind than my memories of the Broadleaf La Sirenas of he past. I do have an A and a couple Dubloons around that I could potentially smoke to compare, but age factors in. Better to let these beauties stand on their own as excellent cigars.

Speaking of the La Sirena Mexican Mermaid, I smoked the Robusto yesterday, a size I hadn’t previously smoked for some reason. I’ve smoke a bunch of the toro and the 4″ x 50s, and what they call a lancero but is more of a lonsdale. To recap, the Mexican Mermaid is made at La Isla, has a Mexican wrapper and binder and fillers from Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Sounds like a lot of Mexican tobacco, right? So I started out on Te Amo Maduros back in the mid-90s, so I have a high threshold for what’s now called San Andrés tobacco. I found the 5″ x 50 Robusto to pack a punch, it was earthy with a lot of strong, black coffee notes. I love this blend, besides the classic La Sirena, it’s one of my favorite cigars.

Friday I posted about the Wooden Indian‘s 60th anniversary Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf. There isn’t much more I can say about the Wooden Indian again, great humidor, great lounge, great staff. I’m a year older than the store. Now, the store hasn’t been under the same ownership for all those years, I want to say that Dave Mayer has owned it for close to 20 years. They have grown a lot in the 14 or so years since I first stopped in the store, and have a very good e-commerce business. I heard about this a few weeks ago when I spent an evening at the lounge with Fabien Zeigler and Mike King, and was excited to give the cigar a try. This is a Supreme Leaf in a box pressed 5″ x 56, an Aganorsa puro with a Corojo 99 wrapper. There’s some tie in with Privada, and Wooden Indian sells a lot of their stuff, but I don’t hold that against them. The brand originally came out at the 202 TPE show. The cigar was pretty darned good, on the woody end of my spectrum, burn and draw were excellent. I like some Aganorsa Leaf cigar more than others, and this was a good one. Hit up the folks at WI and five this a shot if you’re a Supreme Leaf fan!

That’s all for today. I have to go swear at some house projects after lunch and then have some cigars. I guess there’s some sort of sporting/popular culture event going on today, if you’re into that, enjoy! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Aganorsa Leaf, cigar, cigars, La Sirena, LS LE, Mexican Mermaid, Supreme Leaf, wooden indian

by Craig Vanderslice | October 9, 2022 · 10:02 am

Epic, La Sirena and Brickhouse Cigars

There was a lot of news last week, and I didn’t get to most of them, but one I wanted to touch on was from Scandinavian Tobacco Group, STG, owner of General and Forged Cigars and. Cigars International. The press release was announcing an exclusive with Southern Draw, but what I found interesting was that this was the first time I had heard of Cigora, as explained below:

About Cigora
Launched in August 2022, Cigora is an exclusive cigar community and ecommerce site that represents the future of cigars online. With a clean, modern aesthetic, the site includes a robust online forum with informative content, unique discussion boards, and an ecommerce section that features top-shelf cigars as well as rare, limited-edition releases from brands including but not limited to Davidoff, Ashton, Tatuaje, Viaje and others. A rewards program, invitation-only virtual events and exclusive members-only content round out the site’s wide range of offerings.Cigora is open to all consumers of legal smoking age.

I don’t have a problem with this, I just find it curious that I hadn’t heard about it. Maybe it’s all over the Cigarworld forums, which is General’s online presence. Does Cigora replace Cigarworld? It’s hard to tell. I see some familiar names in the forum, so I’m not sure how this escaped my notice. That being said, I’m terrible about participating in website based forums! Still, it’s something I’ll explore.

Let’s get to the cigars! After a couple of trade show samples that I just didn’t like, I tried a new-to-me cigar from Dean Parsons’ Epic Cigars. Dean gave me this one at the TPE show, it’s the Epic Police 299, which is an homage to his police service in Canada. The 299 is his regimental number in the department. The cigar is made inthe DR, has a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Cameroon binder and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. It’s a 6½” x 54 cigar. I like that size, it’s a wonder it lasted this long in the humidor. This was a terrific cigar. I am a fan of the Epic Maduros, and the San Andrés, and this was a nice addition to the line. I got some espresso, and dark fruits, and it burned very well. It was a nice recovery from a couple not-so-good cigars the night before.

