Tag Archives: Lars Tetens

by Craig Vanderslice | June 5, 2019 · 10:04 am

News: Alec Bradley Announces Lars Tetens Cigar Lines

Twenty-some odd years ago when I started down this premium cigar road, Lars Tetens cigars were in my local shop, I can picture them alone on their little island, segregated from the “normal” cigars in the humidor because of their herbal infusions. Most were sealed in baggies, with odd and interesting artwork. In recent years I’ve come across them here and there, even met Lars at an event a few years ago, he’s still, shall we say, eccentric and enigmatic? It was a bit surprising that a company that I think of as pretty conservative in the cigar world would pick up the brand, but Alec Bradley did it, and here’s the press release about what they are doing with the line. I have to say, I’ve smoke the Serie D and it was quite good, and I have a couple other’s floating around someplace (I admit, they still scare me a little!) As the predecessor to the Acid line in the botanical infused space, if you’re into that these will be worth a try (Kevin 😉).

Alec Bradley Cigar Co. founder Alan Rubin first announced his acquisition of Lars Tetens Brands in April of this year. The acquisition created a partnership between the two cigar makers, Lars Tetens and Alan Rubin; as well as a sales and distribution agreement with Alec Bradley Cigar Co.

Since 1979 Lars Tetens has been renowned in the cigar world for innovating a unique and labor intensive conditioning process using essential oils and botanicals to make the most

Only a few weeks ahead of the 2019 International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show in Las Vegas, representatives from Alec Bradley can confirm that the new online home for Lars Tetens is larstetenscigars.com; as well, they have announced the initial brands that are being relaunched in full scale.

“This is a very unique opportunity for Alec Bradley and Lars Tetens. We sifted through a ton of Lars’s grandfathered blends and lines and found the most unique items to feature as our first foray into the world of Lars Tetens” said, Alec Bradley Director of Sales and Marketing, Jonathan Lipson.

Always a character, Lars noted that “we are going to sell a shit load of these cigars!”

The following premium lines are being reintroduced:

-Cubagua, a complex, yet balanced blend offering earth, creamy and delicately spicy notes, featuring a sweet tip. Cubagua will be presented in 25 count boxes in the following sizes Robusto, Toro, Churchill and Gordo; ranging $8.96-$11.20 per cigar.

-Grass, a limited production line that features larger ring gauged pig tailed/closed foot medium bodied cigars, known for their distinct aroma, will be offered in 20 count boxes in Big (a 6X52 Torpedo) and Bigger (6X60) and will retail for $45.00 and $50.00 per cigar respectively.

-Serie D, a fuller bodied line emphasizing the importance of ligero, the boldest part of the tobacco plant. Lars credits the Serie D as being one of his most important lines. Serie D will be offered in three sizes: Robusto (25 Count), Toro (25 Count) and Gordo (20 Count) and will retail for $10.85-$12.90 per cigar.

-SS, shorthand for “Spicy Sweet” is a medium bodied line that features a spicy/sweet tip that is unique to Lars Tetens. SS will be offered in 25 count boxes in Robusto, Toro and Churchill with per cigar retail ranging from $9.85-$11.25.

-Sutton Place is a luxury line as smooth as sophisticated as the famous Manhattan street the line pays homage to. Sutton Place will be available in Petit Corona, Robusto, Toro and Churchill. All sizes except for Petit Corona will be offered in 25 count boxes. The Petit Corona will be offered in 30 counts boxes. Retail is set for $6.75-$11.20 per cigar.

-Steam Punk offers an experience to both the novice and connoisseur cigar smoker alike. The medium bodied cigar features a full flavored smoking experience that can be appreciated by all levels of cigar smoker. Steam Punk will be offered in 25 count boxes in two sizes- Robusto and Toro – and will retail for $9.95 and $11.60 respectfully.

-Phat Cigars, an eclectic line of pigtail/closed foot cigar featuring unique sizes and flavors will be available in the mild Brief XTC ($14.25 per cigar); the medium bodied Royal ($11.75 per cigar), Asadachi ($15.50 per cigar) and Shorty ($11.75 per cigar); and the full bodied Sun Fook Ka ($12.00 per cigar) and Churchill ($15.50 per cigar). Churchill will be available in 20 count boxes, as the rest will be available in 25 count boxes.

“As we are reacquainting the cigar world to Lars Tetens cigars,” said Alan, “Lars and I made a conscious decision to color code the boxes to represent the flavor and body levels of the cigars. Blue is mild, white is medium, orange is full and red is ‘Sweet N Spicy’. All of the boxes feature original graffiti artwork from Lars himself. Our goal is to expose as many cigar enthusiasts to Lars’s products in the easiest way possible. This is a very exciting opportunity and it is time to bring the Lars name back to prominence where it belongs!”

Lars Tetens cigars will be featured at the Alec Bradley booth at IPCPR 2019. Shipping is expected Mid-August 2019.To learn more about Lars Tetens, please visit larstetenscigars.com .

