Wrapper: PA Broadleaf

Binder: Venezuelan Wrapper Grade

Filler: Connecticut Shade

Size: 7 x 50

Body: Full

Price: $30

www.larstetenscigars.com

OK. I don’t know where to start.

Yes I do. I smoked one and it took over 2-1/2 hours to smoke.

The packaging of this is something else. There is a small band, just like any other cigar, at the top of the cigar with Lars Tetens on it and behind that…some Latin? Greek? I don’t know. I never graduated elementary school.

But then over the cello is the most gorgeous bill board of a band. It is 2-1/4” long and is a piece of art on a stick.

Construction of this stick is rustic to the nth degree. But this ain’t sloppy folks. There is a purpose to the madness as Lars is an artist in everything he does. No details are omitted.

The cap has sort of a pig tail but Lars calls it a twisted end. The foot is closed. Very sexy.

There are giant veins on this stick that could eat Cleveland. One vein looks like a zipper. The wrapper color is a very reddish brown….with a very mottled appearance. In all this chaos, I cannot find a seam.

The sniff-o-rama is a delight. Floral. Cinnamon and nutmeg. Cloves. And the rest of my spices in the spice cupboard. But I must add that these aromas are faint and delicate. Not like Acid where you can smell the cigar across the room. It isn’t until I put the cigar to my nose, that I can smell this carousel of aromas.

I clip the twisted end and light up. My mind is swirling. The first puffs remind me of dried apricot…sort of tart but sweet. The aromas I smelled do not show up once it is lit. But then spiciness occurs in the back of my throat and on the end of my tongue so I’m getting black pepper and red pepper at the same time.

And now a lovely creaminess like a cappuccino. There is a cocoa, coffee taste with foam and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

The stick is very firm and has not a single soft spot. The burn is flawless. And for $30, it should be my chauffeur.

The floral scent continues to enter my nostrils augmenting the flavors.

Again, I must warn you, that this is not an Acid. Acid hits you over the head with a hammer. These cigars are infused with much more love and care. It is a completely different experience. While exotic aromas are apparent, the cigar is the main object of the blend. The infusion seems almost an afterthought. “We have blended the perfect cigar…why not make it more perfect?” That’s how I imagine the conversation went.

And now I am getting a balsamic vinegar and olive oil flavor. I know. I know. This is nuts. But this is a very savory cigar while at the same time a dynamite blended cigar with all the trappings of what we have come to expect from a Nicaraguan cigar. But none of the leaves are Nic.

I have chosen not to add one of my crazy rock n roll stories because this review will take a day to read.

After reading about Lars, I believe he sees the development of a cigar blend as something artistic. Everything else he does have to do with the fine arts or science. So it seems a natural marriage of the two to develop cigars like no other.

Well, the ash didn’t last long. All this time and all I have smoked is ½” This is nuts.

After I posted my Cubagua review on FB, a few comments made themselves clear they were adverse to flavored cigars. Flavored? That means a chemical component has been added like Tatiana cigars.

Infused is something altogether different. It is a secret how this is done. But I imagine that after the cigar is finished, the cigar is placed in a special room to be exposed to botanicals and oils. But methinks that with LT, maybe the individual leaves are also exposed to these infusions long before the cigar is rolled. I don’t know. I am spit balling here.

An inch in, the spice ramps up. The cocoa and coffee ramp up. The creaminess ramps up. There is a sweet component I cannot figure out. It’s making me smack my lips like I have left over syrup on them.

When I asked Lars to describe the BK, this is how he responded:

“Brooklyn King is a full bodied, spicy cigar. A big cigar at 7×50. Brooklyn King is one of the Phat Cigars Line, a line that forever changed the cigar world.

“An electric mix of leaves. The cigars have been aged 4 to 12 years, and using a truly extraordinary Connecticut Shade for filler. These legends of the cigar world are bound with a Venezuelan Wrapper-Grade binder, and finished with a beautiful Pennsylvania Broad-leaf wrapper. Each cigar features a rustic, old-world look with an untrimmed foot and twisted head.”

I come back to the review.

As I finish the first third, I forget that this is an infused cigar. I taste pure brilliance in cigar blending. I mentioned in an earlier review that the La Palina line is my fave of all time. Lars has brushed them aside with a simple sweep of his brain broom.

Amazingly, the stick is not that complex yet. I can detect all the flavors without trouble. The spice has moved to the tip of my tongue. Red pepper. I taste a lovely milk chocolate with an espresso mix of creaminess and cinnamon.

Funny thing….I searched the internet for clues. Not a one. Everyone is afraid of reviewing this cigar. So am I. It is such a unique experience. And we Podunk reviewers don’t have the palates we think we do. And the BK is an assault on our palate daring us to describe what we taste. I can describe Acid cigars all day long.

The second third goes into the phone booth to change into its super hero clothes.

It becomes very meaty and earthy. The depth and breadth of the flavors change. I swear I can taste and smell a BBQ. I know what you’re thinking. WTF?

I feel like I am writing my doctoral thesis. If I don’t get it right, I’m screwed. And I’m affixed to a lowly master’s degree.

I smell hickory. Burning hickory. I can smell the char on the BBQ.

The cap excels in its duty to stay in one piece. No detritus and spittle. The heat is beginning to make a few of the seams visible.

I take a slug of water and get a mouthful of BBQ. Really.

The spiciness is ramping up nicely. It tastes like I have a piece of the finest Swiss cheese on a burger because of the hickory vs. creaminess profile. LOL!

The last third reaches its nadir. The complexity is hitting on all cylinders. It reminds me of the La Palina Pasha but this is where the La Palina ends. The BK is now heading for the finish line way above the posted speed limit.

I’ve now gone through 2 bottles of water….peed twice…..still sitting in my boxers and T shirt from waking up…..and I still have an hour to go.

You know if you check out Lars’ new website, he has a lot more cigars for sale than his older website. http://www.larstetenscigars.com/default.html

The stick burns like a twig in the woods. It is not dead nuts. There is almost an artistic flare to it. The ash changes colors as it burns down. The burn is erratic but never out of control.

I sit down and just enjoy the cigar for an hour.

I am back now.

The last bits of the stick are powerful. This last third is just about the most complex cigar I have ever smoked. The infusion’s purpose is not to give the cigar a singular flavor. It is there to make the leaves show off what they can do. Acid doesn’t do this. DE focuses on the infusion. Yes, the tobaccos he uses are good stuff, but nothing like this.

If you have a closed mind about infused cigars, then you are missing out. I am not necessarily saying you have to go out and buy the BK for $30. I reviewed the Cubagua which goes for $5-$6 each and they were wonderful.

If you are artistic, if you have an imagination, if you like to take chances, if you are an adventurous soul, if you like life to challenge you…. go to Lars’ website and find something that sounds interesting to you and plunk your dough down on the barrel head and wait for the arrival of a cigar that will change your infused cigar discrimination.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS