LFD Cameroon Cabinet

Notes: Medium brown, oily Cameroon wrapper. Flavors of caramel, cornmeal, white pepper, and a very buttery finish. Body and strength are medium with full flavor. Simple but absolutely delicious blend. Even though complexity was lacking slightly, it still earned top marks.

Smoking time: One hour, thirty seven minutes

Rating: Five stars

LFD Double Ligero

Notes: Sumatra wrapper with some weird veins, almost rustic in appearance. Flavors of earth, espresso bean, cumin, a caramel sweetness and black pepper with red on the retrohale. Strength is full, flavors and body are medium. Relight needed in the last third resulting in flavors becoming muted and slightly bitter.

Smoking time: One hour, eighteen minutes

Rating: Four stars

LFD Coronado

Notes: Softest feel of the five Los Lanceros and most unappealing wrapper but with a very faint tooth. Density feels a bit light but cold draw has nice resistance. Flavors of oak and cedar, almond, soda, cinnamon, cumin and red pepper. Also thought I tasted yeast at one point. Good complexity but this blend doesn't seem to do as well as a lancero.

Smoking time: One hour, twenty minutes

Rating: Four stars

LFD Double Ligero Oscuro

Notes: Very dark and gorgeous wrapper, also with excellent draw and construction. Flavors of espresso, malt, nuts, floral, minerals, and black pepper. Full strength with medium body and flavor. Finish is noticeably smoky and buttery. Great complexity but this blend doesn't agree with me.

Smoking time: One hour, fifty six minutes

Rating: Four stars

LFD Air Bender

Notes: Excellent cold draw with a molasses flavor. Flavors of tea, toast, honey, cinnamon, red and white pepper, and towards the end, cumin, citrus and butterscotch. Spices came through on the retrohale many times and smoke remained cool throughout. Excellent complexity with perfect construction and balance.

Smoking time: One hour, twenty nine minutes

Rating: Five stars

Caldwell Long Live the King Jalapeno

Notes: Red brown Corojo wrapper with lots of oils, somewhat soft with decent draw. Smoke production is limited for some reason. Flavors of milk chocolate, cedar, graham cracker, and white pepper. Struggled at time to keep it lit and smoke seems damp, eventually leading to bitterness. Interesting blend but poor combustion ruined any complexity. I'd like to revisit one of these with two or three months of dry box time.

Smoking time: One hour, eighteen minutes

Rating: Three stars

Caldwell Eastern Standard Silk Road

Notes: Darker than most Ecuadoran Connecticut shade, eighth of an inch short and slightly thinner than 40 rg, and draw is a bit tight. Flavors of coffee with cream, walnut and cashew, cumin and nutmeg, a caramel sweetness, and faint red and black pepper at times. Very flavorful and complex, but the restricted draw made the flavors bitter by the last third.

Smoking time: One hour, thirteen minutes

Rating: Four stars

Leaf Connecticut

Notes: Excellent draw and just a bit soft with flavors of bread, cinnamon, white pepper and a sweetness that ranges from caramel to buttercreme. Char line was wavy requiring several touch ups throughout, but combustion and complexity were good.

Smoking time: One hour, ten minutes

Rating: Four stars

Leaf Maduro

Notes: Great resistance and flavors of cocoa and earth on the cold draw. Flavors oak, espresso, milk chocolate, citrus, cumin and red pepper. Balance and complexity could be better, fairly uninteresting blend but flavorful.

Smoking time: Sixty one minutes

Rating: Four stars

Leaf Corojo

Notes: Gorgeous, dark and oily Corojo wrapper. Prelight aroma of chocolate and flavors of espresso, milk chocolate, citrus, raisin and a faint floral. By the last third some spice has crept in. Perfect construction and combustion, delicious with great complexity and transitions.

Smoking time: One hour, twenty nine minutes

Rating: Five stars

Leaf Sumatra

Notes: Wrapper is kind of sickly looking and draw seems too loose. Large canoe forming immediately upon ignition which corrects after about ten minutes. Flavors of earth, balsa wood, black pepper and later graham cracker. Complexity could have been better but very tasty.

Smoking time: One hour, twelve minutes

Rating: Four stars

My Father No.4

Notes: This one feels just a bit soft but draw is excellent. Flavors of cedar, toast, cumin, red pepper and later a faint vanilla and cinnamon. Burn wavered at times and it required one relight in the last third after which the flavors became slightly muddy and bitter. Great complexity and blend with just a few small combustion problems.

Smoking time: One hour, forty four minutes

Rating: Four stars

Don Pepin Garcia Blue Label

Notes: Beautiful Corojo wrapper covered with very fine tooth. Nice density and draw with flavors of oak, nuts, red pepper, salt and a faint citrus. Body and strength are medium plus with full flavor. Nice balance of sweet and spice. Nice complexity and delicious.

Smoking time: One hour, forty one minutes

Rating: Five stars

LFD Litto Gomez Diez

Notes: Wrapper has a rather dull color and no oils. Great draw and construction with flavors of cedar, soda, sourdough bread, black and red pepper and a hint of something floral. Somewhat harsh at times and the blend doesn't translate well to a lancero.

Smoking time: One hour, thirty five minutes

Rating: Three stars

7-20-4 1874

Notes: Oily Habano wrapper, somewhat soft but decent draw. Flavors of oak, peanut, caramel popcorn and a faint red pepper on the retro. Canoed severely at one point and needed two relights. By the end, flavors are bitter, damp and muddy. I'd like to revisit one of these after dryboxing for at least a month.

Smoking time: Fifty eight minutes

Rating: Two stars

7-20-4

Notes: Reddish brown Arapiraca wrapper with thick veins, firm construction with nice density and a flawless cold draw. Flavors of earth, dark and milk chocolate, black and red pepper. Lacking in complexity but delicious.

Smoking time: One hour, forty two minutes

Rating: Four stars