About Alec Bradley Cigars

Founded by Alan Rubin in 1996, Alec Bradley has been acknowledged as one of the world’s leading producers of fine, handmade premium cigars. Alec Bradley has received the cigar industry’s highest critical acclaim for its Prensado, Tempus, MAXX and Black Market premium cigars, to name a few. Their commitment to satisfying cigar enthusiasts worldwide is demonstrated by their passion for excellence, creativity and the highest quality standards.

About Lars Tetens

Lars Tetens is a man of so many talents he has been dubbed by his admirers as a contemporary Leonardo Da Vinci. People ranging from high-profile celebrities to politicians and presidents of Fortune 500 companies have retained him as their consultant on many varying projects, and are among his abundant admirers.

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Tagged as Alec Bradley, cigar, cigars, Lars Tetens

by Craig Vanderslice | April 14, 2019 · 8:31 am

An Old Excalibur, A Lars Tetens and an Alec Bradley Cigar

I took a little trip down memory lane this week, and smoked some interesting cigars. I did smoke some newer cigars, the Brick House Corona Larga was very nice (I’ll get to that another time) and I smoked another Norteño Toro which is the one cigar from the Herrera Esteli line that I really love. I also threw in a Cornelius toro for kicks. I spent my day off working on a huge building project in the backyard and felt a reward was in order, Listen to the current Retrohale podcast episode to see what those guys thought of one of my favorite cigars, Anyway, lets see what I thought of some of the older cigars I smoked this week.

About five months ago I was given a very well aged Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Cameroon in the King Arthur size, which is a lonsdale (although they call it a corona, it’s a 6.25 x 45, so I guess it’s neither). Back around 2000 or thereabouts, General Cigar did one of their promotional taste test samplings where they sold a three pack and consumers voted on their favorite of the three, the winner became the Excalibur Cameroon, and there was much rejoicing. Rami, our local General sales professional here in PA, produced a box of these from his locker at an event I happened to be attending and gifted me one, and I decided with the weather getting nicer it was time to smoke this rare gem. Age was kind to this cigar, it held up nicely. Excaliburs used to be a staple cigar for me, back when a $5 Excalibur No.1 was an expensive treat, and the Maduros were quite the treat. I haven’t smoked one in many years, I might need to grab a few. It still had some of the delicate Cameroon sweet, nutty flavor, Camerooniness, if you will, that unmistakable flavor. Burn and draw were perfect and it was quite a joy to smoke. I believe these are still available, and reasonably priced.

There was a lot of news this week that I failed to post about, Altadis marketing Montecristo Minis, Placensia and Davidoff partnering on a cigar, and Fratello releasing a beer line, I missed out on those stories, but my colleagues in cigar media all reported on those stories. The one that was the most surreal was the purchase of a majority interest in Lars Tetens Cigars by Alec Bradley CigarsAlec Bradley Cigars. For those who may not know, Lars Tetens preceded Acid Cigars in the infused cigar market in the mid 90s, they were the first real counter-culture, herbal/botanical infused cigars, and were quite the rage for a while. They’ve continued to be available here and there, I had the opportunity to meet Lars at an event in 2015 as he lives, or spends a lot of time, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. At least until recently, his cigars could be found on several local retailers shelves. He gave me a sampler when we met, and I smoked one soon after, but left several of the more infused smelling examples safely ensconced in a ziplock in the bowels of the humidor until this week when I screwed up the courage to smoke another one. I selected a toro sized cigar called the Tropical Candy, with an Alec Bradley Lineage nearby as an emergency back up, Surprisingly, the cigar wasn’t bad, I finished it. Any infusion must have aged out, as it just tasted like a nice, sweet tobacco, and the burn and draw were fine, although it was a bit loosely packed. I was pleasantly surprised, no hallucinations, no weird dreams, no urge to skateboard or anything, Maybe I was a little let down! I kinda understand the acquisition from a FDA predicate standpoint, as these blends certainly go back to the 1990s. I’ll be very interested to see what Alec Bradley does with the line.

Of course, I had to follow up with an actual Alec Bradley cigar, but instead of the Lineage, I went with an old favorite, the Nica Puro. I got home from work late last night and grabbed a robusto from the humidor, and saw the Nica Puro (I misplaced the Lineage…), and I love the Nica Puro! I haven’t smoked one in a while and I knew it would hit the spot. I do believe this cigar is my favorite cigar Alec Bradley produces, although I have an affinity for several others. This one has a balance of strength and flavor that hits me right. It’s one of those cigars that seems to burn right every time, with a nice straight burn, flat ember, I forgot how much I really like this cigar. There’s a bit of spice, some dark espresso, just damned good tobacco. I always like to have these in the humidor. I like the Robusto in this line, but the Diamond Rough Cut is pretty good too.

