Alec Bradley, 1502, Something from Leccia and Lars Tetens Cigars

Today is the first day of Spring and they are talking about snow!  That’s some crap, isn’t it?  Anyway, just like everyone else, I suppose, I smoked this years iteration of the Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan on Saint Patrick’s Day. I like the idea of snakes being banished as we have a couple in our back yard now that my wife is fond of photographing for what I figure is solely to terrify me. I. Don’t. Like. Snakes. As long as they stay outside, I’ll stay in and it’ll be OK, I guess, but I’m rooting for the hawks on this one, eat them slithery bastards up please.  Anyway, the whole Saint Patrick and snakes thing is BS anyway, but I appreciate the notion. I’ve AlecBradley_2016FilthyHooliganquite enjoyed the previous Hooligans, but this year’s version was a twist on the original, fairly literally. They took the candela cigar and applied a maduro stripe to it to create the barber pole effect. This manufacturing technique became apparent as I was attempting to remove the secondary band, which, like the primary band, was affixed nearly permanently to the cigar. I only mentioned last week how easy band removal enhanced the experience for me.  The one benefit to this was that I was able to smoke about an inch of the middle of the cigar as the original candela, and it’s rather amazing to taste how much difference that little strip of maduro makes in the flavor. the maduro takes the chlorophyll-like edge of the candela and smooths it out. I had been looking forward to trying this cigar, I like a candela once in a while, and I liked the similar looking Asylum Ogre line for many of the same reasons, the blending of the candela and maduro wrappers make a unique tasting smoke.

 

1502NicFriday evening we went out to grab a bite, and I stopped for a haircut afterwards and brought along a 1502 Nicaragua Churchill for the walk home.  I picked up a few of these when I saw Enrique Sanchez at the Wooden Indian for the 1502 XO launch event.  The folks at the shop told me it was one of their best sellers, so I figured I’d give it a shot. This is a Nicaraguan puro, a  tribute to Enrique’s young son.  The last time I smoked a 1502 Nicaragua I was underwhelmed. I think the Black Gold, the Ruby and the Emerald were so darned good, each in their own ways, that I didn’t originally “get” the Nicaragua.  Whether it was the vitola or just the cigar, I don’t know, but after a slow start of not “getting it”, it grew on me. It developed into a rich, sweet, dare I say “Cubanesque” cigar. The wrapper color reminds me of many Cuban cigars, which might have influenced that comparison, it burned MUCH better than a Havana!  This was another great smoke from Global Premium and Enrique Sanchez, keep up the great work, amigo!

 

LecciaSaturday afternoon I sat down to watch the Flyers vs. Penguins game on the tablet out on the porch so I could smoke a cigar. For those who don’t know, this is a heated rivalry, us Flyers fans don’t much like the cross-state Penguins, and it’s usually a great game. I selected a cigar that Sam Leccia gave me when I saw him a few months back at Cigars International’s midget wrestling event. This was a cigar that Sam said he found a cache of aging in a factory somewhere (he declined to divulge any details), and was working on bringing to market. The shape of the cigar reminded me of the Cuban Partagas Presidente, the Cuban Vitola de Galera name of which is “Taco”, a 6″ cigar that tapered to around 48 ring gauge, then came to a perfecto foot. Whatever this was, it was pretty special, there were some sweet notes and it had a really clean tobacco flavor, obviously this had a great deal of age. If this cigar never sees commercial release by Sam, I’ll just assume he smoked them all, as I would be tempted to do, great smoke. Too bad the game wasn’t as good as the cigar, the Flyers turned in a lack-luster performance when they should have done the opposite. I still like Sam, despite his being a Penguin fan.

 

