La Llorona Corona

While the cigar industry is full of creations that draw inspiration from people—both living and dead—historical places, animals and even holidays, there are far, far fewer brands based on entirely fictional backstories.

In 2016, the ADV & McKay Cigars Co. S.R.L. brand was founded as a collaboration between Henderson Ventura of Tabacalera William Ventura and Marcel Knobel, a Swiss sommelier and coffee producer and retailer. Part of the company’s overall marketing scheme involves the ADVentura storyline, which chronicles the adventures of ADVentura and his sidekick McKay as they make their way around the world on various adventures.

Over the years, the company has done an impressive job of intertwining new releases with the ongoing story: for example, the fourth chapter in the fictional story is named The Royal Return. In that that entry, the explorers find treasures of gold and pearls, which they bring back to the royal family and those are the names of two of the company’s lines: King’s Gold and Queen’s Pearls.

Two years ago, ADV & McKay added to the ADVentura story by releasing a new line called La Llorona, named for a character in Mexican folklore known as the Wailer, a ghost who is supposedly found near bodies of water mourning the children she drowned. The company adapted the story slightly by turning her into a ghost who hunts down and kills pirates, and the line was initially offered to only 20 stores.

“She is a vengeful ghost that roams the seas mourning her dead loved ones, which she herself killed,” reads the ADVentura website. “She appears when least expected and shows mercy to no one.”

While the La Llorona brand was initially made up of a 5 x 52 robusto, late last year, the company added a 6 x 44 corona to the line. It is priced at $16 per cigar, with production limited to 1,000 10-count boxes. However, the blend remained the same as the robusto, specifically an Ecuadorian wrapper covering a Dominican binder and filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

There are currently two different vitolas in the ADVentura La Llorona line:

• ADVentura La Llorona Robusto (5 x 52) — Regular Production
• ADVentura La Llorona Corona (6 x 44) — 1,000 Boxes of 10 (10,000 Total Cigars)

 

• Cigar Reviewed: La Llorona Corona
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: El Maestro
• Wrapper: Ecuador
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 44
• Vitola: Lonsdale
• MSRP: $16 (Box of 10, $160)
• Release Date: November 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

I am not ashamed to admit that when I saw the ADVentura La Llorona’s band for the first time, the combination of bold colors and prominent pirate theme made me think of the One Piece manga. The wrappers covering the cigars are a very attractive milk chocolate brown color, and while there is some mottling present, they are relatively smooth to the touch. Having said that, one of the cigars features a number of extremely overt veins that the other two lack. All three wrappers smell strongly of sweet wood, but there is also quite a bit of black pepper, earthiness, dark chocolate, and some light nuttiness. Aromas from the feet are somewhat similar but also more distinct, with creamy and sweet oak leading earth, cocoa nibs, leather tack, coffee beans, anise and slight licorice. After straight cuts, the cold draws bring flavors of dark chocolate, sweet oak, cinnamon, dry hay and generic nuttiness.

The feet of the cigars light up easily, and I instantly taste a combination of toasted bread and vanilla bean sweetness, along with plenty of black pepper and spice on my tongue. After eight puffs, a combination of powdery cocoa nibs and a floral note take over the top spots in the profile, followed by creamy oak, gritty earth, leather, brewed black coffee, pencil lead and light cinnamon. In addition, the retrohale features an ideal amount of black pepper and maple syrup sweetness, the latter of which seems only to be getting stronger as the burn line progresses. Flavor ends the first third at medium-plus, but the strength and body are far behind that at a point just under medium and mild-plus, respectively. All aspects of the construction work together in harmony through the first third, meaning I have no issues with the burn lines, smoke production or draws.

Cocoa nibs and the same floral note from the first third continue to top the profile during the second section of the La Llorona Corona, followed by secondary flavors of creamy oak, straw, cinnamon, earth and cashews. In addition, the combination of black pepper and maple syrup sweetness on the retrohale has increased slightly in strength. I find a light mineral note on the finish of two cigars, but it does not stick around very long. Flavor increases enough to cross into the medium-full territory while the body is at just under the medium mark, and the strength hits a solid medium. In terms of construction, my second cigar has a very minor issue with its burn, but the other two cigars are fine in that regard.

Although the final third of the ADVentura features the same top flavors of a floral note combined with cocoa nibs, I am enjoying the profile so much that I don’t mind at all. Additional flavors include cinnamon, earth, creamy oak, roasted coffee beans, hay and cashews, while the maple syrup sweetness and black pepper notes continue to dominate the retrohale until the end of the cigar. Flavor easily passes the full mark, and while the body remains at just under medium, the strength increases enough to hit a point slightly above medium. When it comes to construction, the second cigar’s burn gets back on track and the other two cigars continue to have excellent construction. The end result is that I’m able to smoke each cigar to nubs with less than an inch remaining without any construction issues in the final third.

Final Notes

• Although ADV & McKay began releasing cigars for the European market in 2017, the company did not debut in the U.S. market until 2019.

• While it may look like there is only one band on these cigars at first glance, there are actually two: the top one features a pirate wearing a black pirate hat, while the band underneath has the same pirate sans the hat but with a red bandana in its place.
• The packaging for ADVentura The Conqueror release—which is designed to look like boats—took 8th place on halfwheel’s 2019 Packaging Awards. The company also tied for 6th place in the 2022 awards with its Barbarroja’s Invasion packaging.
• In addition to its normal lines, ADV & McKay created a cigar as part of a charitable project named Piece of Heart. According to the company, proceeds from the project benefit a Dominican charity called El Aposento, which benefits children in the Dominican Republic “whose families live and work in and near the factory producing ADVentura  Cigars.”
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time for all three cigars averaged out to one hour and 19 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the ADVentura La Llorona Coronas, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct and SmokingPipes have them in stock on their respective websites.