I finally had the right amount of time yesterday to smoke the new addition to the La Sirena Mexican Mermaid line, the 4×54. Any guesses what size it is? They skipped the large band on this one, going with just the small band that they usually put under the big one. I really like the Mexican Mermaid blend, it suits my palate perfectly. It’s unlike other San Andrés blends in that it’s a little meatier I think. I liked this new size, better than the “Lancero”, which is more of a lonsdale, but not quite as much as the Toro. That might change as I will certainly try to sample more of these in the future. It’s a nice little size.

Finally, it’s Bricktoberfest this month, and J.C. Newman has come out with a special Bricktoberfest 2022 Brick House cigar, a pigtailed 6″ x 52 cigar, a limited edition with a Nicaraguan wrapper from Jalapa and dual binders from Estelí and Condega over Nicaraguan fillers. The are running a promotion where if you buy 7 cigars you get a boot-shaped beer glass, which they erroneously call “Das Boot”. Of course, in German, Das Boot means “The Boat”. It should be “der Stiefel”, but the boot shaped glasses have a long history for some reason. Some stories about military hazings involving drinking beer out of an actual boot or something. The cigar was quite good, and I like the Brick House line, especially the maduro. I found it quite enjoyable, it’s a fairly straightforward cigar, but what it has tastes good to the end.

That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Brickhouse, Bricktoberfest, cigar, cigars, Cigora, Epic, J.C.Newman, JC, La Sirena, Mexican Mermaid, Police 299

by Craig Vanderslice | November 25, 2021 · 9:42 am

La Sirena Mexican Mermaid and Stolen Throne Three Kingdoms Cigars

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers who celebrate it! I trust that you have some excellent cigars picked out to smoke at some point or points throughout the day! I generally smoke something special, I’ll figure that out tomorrow! But for today I have a few new cigars I want to talk about. First is the newest cigar from La Sirena. Many of you may not have heard of this brand (you haven’t been reading here long!), or have wondered what’s become of it, it’s still around! It remains one of my favorites! I smoke the classic line, now made at La Zona, often, and enjoy many Merlions and Oceanos. The La Sirena LT is among my favorite shade cigars. While they are hard to find, they are around, and the Mexican Mermaid is the latest addition to the line. This is a variation on the Tenth anniversary cigar that came out a few years ago (the brand launched the same year as CigarCraig.com!). I came by some samples of the box pressed Toro, which is 5 ¾” x 54, which made my day, I’ve been looking forward to trying these. These are made in Hostos Quesada’s new factory, Tabacalera La Isla, and have a Mexican San Andrés wrapper and binder, and Mexican and Dominican filers. I cut my teeth on Mexican cigars in the nineties, but this doesn’t taste like anything I remember smoking before. The cigar has a very unique and interesting flavor, I can’t even put a name to it, but it transcends the heavy earthiness of the Mexican puros of old. It’s unique, and takes a bit of getting used to, but is a refreshing change. I can’t wait to add this to my La Sirena rotation. It’s not at all like the Tenth Anniversary in my recollection, although that is a stunningly good cigar. I wouldn’t say it’s better, but it’s different, and I like it a lot.

I picked up a couple of Stolen Throne Cigar‘s latest release, Three Kingdoms last weekend, ahead of Sunday’s event at Son’s Cigars. I wanted to smoke a few before finally getting a chance to meet these guys face to face. Nothing worse than smoking the cigar in front of the brand owners and having a visceral reaction to it. They tend to react poorly when you light a cigar and then ask the shop owner to bring a bucket 😁. I kid, that rarely happens. Still, I was anxious to smoke this new cigar with a Habano wrapper. I smoked a couple of the box pressed Toro size, of course we all know I’m grabbing the toro first. Lee Marsh, the brand owner, and blender of the line, said I have to give the robusto a try, and I have one of those, but I’ll pick another one up Sunday to smoke. I actually talk with Lee in a group video chat fairly regularly, but I haven’t met him in person. I’m looking forward to that, and meeting his team. Anyway, this is another cigar that falls into the “I like a great deal” column. This is a terrific desert cigar, it has a candy sweetness that I enjoy. I get that in some Sumatra wrapped cigars. It’s bold, without ever being overly strong. It’s just a pleasure to smoke. I’ve been impressed with the cigars I’ve smoked made by Noel Rojas, this is another one that’s really good.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Remember, let me know if you want to get in on a CigarCraig.com Secret Santa! So far, it looks like it’s just Lonnie and I exchanging, not much of a secret, but I’m OK with it. The more, the merrier, ya know! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, La Sirena, Mexican Mermaid, Son's Cigar & Lounge, Stole, Stolen Throne, Three Kingdoms

