Back about a year ago, Familia Rodriguez Tobacos LLC which is the parent company of Ohana Cigars created a new brand known as Left Hand Cigar Company. They launched with two introductory cigars, Blurred Lines and Lefthander. Today I would offer a review of the Blurred Lines offering.
I received some samples of the Left Hand Cigar Co. cigars from my Hawaiian Brothers of the Leaf earlier this year, after their annual No Joke Smoke event and I would say I liked the look of this cigar. It is available in a single 6 x 54 Barber Pole vitola that has a closed foot and a blend that is described as:
- Wrappers – Habano and Habano maduro
- Binder – Nicaraguan
- Filler – Nicaraguan
The Blurred Lines comes packaged in 5, 10, and 20-count bundles with a MSRP of $11.00/cigar. I have seen them for sale on some sites like the Underground Cigar Shop and Lounge along with Cigar Federation for $10.00, though at the time of this writing they were out of stock.
Pre-Light Examination
The Left Hand Cigars, Blurred Lines, is a decent looking barber pole that has a fine contrast of light and dark wrapper leaf. It is a bit veiny and has a fine sheen in the light. The cap is simple and the cigar is finished with a closed foot, which is quite common for cigars Ryan Rodriguez and Ohana Cigars have made in the past.
There is a single band that adorns the Blurred Lines, which is the same on this and the Lefthander, the other blend in the brand. The band contains a silhouette of a left hand grasping a cigar and the phrase “Left Hand Cigar Co.” printed in blue on a white background. The bottom of the band includes the two R’s, one of rich is a mirror image of the other, signifying Ryan Rodriguez.
Running the Blurred Lines along the nose, I picked up a pungent note along the barrel and a touch of natural tobacco sweetness off the foot. Still intrigued a bit, and knowing the craft of Ryan with his Ohana brand, I moved onto slicing the cap with my double blade cutter, giving it an even straight cut.
The cold draw a was a bit snug, which is to be expected with the closed foot. It did however, offer a light pepper note on the lips along with earth and touch of sweetness. As I rolled it about the the pepper did grow before igniting it for the journey to come.
I used my single flame torch lighter to gently toast the foot which took to the flame quickly and presented a delectable array of pepper, chocolate, and nut notes to get things going.
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial light offered gentle pepper and chocolate notes
- A nut aroma quickly filled the air around me
- Earthiness entered- joining the pepper
- Medium grey ash evolved resting on a thick char line
- Roasted coffee bean notes appear after an inch with a slight bitterness
- Cedar notes fill in the early profile with a sliver of citrus peal to brighten things up
- Full volume of smoke
- Burn looks great so far with a solid ash
- The maduro leaf show a slight oil development
- Pleasant cigar so far
- Once the ash fell it revealed a slightly off-centered burn cone
- Light spice enters in second with a lingering coffee note
- Off burn starts to develop into a canoe effect which eventually required a touch-up
- Almond notes enter deep in second third
- Spice continues to grow through the final third
- Strength has moved up to medium full
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Overall, the Left Hand Cigar Co. Blurred Lines offered a intriguing array of flavor notes that continued to keep my attention from foot to nub. I especially enjoyed the almond and roasted coffee bean notes along with the early chocolate. I would certainly describe this as a complex profile. The construction was fine through the first third, but then it started to burn off once the ash fell and required a major touch-up to get things corrected. I might buy another if I saw this on the shelf as I enjoyed the flavor profile. I rate this an 89.
Point Deductions: (-4) Canoe; (-1) Medium Grey Ash; (-1) Touch-up; (-1) Slightly Off-Centered Burn Cone; (-1) Might Buy Another
Bonus Point: (+1) Nice Oiling on the Maduro Leaf