That’s about all I have for today. I have to work a rare Sunday, so it’s off to work for me. Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Alec Bradley, cigar, cigars, Excalibur, hoyo de monterrey, Lars Tetens, Nica Puro, Tropical Candy

by CigarCraig | March 20, 2016 · 10:43 am

Alec Bradley, 1502, Something from Leccia and Lars Tetens Cigars

Today is the first day of Spring and they are talking about snow! That’s some crap, isn’t it? Anyway, just like everyone else, I suppose, I smoked this years iteration of the Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan on Saint Patrick’s Day. I like the idea of snakes being banished as we have a couple in our back yard now that my wife is fond of photographing for what I figure is solely to terrify me. I. Don’t. Like. Snakes. As long as they stay outside, I’ll stay in and it’ll be OK, I guess, but I’m rooting for the hawks on this one, eat them slithery bastards up please. Anyway, the whole Saint Patrick and snakes thing is BS anyway, but I appreciate the notion. I’ve quite enjoyed the previous Hooligans, but this year’s version was a twist on the original, fairly literally. They took the candela cigar and applied a maduro stripe to it to create the barber pole effect. This manufacturing technique became apparent as I was attempting to remove the secondary band, which, like the primary band, was affixed nearly permanently to the cigar. I only mentioned last week how easy band removal enhanced the experience for me. The one benefit to this was that I was able to smoke about an inch of the middle of the cigar as the original candela, and it’s rather amazing to taste how much difference that little strip of maduro makes in the flavor. the maduro takes the chlorophyll-like edge of the candela and smooths it out. I had been looking forward to trying this cigar, I like a candela once in a while, and I liked the similar looking Asylum Ogre line for many of the same reasons, the blending of the candela and maduro wrappers make a unique tasting smoke.

Friday evening we went out to grab a bite, and I stopped for a haircut afterwards and brought along a 1502 Nicaragua Churchill for the walk home. I picked up a few of these when I saw Enrique Sanchez at the Wooden Indian for the 1502 XO launch event. The folks at the shop told me it was one of their best sellers, so I figured I’d give it a shot. This is a Nicaraguan puro, a tribute to Enrique’s young son. The last time I smoked a 1502 Nicaragua I was underwhelmed. I think the Black Gold, the Ruby and the Emerald were so darned good, each in their own ways, that I didn’t originally “get” the Nicaragua. Whether it was the vitola or just the cigar, I don’t know, but after a slow start of not “getting it”, it grew on me. It developed into a rich, sweet, dare I say “Cubanesque” cigar. The wrapper color reminds me of many Cuban cigars, which might have influenced that comparison, it burned MUCH better than a Havana! This was another great smoke from Global Premium and Enrique Sanchez, keep up the great work, amigo!

Saturday afternoon I sat down to watch the Flyers vs. Penguins game on the tablet out on the porch so I could smoke a cigar. For those who don’t know, this is a heated rivalry, us Flyers fans don’t much like the cross-state Penguins, and it’s usually a great game. I selected a cigar that Sam Leccia gave me when I saw him a few months back at Cigars International’s midget wrestling event. This was a cigar that Sam said he found a cache of aging in a factory somewhere (he declined to divulge any details), and was working on bringing to market. The shape of the cigar reminded me of the Cuban Partagas Presidente, the Cuban Vitola de Galera name of which is “Taco”, a 6″ cigar that tapered to around 48 ring gauge, then came to a perfecto foot. Whatever this was, it was pretty special, there were some sweet notes and it had a really clean tobacco flavor, obviously this had a great deal of age. If this cigar never sees commercial release by Sam, I’ll just assume he smoked them all, as I would be tempted to do, great smoke. Too bad the game wasn’t as good as the cigar, the Flyers turned in a lack-luster performance when they should have done the opposite. I still like Sam, despite his being a Penguin fan.

Saturday evening I took a walk with a cigar that’s been intimidating me from the depths of the humidor for several months. Back in the fall I met Lars Tetens at the Smokin’ Goose Event at Goose’s shop in Limerick, PA. Going back 20 years or so, to the cigar boom of the 90s, I remember seeing (and smelling) the Lars Tetens cigars in my local shop. They were the precursor to the Acid line, and there’s some controversy over whether one had anything to do with the other. There’s no doubt that parallels can be drawn between the cigars, as well as the apparent eccentricities of Lars and Jonathan Drew. It’s not for me to judge, they both seem to have done well for themselves. Lars gave me a couple of cigars, one of which being this large Serie D. It’s a 6½” x 52 toro, and was the least scary of the bunch. The unlit aroma didn’t offer any hints of flavoring or infusion, as the “Tropical Candy”, “Brief XTC” and “1980” cigars did, they smell very sweet, and I’m nervous about smoking them. I believe Lars told me that the “1980” was rolled by him in 1980, which would be pretty amazing but the aroma off the foot makes me skeptical (I wouldn’t expect any strong aromas off a 36-year-old cigar). The Serie D was a very good smoke, one I’d smoke again. It burned well, had a sweetness that I liked and was solidly medium bodied, despite the word “full” on the band. Once I screw up my courage, perhaps I’ll smoke on of the others in the coming weeks. Lars Tetens cigars are still out there, I’ve seen them in a couple of my local shops, and I know he visits Goose’s regularly. I hope to have another opportunity to hang out with him one of these days and pick his brain a little.