La Sirena Original | CigarCraig's Blog

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August 9, 2026 · 9:33 am

Oz Family Maracana, Illusione Original Documents and La Sirena Original Cigars

I stopped in a local shop Tuesday evening to meet up with someone who never showed! I guess I’ll catch up with him the next time he’s in town. Anyway, I picked up a couple cigars, the first of which is is the Oz Family Cigars Maracana in the gordo size. This is the newest cigar from Oz, so new it’s not even on their website! Of course, Oz Family Cigars is Tim Ozgener’s brand, and this Maracana is his return to Brazilian tobacco. You may remember hi from such hits as the CAO Brazilia! Ozgener is the O in CAO for those who didn’t know. Anyway this cigar is made at the My Father Factory with a Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper, Honduran and Nicaraguan double binder and fillers from the Talanga Valley (Honduras) and Garcia-managed farms (Nicaragua). The gordo is 6″ x 60, and I chose it for the reason most people probably choose this size, it seemed like the best value, and I am not anti-60 ring. I admit, I rather like them. This was a delicious cigar, not anything like the aforementioned Brazilia, which is heavy and dark. This is a bright, citrusy cigar which was very refreshing on a warm evening. The ash on this cigar was stunning, if I posted a picture I’d be accused of using AI. Burn and draw were great, flavor was delightful, and I may have to go grab a toro to try. This cigar was another cigar that pays homage to the 2026 World Cup, so I was late to the game, as usual. Good cigar, not stupidly priced and recommended.

Another cigar I picked up was one I am sure I have smoked, but it’s been a long time and packaging has changed, so I figure I’d include it here. The cigar is the Illusione Original Documents Maduro in a toro size, which they call a gordo, it being 6″ x 56. I call that a toro, but everyone is free to call cigar sizes whatever they want. The Original Documents line comes with paper sleeves, the Maduro is black, and has no markings on it, save for the barcode. When one finally peels this paper sleeve off, and it caused me some aggravation doing so, I found a beautiful cigar with a new, rather ornate and well done, band. This had me scratching my head. Why design new bands, and hide them? On the store shelves, the only way one knows the cigar is by the box, which I think would look much better with a clear cello sleeve, showing the beautiful cigars. I would have thought a brand owner with a retail background would get this right. Obviously, my opinion. The cigar has a San Andrés wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers and is made at the San Lotano factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua. This is a delicious chocolaty cigar! I spent about two hours smoking this and enjoying the cocoa goodness. I’ve been fortunate to smoke some great cigars lately!

I had another cigar slotted for this spot originally, but after I smoked this cigar last night, I decided that it needed to be addressed. It’s no secret that one of my favorite brands over the last 14 or so years has been La Sirena, a small, boutique brand that started out as a Miami Cigar and Co. brand. Eventually Arielle Ditkowich took the brand private and made it a family brand, with her father, Danny, handling a lot of it now. Originally what’s now known as the La Sirena Original was made at the My Father factory, then production moved to La Zona, and now it’s made at Tabacalera La Isla. I absolutely loved the La Zona blend, it’s amongst my most smoked blends over the years, and I was nervous when Danny told me he was making the change. I made sure I had a box of the Tridents put away before the change. I wasn’t concerned about the quality of cigars out of La Isla, the Mexican Mermaid which is. made there, is another favorite, I was concerned it would be different. I smoked a 6″ x 52 Toro last night and I see a box in my future, it’s better than the previous iterations! Holy crap was it good. There’s the undertone of sourdough that I love in the previous blend, it’s subtle, but there’s a rich, creamy sweetness that was delicious, and I considered lighting a second one when I finished! Sorry the other cigar got bumped, but I couldn’t not share the new blend La Sirena experience that I had. The three core lines continue to be in my top cigars, and I still have some unicorns in the humidor, including some of the My Father Tridents (Churchill). Smoke this brand with confidence!

