CW Review: La Luna Maduro Fuerte Relampagos
Cigar Weekly reviews are blind taste tests conducted by our readers. Reviewers are sent three samples with all identifying marks removed. Reviewers are chosen randomly from the list of everyone that has signed the Cigar Weekly Guest Book. Their comments are below.
Pre-Smoke Comments
Eugene Treston (Gamle-ged): This well-made, box-pressed torp has a nice, oily wrapper with a few traces of cap gum at the foot on both samples. The pleasantly funky aroma reminds me of the old Henry Clay. A very promising beginning.
Joseph J. Giordano (JGIORD): This cigar is a fairly hard box pressed torpedo, reminiscent of a Perdomo in shape. It had a dark marbleized maduro wrapper. The first sample was smoked in late afternoon, with the second being smoked in the evening. The bunching was a bit soft, with soft spots in both samples. There was hardly any prelite aroma. The draw was far too easy for my liking, but the cigar did produce a nice smoke volume. Of the two samples, the first one was a much better, with the second sample being very harsh.
Keith A. Pinto (KAPinto): When I received this nice package in the mail, I actually got excited. There sat two of the most beautiful cigars I have ever seen. Maduro, Torpedo, 6" x 52 ring gage. I put them in my humidor to get ready to smoke, and I think I looked at them every day for the week I waited to smoke them. I told myself, "Self, these look like a Nic Perdomo product" but then I did not want to influence the rest of the experience.
Lou Rodrigues (Þgdlou): This was a slight box pressed set of torpedoes with a very smooth, maduro wrapper. There were very little signs of oil on the wrapper, which may lead me to believe that these smokes were quite young. Very few veins where visible on these smokes. The construction was firm with no soft or hard spots noticed. The cap was nicely formed and almost perfectly attached. These cigars had pleasantly nice sweet/spice aroma before being lit.
Mark Wentworth (MnSmoke): An attractive box-pressed toro w/a rosado wrapper with little or no veins. Pre-light draw was easy with good tobacco aroma and flavor. Nice and firm, no soft spots. Reminds me of a Perdomo.
Ray Atnip (AustinWillie): Nice looking 6" torpedo though the cap was not nicely done. The wrapper was a rosado, smooth and a few veins. The roll had no soft or hard spots. The aroma of the tobacco was pleasant.
Richard Tear (slugbugman): Beautiful dark oily (almost wet) looking cigar. It was firm to the touch and had a dark rich look. Box pressed pyramid 6x50, looks like a CAO L'Anniversaire Extreme Belicoso.
Smoke Comments
Eugene Treston (Gamle-ged): The flavor starts out weak, but the aroma is immediate and outstanding! It's a powerful cigar, revealing it's strength early on. The burn is a little uneven, I had to torch each sample twice (each ran a bit, then cratered a bit). Flavor intensified dramatically after the first inch or so and flavor and aroma remained excellent to the end.
Joseph J. Giordano (JGIORD): Both cigars started off with a tremendous amount of spice and pepper, but quickly settled into a flat spicy, flavor. It stayed pretty one dimensional, with a slight increase in woody, cedary notes toward the end. The burn was even, and the light grey ash was firm. The aroma was stale with a stinging quality. This cigar seemed to try to mimic the VSG, but it fell short. The second sample was harsh with a burnt woody flavor. The cigars did get soft and were downright spongy toward the end.
Keith A. Pinto (KAPinto): Now after my initial reaction, the smoke was bound to be tough to follow up on my pre-smoke thoughts. I was only a little disappointed. The draw was a little too easy for my liking. The first 3/4" and the last two inches were a little one-dimensional. they were just plain, full bodied tobacco. The rest was a phenomenol smoke. A little milder, great flavor. It was a pleasure to smoke.
Lou Rodrigues (Þgdlou): Both samples experienced burn problems. The first tunneled, and smoked very unevenly. The second had a slightly more even burn, but still tunneled. The aroma from the ample amounts of smoke was faint but yet subtly sweet. The first cigar had almost unnoticeable flavor, making my lips tingle and throat burn a bit from the nicotine. The second proved to have much better flavor, which continued to grow while smoking. The after taste was very fruity, similar to other maduros I have had.
Mark Wentworth (MnSmoke): The cigar produced ample amounts of smoke with good balance and a well rounded, fragrant aroma and an excellent draw. A mild to medium strength cigar containing strong flavors of earthiness and sweetness with a hint of spice. Both samples had a perfect burn, with a firm, dark ash.
