Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano / Connecticut Broadleaf for Football Design
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: 5.625 x 54 Perfecto
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $20.00
These sticks have had two months of naked humidor time.
BACKGROUND:
Made for Super Bowl LVII.
1000 Boxes of 10.
Still available online.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Yes, it is a gimmick. How often do gimmick cigars impress you? Rarely. (Speaking for myself). But LFD is a respectable manufacturer. So, the bar is high as they have put out some excellent blends. If they drop the ball on this one, well…
In most cases, cigar companies charge double for a stick that is adorned with a complicated wrapper. But remember, the rollers aren’t paid much. I’m sure the #9 rollers make a living but up charging the consumer 100% is bullshit. Fingers crossed that this is a great cigar.
The cigar has very pungent aromas of assorted baking spices, vanilla, milk chocolate, malt, loads of cedar, cinnamon, and peanut butter.
I just barely cut the cap and the air flow is limited so I go deep for the Hail Mary cut. And the air flow is intercepted by satanic forces. I grab my PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool and flail while crushing the center. Before I drill, I turn on Amazon Music and choose Classic Hard Rock as my review accompaniment boost. First off is “Highway to Hell.” Perfect.
When the penetration of the draw tool is used on a 3/8” opening, one must be careful. I gently insert the phallic tool and get a lot of resistance. I make it to the halfway point and the plug ends. I carefully remove the PerfecDraw and I have the draw I like. Extra cheese for Dr. Rod today. Good boy….
https://theperfecsmoke.com/
Good start. A bushel of flavors tackles my palate…strong cedar notes, salty peanut butter, sourdough bread slathered with premium butter, black pepper, cinnamon, a smoked meat presence, Wheaties, and a balanced creaminess.
This cigar is packed to the gills. A very slow roll.
Surprisingly, I found some online stores that still have these odes to the Super Bowl going back to 2019. And all of these years were limited releases of roughly 1000 boxes of 10. I wonder why they didn’t sell out? So far, this 2023 version is mighty tasty…oh yeah, you can get them cheaper than the $20 MSRP everywhere.
Strength is medium but lurking behind the tight end is the omen of a full tilt scrimmage. I just have no self-control. I will most probably be using football puns throughout this review so now that you’ve been warned, just scroll down to the rating and you’re good to leave the game early.
This is a good cigar. I like that.
The stick is so full of tobaccy that when I squeeze it, it barely deflates. (Another pun).
I’ve been watching Super Bowls since they began in 1967. It was the Green Bay Packers vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. The Pack won 20-16. And it was held in my hometown of Los Angeles. Jesus, I’m fucking old.
Complexity is making short runs. It keeps moving down the field. The finish is very savory. Not much sweetness yet. For me, I like a tie game between the sweet and savory.
An inch in, and the whole creation perks up. Depth goes wide. I now have great enthusiasm and hope for this blend. It may actually be worth the $20 price. It is definitely better than your average decent $10 stick.
The burn is spot on. Like a razor cut.
I will be surprised if the balance contains any significant sweet zones. Which makes this a very manly cigar. Why you ask? It’s old school. My dad smoked cigars and as an underage teen, he would call the local cigar shop and tell them I was on my way to pick up his cigars. It was never an issue that I was 16. So, when I hit 18, the store sold me any box of cigars I wanted. They never blew the whistle to stop the play.
This is a dense blend. The aforementioned flavors are still moving in sync. Nothing new though. But I’ve hardly made a dent in this thing.
Medium/full plants itself at the 2” burned mark. Blurriness tackles my vision.
Newbies should pass on this cigar. It is beginning to kick my arse.
Once again, any type of sweetness would improve this blend.
The classic hard rock station is beginning to get on my nerves. It is too early in the day. I’m still half asleep. I change the station to Best of The Archies.
Sips of water enhance the savory notes but doesn’t expose the sweetie pie notes I’m looking for.
Remember, a review is always subjective. It is one man’s opinion. And I just happen to like a better balance than the LFD is presenting. If you read a lot of reviewers like I do, I find some rating systems totally puzzling. Assigning numbers in 10 categories cracks me up. It may seem scientific, but it is still one man’s opinion and therefore, totally subjective. The scientific method is just too much work for me. It’s only a cigar.
Ooh, ooh…the halfway point surges in complexity and depth. The sweet spot does the Lambeau Leap.
The overdue sweetie pie notes begin to leave the huddle. There is black cherry, black licorice, and cinnamon rolls. All righty then.
J.C. Newman was my gramps’ best friend. Both lived in Cleveland. Gramps owned a saloon. Julius made cigars and my grandfather sold only his blends. They were both from Hungary and both Jews. When I was a kid, my grandpa would visit us in Long Beach for a week or two a few times a year. He always brought Julius with him. We’d always take walks while they smoked cigars. And there was always a petit corona for me. I was told to keep my mouth shut once we returned. Just before we reached our house, my grandfather would shove Sen-Sen into my mouth, so I had no cigar breath.
The blend continues to deepen its complexity. The balance I prefer is starting to show itself in the second half.
Kudos to LFD for not using a subpar blend for a gimmick cigar.
The strength remains at medium/full. And the nicotine is whisked away like magic. A rich depth creates a flavorful finish. But the blend is missing any significant transitions. They are so slow that there is no demarcation point as the cigar finds its way in the dark.
“Imagine” by John Lennon. All Boomers remember the day, and where they were, when Lennon was assassinated. It was no different than the remembrance of the JFK, RFK, and MLK’s assassinations. You had to be there to get it. All hopes by the throngs for a Beatles’ reunion were dashed.
Café au lait shows up with a nice creaminess and subtle sweetness.
Notes of very dark chocolate appear. A very complex blend that surprised me as I expected the opposite.
The balance of Sweet (25%) v. Savory (75%) is OK with me.
A hoppy maltiness moves to the front of the pack. Almost Guinness-like.
When I lived in London in the mid-70’s, beer was never served cold. I hated that. Ever drink a Guinness at room temperature? It’s like a thick syrup. I never spent time in a pub in which patrons and bartenders didn’t make fun of my American needs for something cold. Once in Germany, the band went to a bar with a huge outside tent. It must have been able to seat at least 500 people. And the Germans drink their beer in mugs the size of your recyclable bin. I remember getting the chills when I saw men whose age had to have put them as young soldiers during WWII. Guys with nearly shaved heads and scars on their faces. They stared with contempt at my fro and my bandmates’ long hair. It was scary.
1-1/2” to go. Truly delicious. No harshness or heat. A giant scrum of flavors pelting my palate like the assault on Normandy. My dad was there on June 6 1944. He told horrifying stories to me growing up…and when I hit my 20’s, he never spoke about it again. Didn’t know what PTSD was in the 70’s.
The LFD finishes with a nice flair. A nice 90-minute smoke.
RATING: 92
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
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