Cigars.ie

The Lonsdales of Christmas, Day 12 - Por Larranaga Lonsdale RE Germany

Por Larranaga is a brand with a long history. Registered in 1834, Por Larranaga used to be in the top 5 of the most popular cigar brands before the revolution, producing premium handmade cigars, as well as cheaper machine made. During the cigar boom however, the numbers of handmade Por Larranagas kept decreasing, to reach eventually to today’s status, where there marca has only 3 cigars in regular production. Por Larranaga is featured every year since 2006 in the regional edition series and has produced some great cigars. It is one of these I will be reviewing today, the Por Larranaga Lonsdale, 2006 regional edition for Germany.

The Por Larranaga Losndale is a Cervante, measuring 6.5″ in length by 42 ring gauge. This is not the first Lonsdale the marca has released. The original Por Larranaga Lonsdale first appeared in the market before the revolution. It was never a popular vitola for the brand, and was eventually discontinued in 2001. In 2006 it appeared again as a regional release for the German distributor, Fifth Avenue. Efforts were made for the blend of the original Por Larranaga Lonsdale to be revived for this new release, and according to many the new blend was very close to the old one. All the vitolas of Por Larranaga have great aging potential, and with 5 years of age this cigar should smoke just fine. Let’s get down to business…

Appearance 13 / 15

The Por Larranaga Lonsdale is a well presented cigar, with a wrapper on a light brown shade, typically used for the brand. A few dark brown freckles are visible on the wrapper surface, and the whole image is complemented by the beautiful Por Larranaga gold label and the Regional Edition band. The bunch is solid without any soft spots and the cap is rounded and perfectly applied. A mild aroma of coffee is present in the foot of the cigar and the prelight draw is perfect.

Flavour & Body 22 / 25

Sweet caramel and coffee are present from the initial draw with a medium body. Some cedar and black pepper also appear when well in the first third. On the second third, the cigar gets stronger. The body is now medium to full and the flavours of black pepper and cedar take over. Coffee, cocoa and hints of caramel are also there in good depth, and the finish is very long and spicy. On the final third the body remains medium to full. A distinctive flavour of citrus appears and takes the stage, along with the black pepper. The cigar smokes well right to the butt, until it almost burns your lips!

Draw & Burn 23 /25

The draw is on the tight side on the first third, but the cigar manages to produce a good amount of smoke. From the second third onwards the draw opens up, producing clouds of thick smoke. The burn is even all the way through and the combustion is good; the cigar only needs to be relit once or twice. The ash is dark grey and solid, reaching more than an inch in length before falling off.

Overall 33 / 35

The Por Larranaga Lonsdale is a very enjoyable cigar. It actually reminded me a lot of another favourite Por Larranaga, the Petit Corona, with its trademark flavours of caramel, cedar and pepper. Not too complex or overpowering, this lonsdale seems to have a great balance in all its dimensions. It has already 5 years of age and it seems that another 5 will make this cigar improve even more. If you have some of them aside, do try them; they are delicious! But leave some aside for another while as they have the potential to become classics…

TOTAL 91 / 100