Back in 2018, Familia Rodriguez Tobacos LLC which is the parent company of Ohana Cigars created a new brand known as the Left Hand Cigar Company. I found that cigar, at the time, to be a fine offering from Ryan Frank Rodriguez. But like all things time moves on and things change. Ryan moved his production to a new factory – Tabacalera Pages Raffo in Nicaragua – and revamped his blends using higher grade leaf. Today I would like to revisit the Left Hand cigar.
The Lefthander is a revamped version of the acclaimed Ohana Pulse, using a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper that cloaks a binder and fillers from 3 Nicaragua regions – Condega, Jalapa and Ometepe.
Expressed in a single, 6 x 52 toro vitola, the Left Hand cigar comes packaged in 20-count boxes and also a 5-pack. The Lefthander has a MSRP of $11.99.
Pre-Light Examination
The Left Hand cigar is a well constructed cigar with a lightly marbled, dark chocolate brown wrapper that exhibits a slight oily sheen. It has a well applied pig tail cap and a closed foot. There are minimally noticeable veins running through the wrapper. The cigar is solid during the pinch test and has a decent weight in the hand.
A single band adorns the cigar, using the Left Hand Cigar Co. logo. The logo is an image of a left hand holding a cigar. The name of the cigar is not identified on the band but the company name is along with the mirror imaged RR on the bottom representing Ryan Rodriguez.
As I ran the cigar across the nose, I was greeted with fresh and floral notes both on the barrel and foot. ! Using my Baller cutter by CigarMedics , I opened the cap perfectly and proceeded with some cold puffs. The draw was perfect and intrigued the palate with notes of pepper, cream, cocoa and nut – lots going on here.
I used my double flame torch lighter to ignite the loose leaf on the foot and took in a few good puffs of smoke. I have to say, the smoke output, right from the start, was immense and hit the nose with some heavy pepper on the nose and throat. Follow along as I burn this one to ash!
Cigar Review Notes
- First puffs hit the nose and throat with heavy pepper notes
- Light grey ash forms on top of a thin char line
- Pepper pulled back and notes of earthiness moved in
- Touch of cream and natural sweetness join the mix adding a nice balance
- Ash fell in a decent chunk revealing a decent burn cone
- Spice notes begin to develop
- Woody aroma wafts off the foot
- Strength has been slowly moving up
- Burn gets a bit wavy
- Spice increases midway
- Cocoa notes lay in background with an added fruit note
- A slight nuttiness adds into the final with increased spice
- Full Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Final Analysis
When compared to the original, I found the latest Left Hand cigar to be fuller in strength and similar in taste for the most part. It had more cream and natural sweetness than the original but did not have the deep complexity of the original. Construction was decent, but the new one seemed to have a more flaky ash but it did not get squishy like the original and it exhibited a slightly better burn cone. I would grn a fiver of these if you want a full strength flavorful smoke. I am on the fence on this when comparing the original to the latest, the former had deeper complexity but slightly less strength and the latter had more strength but less complexity. In the end I rate them the same – a 92.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wavy Burn; (-1) Flaky Ash