by Craig Vanderslice | June 9, 2021 · 9:28 pm

Contest! Drew Estate Swag and Some Cigars From My Humidor

OK, I’ve been teasing a contest for too long, and it’s been way too long since I’ve had a giveaway! So it’s time! I’ve had some goodies here that My friends at Drew Estate were kind enough to provide for me, and I’ll scrape together some Drew Estate cigars from my humidor to add as well. I’m sure I’ll find some more to throw in as the week goes by too! As it stands, here’s the stuff!

There’s the Freestyle Live Travel Humidor, Xikar cutter and torch lighter! I’m also including a cool pair of cigar socks courtesy of Groovy Groomsmen Gifts! These are the “Sock it To ‘Em” style socks and are very nice socks! I’m also including a selection of cigars from my humidor, a bunch of my favorites, from La Sirena, Danli Honduras Tobacco, Joya de Nicaragua, General Cigar and J.C.Newman, as well as others to be added later, and at my whim.

As with all my giveaways, the rules are simple. First, you need to be of legal age in your jurisdiction, and willing to prove it if you win. To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post, one per person. No Facebook or Twitter comments will count, just comments on this blog post! I’ll select a winner next Wednesday, June 16, 2021. That’s it, easy stuff. Good luck!

That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, Contest, Danli Honduras Tabacco, drew estate, General Cigar Co., Groovy Groomsmen Gifts, J.C.Newman, joya de nicaragua, La Sirena, Socks

by Craig Vanderslice | February 7, 2021 · 10:21 am

A La Sirena Dubloon Salomon Cigar

Once again, I haven’t been smoking newer cigars because I don’t really have a lot of newer cigars. I have some interesting older cigars, but I’ve still been having some dental struggles, so I’ve been holding off on those. I’ll probably get to one of those this week. I sat in on a rare (for me) zoom herf with Pete Johnson and his crew last week for an hour or so of his record breaking 14 hour herf and smoked a Tatuaje HCS Maduro No. 1, which is a Holts Exclusive which I had picked up at Holts about 4 year ago. It was really nice, very rich and flavorful. My wife got her hands on a small table that she’s been covering with cigar bands, so every now and then she needs a specific band, so I’ve found myself smoking a certain cigar so she can have the band, which doesn’t bother me at all, since the table will be a reflection of my favorite cigars pretty much based on the volume of bands. Sometimes smoking the cigar is easier than sifting through bags of bands!

Yesterday I decided to smoke one of my remaining few treasured La Sirena Dubloons. (I made an obscure reference on my Instagram post to “Old School” which was Danny Ditkowich‘s distribution company, which had some brands such as Jaxx and Staxx, which were acquired by La Sirena in 2014. Nobody got it.) This is a cigar that La Sirena put out in 2013 as a limited Edition. Instead of the Broadleaf wrapper that was on the original La Sirena (it’s Habano Oscuro now), it has a Habano Oscuro wrapper, and it was made in the My Father factory, which is where all of the La Sirena cigars were made at the time. This is a large 7 ¼” x 56 Salomon which came in boxes of eight. This was a stupidly large cigar to smoke on a February afternoon, but, hey, no time like the present, right? I received these cigars sometime in 2014, so they’ve been resting in my humidors since then and the cellophane was a dark amber. The burn and draw was perfect, even at first lighting, and cigars of this shape can start a little tight. Two hours later and I didn’t want to put it down. Throughout the cigar I had the dense flavors I love in the La Sirena blend: Some spice along with espresso and some earthiness. There was a surprising cinnamon stretch for a minute about half way through, as well. This is a cigar that I’ll never see again, I’m afraid, strike that, I have two more, and an “A” with the same wrapper. La Sirena remains one of my favorite brands, and continues to be one of my site’s longest supporters, something for which I am deeply appreciative.