Ray Atnip (AustinWillie): The first puff had a familiar Nicaraguan taste to it and I think I may have smoked one of these before though I can't identify it. I noticed a few cracks forming in front of the burn and it caused no problems. The burn was irregular at times but I didn't have to use my lighter to do any corrections. Nice draw and good flavor.
Richard Tear (slugbugman): This cigar had a wonderful draw with a med to full flavor. It was full of rich flavor and loads of thick smoke. It seemed to have a earthy herbal taste. The only problem I had with this cigar was a very uneven burn. I fixed it a couple of times, but finally gave up on fixing it and just enjoyed the cigar.
Summary Comments
Eugene Treston (Gamle-ged): This is an extraordinary cigar, powerful and aromatic. The burn problems were a mild annoyance, distracting little from an exceptionally enjoyable smoke. When I find out what this stick is, I'll be making humidor space for it!
Joseph J. Giordano (JGIORD): This cigar is attractive enough to lure you in, and its opening flavors will make you take a step back, but overall its a pretty one dimensional smoke. The second sample was quite harsh and not enjoyable. Fans of spicy, peppery cigars may enjoy this one, which is definitely not a morning smoke. People looking for something mellow and smooth should avoid this stick. It is a peppery, harsh smoke of med-full body and med-full strength. Although, this looks like a Perdomo, I don't think it is.
Keith A. Pinto (KAPinto): I found this to ba a very good cigar. One positive, besides the outstanding appearance, was the consistency. Both cigars looked exactly alike. The drew exactly alike and they tasted exactly alike. I would not hesitate to stock my humidor with a cigar like this if they could be had for $4-5 a stick in box quantities. If they are more expensive, maybe I would still get a few to add beauty to my humidor.
Lou Rodrigues (Þgdlou): All in all, the jury is still out on this one. The first sample left a very unfavorable impression of something that I would not purchase. But the second sample left me curious. From initially looking at these well-constructed torpedoes, my expectations were high. Some rest in the humidor would definitely help. The inconsistency of the flavor between these two samples leads me to believe that these may be good, every day cigars, and not outstanding special occasion smokes.
Mark Wentworth (MnSmoke): Great looking cigar with the flavor to go with it. The great look, excellent aroma and flavors make this a must try, even for those that normally smoke stronger cigars. This shows that you can have great flavor without getting carried away with strength. I usually smoke smaller cigars due to time limitations, but will need to find more time to enjoy these. Couldn't have picked a better cigar to enjoy a fall afternoon out on the deck.
Ray Atnip (AustinWillie): This was a medium smoke that any maduro smoker would enjoy. Lots of flavor and smoke. I would enjoy having another one of these and might buy them if the price was right. The smoke was rich with a nice balance of flavor. Only a hint of sweetness with no burn on the tounge or back of throat. All in all I have to recommend this cigar.
Richard Tear (slugbugman): I like this cigar and can't wait to know what it is. I again think it was a med to full bodied smoke that I enjoyed very much. I want to age some of these for an after dinner smoke with my favorite wine. I think others will enjoy this cigar with brandy or scotch.
Scores
| Reviewer | Appearance (0-5) | Burn (0-5) | Draw (0-5) | Aroma (0-5) | Flavor (0-10) | Taste (0-10) | Overall (0-10) | Total (0-50) |
| Eugene Treston | 4.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 45.0 |
| Joseph J. Giordano | 3.5 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 33.5 |
| Keith A. Pinto | 5.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 39.0 |
| Lou Rodrigues | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 33.0 |
| Mark Wentworth | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 40.0 |
| Ray Atnip | 3.5 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 40.5 |
| Richard Tear | 5.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 41.0 |
| Averages | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 38.8 |
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To achieve the final score we throw out the high and low total scores then average the remaining scores. For more information see the link below for Review Methods. | ||||||||
Review Results
Final Score: 38.8 out of 50
4 Star -- Excellent
The Maduro Fuerte line has enjoyed remarkable success and I was anxious to see what our reviewers thought. They liked it well enough to push it into the Cigar Weekly Top 10! A couple reviewers mistook the rich, maduro wrapper and slight box press for a Perdomo product. The samples were medium to full bodied with earthy, spicy flavors and an excellent balance. Some burn problems prevented this cigar from achieving an even higher score -- maybe even 4.5 Stars. A must-try cigar.
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