Triton (Lancero), 7.5” x 38 ring gauge / $10, Silo Cigars
I have long been a fan of La Sirena’s original blend, especially the Sea Sprite, a Corona with a fantastic flavor. It’s not a big surprise that I would be enamored of the blend, since it is Nicaraguan filler and binder with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, all made by My Father Cigars in Estelí (and distributed in the U.S. by Miami Cigar & Company)…this seems to be an almost magic recipe for cigar greatness. When I tried the “A” size I distinctly remember not enjoying it as much, although I didn’t know why at the time…then I discovered it was a different wrapper than the rest of the series. So one wrapper for everything else, but a Habano for the “A”…odd. Now they are giving us the chance to compare the two wrappers on the same vitola. Silo Cigars in Knoxville (Farragut, actually, but that’s just splitting hairs…until you live in Farragut, then it probably is vitally important) is the exclusive store that will carry the Triton, a Lancero vitola of La Sirena, available in either Habano or Broadleaf wrappers. The owner of Silo, Paul Warner, sent me one of each a few week ago. My mission (which I have chosen to accept) is to smoke and rate both of them…and decide which wrapper variety I want to buy a box of when I attend the launch party.
By the way, that launch party will be at Silo Cigars, 10947 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN (yes, I said Farragut, and I’m right…but the mailing address is Knoxville…cut me some slack, people…some of these location definitions get slippery around here), from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 15. I’ll be there and before I even start smoking the first stick, I think I know which one I want…but let’s not get ahead of ourselves…
HABANO
The Habano is the lighter of the two wrappers. My sample was oily but not excessively so and the veins were small to medium in size. The cap had an odd finish to it…but it could have been a pigtail that was broken off…it was very hard to tell. The gigantic band looked fairly normal on this size cigar, except for one thing: the end that was folded over and glued stretched all the way around to the front of the band again on the narrow 38 ring gauge stick. That is something that should be addressed…and maybe that’s just the way some early sticks were done (both samples were like this). I don’t know whether or not this should be considered “pre-release” or not. Giving the cigar a good sniff, I got notes of earth and leather from the wrapper, along with a slight molasses sweetness. The foot had more earth and a cedar note. After clipping, the draw was great, and the flavor was nice…earthy, woody, but not really much like the La Sirenas I have come to know and love through smoking a few dozen over the past couple years. Funny how important a specific wrapper is to a blend…change it and sometimes you might as well call it something completely new.
Firing up the Lancero was very easy. I got a ton of cedar right off the bat, which is actually something quite common on My Father products, especially it seems, those that Jaime Garcia has led the blending on. I’m not sure who led the blending of this cigar, but it was quite cedary. I also got plenty of earth and coffee on the palate, along with strong pepper influence on the retrohale.
During the second third, I started to get some dry cocoa powder flavor, although what was really missing so far was a decent amount of sweetness to balance out the more bitter earthy notes. Not that I was not enjoying the cigar, but I do feel like it could be better balanced. Construction was mostly very good. During the first third, I had a hollow spot in the filler that caused a bit of a smoke production issue, but never caused any overt burn problems. The draw was uniformly excellent, the burn line was very even and the ash was just slightly flaky.
The La Sirena Triton Habano ended with a full red pepper spice on the palate, with notes of earth and coffee playing a more supporting role. I did enjoy this version of the cigar, although I have to admit it didn’t taste much like the regular releases of the cigar. Again, this is an important time to emphasize how much wrapper can alter the flavor profile of a cigar. I did taste some additional sweetness in the last third, but not as much as I would have liked. The body was medium-to-full at the beginning and ended up very much in the full range.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
BROADLEAF
So, if the Habano is lighter, the Broadleaf must be darker…and it is a glorious dark chocolate shade of brown with a decent amount of oils on the wrapper and largish veins. The aroma from the Maduro leaf is chocolatey, with hints of earth and leather; the foot had more earthiness to it. Taking a prelight draw, I noted that it was open like the Habano, but sweeter even in prelight. I got dark chocolate notes right up front, followed by some dark coffee, then some earthiness, and virtually no cedar at all.
Lighting up, I still got an initial peppery blast on the nose, but that’s about the only similarity this cigar had with the Habano wrapped version. On the palate, it was all about cocoa powder and espresso, bolstered by a little bit of earth. The sweetness of the Broadleaf wrapper came through fairly subtly at first. There was a hint of sweetened chocolate, maybe a note of dried fruit, but it was all fleeting. By the end of the first third, the pepper spice had mellowed a bit, but it did yield some space for an increased sweetness to come through, making for a very nice balance.
As I smoked through the second third, the flavor of rich, dark coffee came to prominence and the sweetness resolved into more of a raisin flavor. Construction was excellent, as was expected. I had a great draw, a very even burn line, and a fairly solid although it did break off into very small chunks in my ashtray.
In the end, this cigar tasted and performed pretty much exactly as I thought it would: it’s an original blend La Sirena with plenty of sweetness and earthiness, along with a good amount of body. If you love the original blend with the Broadleaf wrapper as much as I do, then this is the one to buy. If you loved the “A” size more, then the Habano is the one you should get. Either one is a worthwhile addition to the line and to your humidor. Thanks again to Paul from Silo Cigars for sending me these to review ahead of the launch party…and I’ll see you in a couple days. Hold a box of Broadleaf for me!
Body: 8/10
Strength: 7/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10
Originally published at Tiki Bar Online
