The La Sirena LT is the fifth line for the company, but I certainly feel like it’s had more since debuting at the 2010 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, albeit, in unbanded prerelease form.

Yet, the reality is the company has three core lines: La Sirena original, Merlion by La Sirena and Oceano by La Sirena. There’s an additional JAXX by La Sirena line, which was added to the portfolio after the company acquired/merged with Old School Cigars. And that’s it, unless I’m missing something, which I sort of feel like I am.

La Sirena LT Robusto Box 1 La Sirena LT Robusto Box 2

LT is made at Plasencia’s El Paraiso factory in Honduras. It joins a list of factories the company has used that now includes La Aurora, La Zona, My Father Cigars S.A. and Quesada. As for the cigar, it features an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan habano binder and Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers.

It’s offered in three sizes.

  • La Sirena LT Robusto (5 x 52) — $8.80 (Boxes of 20, $176)
  • La Sirena LT Toro (6 x 52) — $9.40 (Boxes of 20, $188)
  • La Sirena LT Gordo (6 x 60) — $9.90 (Boxes of 20, $198)

La Sirena LT Robusto 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: La Sirena LT Toro
  • Country of Origin: Honduras
  • Factory: El Paraiso
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
  • Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
  • Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras & Nicaragua
  • Length: 5 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 52
  • Vitola: Robusto
  • MSRP: $9.40 (Boxes of 20, $188)
  • Release Date: April 22, 2016
  • Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The cigar itself is pretty. There’s a noticeably well-applied cap and a great light tan color on the wrapper. Running my hand up and down the cigar reveals quite a few bumps for whatever that’s worth. It should be noted, the cigar is not supposed to come with a foot band. Rather the small band on the photograph above should be underneath the main band, as it is on most La Sirena products, but the early release seems to have it in a different place. Aroma off the wrapper of the La Sirena LT is sour with a noticeable dose of acidity and some milder fruits behind it. From the foot, I get mulch, bark and some fig. The cold draw is quite vibrant with saltine cracker, herbs and a touch of twang towards the back.

It starts with a typical Connecticut flavor: butter, cedar and some pistachio, the one major difference is there’s no identifiable pepper. The draw is good and the smoke production is controllable. Eventually the pepper kicks in and there’s a pretty good version of a typical Connecticut flavor. There’s saw dust, creaminess, some nuttiness and a sweet candy-like vanilla. Midway through the first third, a noticeable earthiness adds itself to the La Sirena LT. While the pepper is there, it’s fairly mild, certainly less relevant than it oftentimes is on Connecticut-wrapped cigars. While the flavor is medium-full, the body is medium and the strength is mild.

La Sirena LT Robusto 2

As the second third of the La Sirena LT begins, I pick up faint hints of a velvet cake. It’s a refreshing flavor, though it’s drowned out by the rest of the retrohale which is now a soapy IPA-like sensation. There’s earthiness, herbs and a creaminess, but also an increase in white pepper. A milder pepper is on the front of the tongue, as well as the top of the mouth. The finish shows salty peanuts, creaminess and some heavy cream. Construction remains great, though the smoke production of the La Sirena seems to have slowed slightly.

La Sirena LT Robusto 3

Unfortunately, I find myself touching up all three samples in the final third, including one cigar that appears unwilling to burn on one side of the cigar. Flavor-wise, the profile is fruitier with a balanced creaminess that reminds me of a nice cappuccino in terms of the muted sweetness. There’s some oatmeal cookies and sawdust towards the back with some restrained pepper on the tongue, though it takes about 15-20 seconds before it becomes detectable. The flavor is relatively full, albeit everything feels a bit muted and certainly not as crisp as earlier parts. The body is medium, while the strength finishes the cigar completely non-existent.

La Sirena LT Robusto 4

Final Notes

  • One sample turned really sour in the final third.
  • Speaking of the final third, two samples needed two touch-ups.
  • It’s funny how the once awkwardly massive La Sirena brands have become somewhat common thanks to others like Alec Bradley and Camacho.
  • I assume LT is supposed to be light, a word that one legally will not be able to use after FDA regulations take effect.
  • Strength was essentially non-existent, though the body was medium-full.
  • Cigars for this review were provided by La Sirena.
  • Final smoking time was one hour and 40 minutes on average.
89 Overall Score

I’m a hesitant to christen any period of time—particularly halfway through the year—year of the anything, but if one was going to make a case for year of the Connecticut wrapped cigar, I’d argue 2016 is shaping up to be more compelling than 2015. Sure, last year had big name Connecticut releases, namely Drew Estate’s Undercrown Shade and Padrón's Dámaso, but this the eighth non-Davidoff-branded Connecticut-wrapped cigar we’ve reviewed this year—and there’s more coming. In fact, this is my third new Connecticut-wrapped cigar I’ve reviewed in the last six weeks. My reasonings for inching towards a proclamation about why 2016 might shape up to be a year noteworthy for Connecticut is not because of the names, but rather the quality. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with releases like the Room101 Big Payback Connecticut, Epic La Rubia and even the LGL Limited—and the La Sirena LT is no different. It’s another good take on a Connecticut cigar, though, I wouldn’t mind a break for a little while before I review another one.

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.