BL Luxuries

L'Atelier

The first few hits were overwhelmingly pungent. After a little while, notes of black pepper, coffee and earth came together. With firm construction, the draw and burn were both smooth and even. Unfortunately, the flavor stayed a little bitter throughout the cigar.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

Absolutely love the longer format on this one. The smooth body provides an easy blend of coffee with hints of sweet chocolate. There is no harsh bite and the burn was incredibly even. The draw produced a good amount of smoke.

Apostate

Repeated review. The profile consists of sweet spice mixed with some subtle nuttiness. The burn stayed fairly even on this one, while the draw was open producing a decent amount of smoke.

MBombay

The draw started out a little tight, but it opened up quickly. In terms of flavor, this blend is absolutely full of black pepper, cedar, and spice. The burn had a tendency to wave at times, needing correction, but did not affect the flavor profile.

Rojas

There wasn't as much to this cigar as I expected. Even knowing it was a milder cigar, the flavor profile seemed to be missing something. What did come through was subtle nuttiness and a little spice, but was primarily clean tobacco. The draw was smooth but the burn needed a few corrections as well.

L'Atelier

A spicy start to this cigar proved true the entire way. The intensity blended in with strong cedar and some subtle vanilla. The draw was great although the burn kept trying to run the first half. The retrohale brings a lot of spice flavor but isn't as intense as the normal draw.

Aganorsa Leaf

A decent smoke, but wasn't up to the usual construction standards from Aganorsa. The flavor consisted of sweet bread with some spices. The draw was too airy, the feel was spongy, and the burn needed constant corrections.

Don Pepin Garcia

This one comes with a medium profile, with notes of cream, cedar, and just a little bit of spice. The draw is open and smooth with a clean burn. The spice only amplifies a little as it burns down.

Ohana Nui

Duplicated & consistent review, one I return to often. The flavor on this one is dark chocolate and graham cracker sweetness. The wrapper is oily, and the entire smoke is super smooth.

ChiMolly

Dark espresso hit the palate immediately at first draw. This is soon joined with cedar and earth, with strong pepper coming through on the retro. With a fairly firm construction, the cigar burned well and produced a decent amount of smoke. A pretty good first impression to me for this brand.

Romeo y Julieta

This is an absolute surprise of a cigar. The construction was super clean with an absolutely perfect burn. At first light, intense red pepper comes through, and that strength stays on the retro. Other notes of dried fruit & coffee come through as well. Fantastic smoke.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

For sweeter cigars, this is a pretty great one. The overall flavor brings out some sweetness that is similar to a mix of vanilla and molasses, with some baking spices underneath. The further the cigar burns down, that sweetness gradually tapers down. Great construction and burn.

Illusione

I'm not a big candela guy, but this one came in a monthly box so giving it an honest shake. The expected grassy tones were heavy on this one, providing a spicy tingle on the tongue, but luckily never getting bitter. The construction and burn were almost flawless, and it produced more smoke than expected.

Bolivar

Consistent & copied review, a good flavorful and super reliable smoke. Classic aged tobacco with just a touch of sweet cedar and spice. Extra notes of molasses appears at times as well. Firm construction, smooth draw, and almost perfectly even burn.

El Rey del Mundo

Continued review with 16 months of rest now. Still mild in strength, but the waiting period has allowed all of the flavors to come through smoothly - creamy cinnamon, cedar, and touches of citrus. The draw was smooth with a great burn.

Cavalier

This is a super creamy blend, with notes of toast and subtle spice. Although there wasn't a lot of smoke output, the draw stayed smooth with a decent burn that needed a couple minor corrections.

Tatuaje

While full of body in the smoke, the flavor profile pulls mostly smooth wood tones and spices. The draw is clean with a massive amount of smoke, with a burn that needed no corrections.

Room 101

The 2024 blend is incredibly dark and bold. The retro brings a massive hit of pepper. With an airy draw, the cigar produced a ton of smoke while retaining a very even burn line. Another good blend.

Byron

Another exceptional cigar from Byron. This one brings a bold & darker blend of cedar, leather, and molasses. The retro portrays a light but sweet spice hit. The wrapper is oily to the touch, with no soft spots at all. With 2 years of rest, the burn and draw were both fantastic.

La Flor Dominicana

I'm not a big candela fan, but this one came in my monthly club box. It's decent but not my style. The bitter grassy notes are a little too strong and takes over everything else. Burn and draw were great though.

Aganorsa Leaf

The corojo blend is full of cedar and baking spices. With a draw that was just a little too open, the cigar burned down fairly quick. Luckily, the burn did stay even and kept the flavors balanced.

E.P. Carrillo

Continued review, almost two years of rest. Flavor notes are chocolate with a little coffee, but there is also something hay-like about it as well. The draw was overly airy again this time, but the burn managed to stay even like before. Decent cigar but not too consistent.

Espinosa

After 2.5 years, it was time to try this one again. The first time around the blend was odd and made no sense. This time, the spicy mix alongside the candela seemed to be blended much better and worked very well. Burn was perfect, but unfortunately the draw was super tight no matter how much I used a poker.

West Tampa Cigar Co

This little guy had an overall dry powdery texture to the smoke, leading to flavors of earth and just a tad of pepper. The draw started right but soon opened up nicely. The burn would wave but self-correct.

Gran Habano

First off, the silky wrapper provides a very elegant appearance. There's some subtle cocoa in the profile balanced with a campfire essence. The draw has a slight resistance to it while the burn was absolutely perfect.

Raices Cubanas

Smoking this one as it just recently released. I did not take very long after light up to realize this was going to be one incredibly smoky cigar. As far as flavor, there is a very heavy wood tone mixed with a blend of spices that is incredibly complex and hard to discern. Thanks to solid construction, the burn stayed pretty even.

Adventura

Revisited this killer cigar! A fantastic blend of flavors, with mostly leather, wood, and spice profiles.The burn and draw were absolute perfection. As expected from ADV, the construction was on point.

El Titan de Bronze

Continued review, this time with a flaw. The flavor profile has a mild pepper note to it, with notes of earth, nuttiness, and a subtle touch of sweetness. However, the cigar was severely overpacked, requiring multiple uses of a draw tool, and there was so much glue on the band that it took half the wrapper off at removal. The second half of the cigar was barely smokable.

Montecristo

A cigar I've had often, but this will be the first time in the Toro size. The profile is still full of chocolate, coffee, and a light mix of pepper / spice. The draw was just a tad tighter but remained smooth with a clean burn.

Rojas

This one let me down a bit compared to the others. The wrapper kept cracking as it smoked and the flavor was mostly ash with hints of pepper. It was all over the place.