Funny enough, I pasted this into CoPilot to proofread, and it came back with this: “Your write‑up already reads like a fully formed CigarCraig installment — lively, detailed, and anchored in the kind of factory‑level nuance you’re known for.” I’ll take that as a compliment from the AI. That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

😃+

La Sirena, Punch and Oz Family Cigars and a New CigarProp

I write this as I await yet another snowstorm, which I don’t look forward to at all. Sure, it’s pretty, for a minute, but the aftermath is really bothersome. I’ll be happy when this winter has passed us by! I’ll take sweat over snow any day of the week. Anyway, It’s been a while since I’ve featured one of my favorite lines over the last dozen or so years, La Sirena. Those who follow on Instagram or Facebook will frequently see me lighting up a La Sirena, whether it’s the Original, Mexican Mermaid, or the LT, I’m a big fan of the line. Here’s a video from way back in 2012 from the trade show:

This is number three on my most watched videos on my Youtube channel, by the way. Anyway, a lot has changed with La Sirena over the years. Arielle has stepped back and is raising a bunch of children, and her father, Danny is steering the ship now. Merlion and Oceano are discontinued, and the classic La Sirena line is on it’s third factory. It started out being made at My Father, then at La Zona for a long time. Recently production has shifted to Tabacalera La Isla, which is the same factory that makes the Mexican Mermaid (the LT is still made by Plasencia). I’ve smoked loads of the La Sirena Original, and I was very interested in sampling the new iteration. I believe my favorite size, the Trident (Churchill) has been replaced by a Toro, so, obviously I went with the 6″ x 60 King Poseidon size first. I have no reason to believe the blend has changed, Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro wrapper, Nicaraguan Criollo binder and Nicaraguan Jalapa & Condega fillers. I was concerned that my favorite cigar had changed, but it hadn’t! It still has the sourdough flavor that I really like in this cigar. It’s perfectly constructed and delicious! I’m very happy that Hostos at La Isla was able to maintain the signature flavor that I like in that cigar! If you have an opportunity to smoke any of the line, take it, you won’t be disappointed. I noticed that the latest version no longer has the thn band under the large band. If you come across La Sirenas where you can see the thin band under the large band, grab them, they are the original My Father version.

I probably should have smoked this next cigar earlier in the week, as the 17th was the lunar new year and the start of the Year of the Horse. While not technically a “Year of” cigar, Punch generally releases their line of Chinese food themed cigars about this time. This yeor it is the Egg Roll XL. The original Egg Roll was 4½” x 50, with the same unfinished foot that the 6″ x 60 XL has. It has a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Ecuador Sumatra binder and Columbian, Dominican, Mexican and US fillers. That’s a heck of a blend for an $8 cigar. I have historically liked this line of cigars, even though I think the branding is a little cheesy. What does Chinese food have to do with cigars? I guess it makes as much sense as anything else. I’ve smoked Chinese cigars, and just about anything is better than they are. This XL starts out with a leathery flavor, mind you, the first ¾” of the cigar is just binder, once the burn reaches the wrapper things round out a little and some sweetness comes in. Burn was good, I think it only need a slight correction once. This is another winner in this series, however was satisfied with this one, I didn’t crave another a half hour later. I like it, thank you to the folks at STG for sending samples.

I’ve mentioned before that Smoke Inn has been putting some ridiculous offers out there every week. I picked up a five pack of the new(ish) Oz Family Cigars Karatoba Robustos. Before I talk about the cigar, I want to highlight something new from my friend CigarProp, a set of four 3-D printed props. These are reminiscent of the plastic model kits we assembled as kids. I like these, maybe Kevin will make a mop bucket ashtray to go with them! CigarProp usually posts the Smoke Inn weekly specials, watch for them on his feed. The Karatoba is made at NACSA, which wasn’t a surprise to me when I looked up the specs after smoking it. It has a Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder an Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. The Robusto sells for $12, and I got the five pack for $20 delivered. I’m going to be sorry I bought all these five packs from them when they go bankrupt! I feel like I’m stealing. The Karatoba has a very strong flavor, but it’s not a really strong cigar. It’s pungent, almost cloying, and I loved it. I’m interested in trying it in a larger size. I had an hour to kill and this 5″ x 52 square pressed cigar fit the bill perfectly. One down, four to go. I’ve smoked a bunch of cigars from NACSA, and this is definitely one of them!