Saga Short Tales is a series by De Los Reyes Cigars that focuses on smaller, short-sized smokes.  The series consists of ten unique blends, each in a different size and with a different theme. With Short Tales, each cigar has a different theme related to tobacco and cigar making. Today we take a look at another installment of De Los Reyes’ Saga Short Tales series, the Tomo V: L.A.V.  Tomo V stands for “Volume 5” and it is the fifth installment in the ten-volume Short Tales series.  L.A.V. is an acronym for (Laudamus Abundancia Veteres) which translates to “We honor the richness of the time past”- a theme that easily applies to De Los Reyes’ 160 years in the cigar business. Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke Saga Short Tales Tomo V L.A.V. This is the thinnest of the Short Tales releases to date – measuring 5 x 34, but as with all Short Tales smokes this cigar delivers big when it comes to flavor.

Saga Short Tales Tomo III-V was showcased at this year’s IPCPR Trade Show. The first five volumes of the Saga Short Tales Series are:

• Tomo I: Tales of High Priming – a powerhouse cigar featuring high priming tobaccos grown by the Reyes family.
• Tomo II – Tales of the Land: Cotuí – a cigar blend using a never-before-used wrapper grown in the Cotuí region of the Dominican Republic.
• Tomo III – L.I.V. (Labor Ipse Voluptas) – an Ecuadorian Habano wrapped cigar highlighted by Piloto Cubano tobacco in the blend.
• Tomo IV: L.O.V.  (Labor Omnia Vincit) – an Indonesian Ecuador wrapped cigar highlighted by Piloto Cubano tobacco in the blend.
• Tomo V: L.A.V.  (Laudamus Abundancia Veteres) – an Ecuadorian Habano wrapped cigar highlighted by Piloto Cubano tobacco in the blend.

The first two volumes used titles “Tales of”, while the next three volumes took a Latin theme for their titles. With Tomo III-V, there was a common denominator of Piloto Cubano tobacco in each blend.  Each volume incorporates packaging which is designed in the form of a classic novel – complete with a “story” of the cigar included.

 

 

 

Without further ado, let’s break down the Saga Short Tales Tomo V – L.A.V. cigar and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile and Vitolas Available

L.A.V. features a light-colored Ecuadorian Claro wrapper.  It also incorporates a binder from the San Vincente region in the Dominican Republic. In addition to Piloto Cubano viso in the filler, L.A.V. also features Connecticut Broadleaf viso. As with all De Los Reyes Cigars, L.A.V. is produced at the company’s factory in the Dominican Republic.

The cigar comes in one size – a 4 x 44 figurado.

Tomo V: L.A.V. – Laudamus Abundancia Veteres

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Claro
Binder: San Vincente
Filler Piloto Cubano Mejorado Viso, Connecticut Broadleaf Viso
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (De Los Reyes)
Short Panatela: 5 x 34

 

For completeness, we list the other volumes that De Los Reyes is currently featuring in the Saga Short Tales series. As listed below, each blend and size is distinct.

Tomo I: Tales of High Priming

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf, Dominican (including Negrito)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (De Los Reyes SA)
Short Gordo: 4 x 58

Tomo II: Tales of the Land: Cotuí

Wrapper: Dominican Cotuí
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican, North America
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (De Los Reyes)
Belicoso: 5 x 54

Tomo III: L.I.V. – Labor Ipse Voluptas

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: San Vincente
Filler Piloto Cubano Mejorado Viso, Brazilian Habano Viso
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (De Los Reyes)
Short Corona: 4 1/2 x 42

Tomo IV: L.O.V. – Labor Omnia Vincit

Wrapper: Indonesian Ecuador
Binder: San Vincente
Filler Piloto Cubano Mejorado Viso, Pennsylvania Viso
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (De Los Reyes)
Figurado: 4 x 44

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Claro wrapper of this short panatela had a classic golden brown color to it. There was very little in the way of oil on the surface of this wrapper. This was a smooth and clean Clara wrapper with only some thin visible veins and thin visible wrapper seams.

