LH Cigars Colorado Robusto

After introducing its Claro and Maduro lines in the U.S. last summer, LH Cigars debuted a new blend at the 2015 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show. Named the LH Cigars Colorado, the third release for the company uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper covering a Nicaraguan binder along with a blend of tobaccos from Ecuador, Nicaragua and Peru in the filler. Rolled at the Tabacos de Costa Rica factory in Costa Rica, each of the three blends are available in the same three vitolas: a Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (5 1/2 x 55) and Gordo (6 x 60).

Patrick Lagreid explained the background for the company further:

Nicholas Syris of LH Cigars told halfwheel that the cigars evolved from a line of custom blended Cuban cigars that Lavida Habana carried as a unique offering that were crafted and refined to the tastes of the high-end clients of the stores. As the opportunities to create non-Cuban offerings, the cigars that would become LH Cigars was born.

There are three different vitolas in the LH Cigars Colorado blend, all of which are sold in 20-count boxes:

• LH Cigars Colorado Robusto (5 x 52) — $8.50 (Boxes of 20, $170)
• LH Cigars Colorado Toro (5 1/2 x 55) — $9 (Boxes of 20, $180)
• LH Cigars Colorado Gordo  (6 x 60) — $9.50 (Boxes of 20, $190)

• Cigar Reviewed: LH Cigars Colorado Robusto
• Country of Origin: Costa Rica
• Factory: Tabacos de Costa Rica
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Ecuador, Peru & Nicaragua
• Size: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Robusto
• MSRP: $8.50 (Boxes of 20, $170)
• Release Date: August 2015
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 2

The LH Colorado is covered in a mocha brown wrapper that features both a bit of tooth and numerous veins running up and down the length. There is a covered foot present, and the cigar has some nice give when squeezed. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination of dry wood shavings, barnyard, leather, sweet nutmeg while the cold draw brings flavors of slight cedar and leather with a touch of white pepper.

Starting out the first third, the LH Cigars Colorado immediately exhibits flavors of damp earth, oak, dark chocolate, coffee and ash, along with a bit of a bite from some black pepper on the retrohale. There is a nice—albeit very slight—floral sweetness note on the retrohale, but it is just not very strong as of yet. I also notice a bitterness on the finish that is quite strong for the first few puffs, but fades a bit after that. Construction-wise, the draw on this sample is excellent, while the burn is a bit wavy and smoke production is well above average. The strength is virtually a non-factor,and ends the first third well short of the medium mark, although it does seem to be increasing.

The second third of the LH Cigars Colorado holds no major surprises at all, with an almost carbon copy profile compared to the first third. The basic profile is the same: damp earth, oak, dark chocolate, coffee and a touch of creamy nuts. The black pepper note on the retrohale is still present, but noticeably reduced, and the floral sweetness from the first third remains about the same. There is still a bitterness on the finish, but the profile is a bit more creamy, which helps overall. Both the burn and the draw continue to impress and the smoke production is still above average through the second third. While the strength has increased, it still fails to hit the medium mark by then of the second third.

The floral sweetness from the first and second thirds actually increases enough to become a major player in the profile, joining other notes of dark chocolate, bitter espresso beans, earth, creamy oak, hay and a touch of barnyard. The bitterness on the finish is still making itself known, and while the black pepper on the retrohale is still sticking around, it is much reduced from its high around the halfway point. The burn is still excellent, as is the draw, and the smoke production continues to pour off of the foot in copious amounts. While the strength level does hit the medium mark by the middle of the final third, it stalls out there, and I put the nub down with a little less than an inch to go.

Final Notes:

• The official name of the company is LH Premium Cigars, named after the LaVida Habana collection of retail shops where the cigars were first offered as house blends.
• In case it was not immediately obvious, the names of the different lines—Claro, Colorado and Maduro—indicate the wrapper, not the specific tobacco the wrapper itself is made of.
• While one of the samples I smoked had an excellent draw for the entire cigar, the other sample was quite tight after I cut the cap off. Looking at the cut end, I saw what looked like a tree trunk impeding air flow, so I used some needle nose pliers to pull it out. After it was removed, the draw was significantly improved, and I smoked it without incident.

• Having said the above, the burn on both samples was excellent, never giving me a problem that had to be corrected.
• The final smoking time for both samples averaged one hour and 10 minutes.
• The samples smoked for this review were given to halfwheel by LH Cigars at the 2015 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.