LarsTetens_SerieDSaturday evening I took a walk with a cigar that’s been intimidating me from the depths of the humidor for several months. Back in the fall I met Lars Tetens at the Smokin’ Goose Event at Goose’s shop in Limerick, PA. Going back 20 years or so, to the cigar boom of the 90s, I remember seeing (and smelling) the Lars Tetens cigars in my local shop. They were the precursor to the Acid line, and there’s some controversy over whether one had anything to do with the other. There’s no doubt that parallels can be drawn between the cigars, as well as the apparent eccentricities of Lars and Jonathan Drew. It’s not for me to judge, they both seem to have done well for themselves. Lars gave me a couple of cigars, one of which being this large Serie D. It’s a 6½” x 52 toro, and was the least scary of the bunch. The unlit aroma didn’t offer any hints of flavoring or infusion, as the “Tropical Candy”, “Brief XTC” and “1980” cigars did, they smell very sweet, and I’m nervous about smoking them. I believe Lars told me that the “1980” was rolled by him in 1980, which would be pretty amazing but the aroma off the foot makes me skeptical  (I wouldn’t expect any strong aromas off a 36-year-old cigar). The Serie D was a very good smoke, one I’d smoke again. It burned well, had a sweetness that I liked and was solidly medium bodied, despite the word “full” on the band. Once I screw up my courage, perhaps I’ll smoke on of the others in the coming weeks. Lars Tetens cigars are still out there, I’ve seen them in a couple of my local shops, and I know he visits Goose’s regularly. I hope to have another opportunity to hang out with him one of these days and pick his brain a little.

 

That’s all for today, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

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13 Responses to Alec Bradley, 1502, Something from Leccia and Lars Tetens Cigars

  1. The first I have heard the name Lars Taten.

    • Larry LaBarbera

      I was healing from an operation when smoking a acid cigar about twenty years ago and noticed an 800 number on the inside of the band,so I called it,and got Johnathon Drew himself. Apparently he was just starting out and we talked about the Larz Tetens cigar.He told me how he made his and said that anyone with access to Fragrant oils and such could make them,and with his Acid line still in business and the Larz impossible to find I guessing he was right.The ones I tried smelled like perfume and I did not like them very much, However they came in the best boxes I have ever seen,solid ,with a humidification device built into the lid. If anyone knows where I could find them I would like to know,as I would like a box for a friend who did like them

      • I’m smoking a Lars Teten Via Lucis as I type this. My first Lars. Its a 5 x 54, I think. Dark wrapper. Outstanding ash, light flavor but very nice. I bought this today at Specs in San Antonio, TX. It has a paper wrapper that was placed over the original Lars band. The paper wrapper says “Espana Madrid” and it has Lars Teten in very small print on that wrapper, too. The plastic sheath was stained brown, so this might be a rather old stick. For the money, I will prefer a good Oliva, but this is a nice smoke.

  2. Mike McCain

    Happy Eostre, off to find a stick to burn with my 1st beer of spring

  3. lonniemarci1991

    I’ve not see the Alec Bradley anywhere around me, oh well such is life. The little snakes will keep vermin away, just let’em be! Have a great week man and thanks for the good review.

  4. Patrick

    Arby Sosa has a barber pole out that’s amazing. I don’t know if I’d smoke another regular candela because that Maduro works real well with it. I bet a candela binder with a Maduro wrap would be something to try.
    Sam leccia I’m a big fan of, if he likes that cigar I’d love to try one. He works outside the box and he excites me.
    The 1502 line is stellar through and through and I must try the Nicaragua. Great bunch of cigars today Craig. Well done.
    Life is good.

  5. Charlie H.

    LOL Lars…I’m not sure you want to pick his brain Craig!
    The only thing I ever hear about Lars Tetens is…”What ever happened to Lars Tetens” hahah

  6. Happy St. Patty’s day buddy, its been a while an I hadn’t checked in in sometime. Hope all is well. I have never smoked a Lars Tetens but my Local used to carry them not sure if he still does.

  7. TriMarkC

    The first I have heard the name Lars Tetens, and had no idea there was any connection to Drew Estate Live and learn.

    I’m a big Alec Bradley fan, but have yet to try any candelas – his or otherwise. Hope to some day, but I gotta go with Patrick on this one — I’d give it a try even sooner if it had maduro incorporated into it somehow.

    Hey, if Sam Leccia likes that cigar, and now you do, lets hope it gets it to market!!

  8. Dan Colley

    I’m not sure that I’m quite ready to smoke a cigar that looks like a barber pole. Just sayin’. Other that that AB, I’ve never heard of the others you mentioned – not that that means anything. There must be thousands of cigars out there that I’ve never heard of. As a matter of fact, a friend of mine in the GC forum just sent me some of those exact types of cigars: 412, Villager 1888, BL Trading Company, and AKA (Nth degree).Always looking forward to a surprise.

  9. Dan Colley

    I left one off: GTO . “a legendary classic premium cigar – 1956”