There are two bands on the Saga Short Tales L.A.V. These are the same bands found on the other Saga Short Tales releases. The primary band is gold in color. Prominently displayed in the middle of the band is the text “SAGA” in a modern red-colored font. Above and below the text is a row of a gold rivet-like design. There is also a row of red rivets toward the top and bottom of the band.

The secondary band is green. The band features the text “Short Tales” in gold font and is trimmed in gold across the top and bottom.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I typically do, I used a straight cut to remove the cap of the Saga Short Tales L.A.V. After removing the cap, I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The dry draw provided a classic mix of cream and citrus notes. Overall, I considered this to be an excellent pre-light draw. At this point, I was ready to light up the Saga Short Tales L.A.V. and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The Saga Short Tales L.A.V. started out with a mix of black pepper, cream, cedar, natural tobacco, and mixed fruit. It didn’t take long for the cream and fruit notes to move to the forefront. The natural tobacco, black pepper, and cedar provided a nice balance of flavors along the way. Meanwhile, the retro-hale produced an additional layer of black pepper and fruit.

The second third of the cigar saw an increase in the cedar notes. There were also some classic wood notes mixed in. By the midway point, I found the cedar to be on even par with the cream and fruit sweetness. Toward the latter part of the second third, the cedar note became firmly in control.

By the last third, the Saga Short Tales L.A.V. had mostly a cedar and wood profile. There were still some notes of natural tobacco, black pepper, and fruit sweetness. Most of the cream notes were now distant. This is the way the cigar experience of the L.A.V. came to a close. The resulting nub was a real finger-burner – cool in temperature and firm to the touch.

Burn and Draw

Construction-wise, the Saga Short Tales L.A.V. was a well-made cigar and this reflected nicely in the score of the burn and draw. This cigar maintained a straight burn path and relatively straight burn line from start to finish. The resulting ash of the L.A.V. was tight and firm with a light gray color to it. The ash came off the cigar in relatively clean chunks. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the Saga Short Tales L.A.V. had a touch of resistance to it. This is something that I like and in the case of the L.A.V., it seemed to work well with the 34 ring gauge.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, of the five releases of the Saga Short Tales series, the L.A.V. is definitely the most dialed back of the releases. This is a cigar that started out mild in strength. Throughout the smoking experience, the strength does increase gradually and by the second half, I found the L.A.V. to be into mild to medium-bodied territory. Meanwhile, the L.A.V. started out mild to medium-bodied. The body also increased in intensity throughout the smoking experience and by the second half, it was in medium territory.

In terms of strength versus body with the L.A.V., I gave the edge to the body.

Final Thoughts 

Back when I reviewed Saga Short Short Tales Tomo IV: L.O.V., I commented how the small sizes of the Short Tales line are not vitolas I would reach for on a frequent basis. Similar to Tomo IV, the 5 x 34 panatela size of Saga Short Tales Tomo V: L.A.V. is one that would fall into that category. Once again, I’m being proven wrong. The L.A.V. delivers a wonderful, flavorful experience from start to finish. I liked the dialed back strength and body of the L.A.V. Like I said about the Tomo IV L.O.V., the only negative of the Tomo V L.A.V. is that I wish the cigar was bigger so I could smoke it longer.

The L.A.V. is a cigar I can recommend to any cigar enthusiast.  As for myself, this is a cigar I would smoke again – and it definitely warrants box purchase consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Cream, Fruit Sweetness, Cedar, Black Pepper, Natural Tobacco
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium to Full
Strength: Mild (1st Half), Mild to Medium (2nd Half)
Body: Mild to Medium (1st Half), Medium (2nd Half)
Finish: Excellent

Rating

Assessment: 4.0-Box Worthy
Score: 92

References

News: De Los Reyes Cigars Showcasing Saga Short Tales Tomo 3, 4, and 5
Price: n/a
Source: De Los Reyes
Brand Reference: Saga

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop