In 2019, Alec Bradley Cigar Company President Alan Rubin shocked the cigar world when he announced he was acquiring a majority stake of Lars Tetens Brands. Lars Tetens Brands is the namesake of Lars Tetens. Tetens has over 30 years in the cigar business. He is best known for making premium flavored cigars which he refers to as “conditioned.” Tetens is also known for his bespoke leather, clothing, and horological lines. He also is known for his artistic, musical, and culinary talents. It’s safe to say that for over a decade, cigars under Lars Tetens Brands had gone dormant but never quite disappeared, but Rubin’s acquisition was an opportunity to relaunch. Under the partnership, Rubin would keep the cigars of Lars Tetens brands as a separate company with Tetens remaining as a brand owner. At the same time, Alec Bradley Cigars would handle the sales and distribution. Seven of the lines of the Lars Tetens Brands would be brought back as a part of the relaunch. Today we look at one of the lines, the Lars Tetens Serie D in the Robusto size.

As mentioned above, Tetens calls his cigars “conditioned cigars” as opposed to flavored cigars. There isn’t much known about the process of conditioned cigars other that it incorporates essential oils and botanicals into the cigar. The Lars Tetens Serie D is described as a “fuller” cigar that utilizes ligero primings into the blend. Other than that there isn’t a whole lot more information disclosed about this cigar.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Lars Tetens Serie D Robusto and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

As with most Lars Tetens Cigars, the blend of the Serie D is not disclosed. The cigars are produced in Nicaragua at Jesus Fuego’s factory.

Wrapper: Not Disclosed
Binder: Not Disclosed
Filler: Not Disclosed
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: J. Fuego Cigar Co. de Nicaragua

Vitolas Offered

The Lars Tetens Serie D is offered in three sizes. The Robusto and Toro are offered in 25-count boxes while the Gordo is offered in 20-count boxes.

Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 6 x 50
Gordo: 6 x 60

Appearance

The wrapper of the Lars Tetens Serie D Robusto had a rich coffee bean color with a dark Colorado tint to it. Upon closer examination, there was some mottling that could be seen on the surface. There was a slight amount of oil on the surface. In addition, the surface of the wrapper had some thin veins and thin visible wrapper seams

The band on the Lars Tetens Serie D is red with gold and black font. The band has four photos of Lars Tetens on the band. On the first photo is the text “since 1979” in black font in landscape mode. In between the first and second photo and third and fourth photo is the text “LARS TETENS VIAM AD LUCEM” in a black handwritten font. Above the third photo is the text “LARS TETENS” in gold font and below the photo is the text “SERIE D”. Below the fourth photo is the text “LARS TETENS” in an edgy font. Across the top and bottom is the text “Illuminated” (in a gold gothic font) and “LARS TETENS VIAM AD LUCEM” in a gold classic font. The text “LARS TETENS VIAM AD LUCEM” is Latin for “Light Path”

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Lars Tetens Serie D Robusto. Once the cap was removed it was on to the pre-light draw. The cold draw was quite unique as it delivered a mix of chocolate licorice flavor along with a slight floral. While it wasn’t what I am used to from a pre-light experience, it still satisfied me. At this point, it was time to light up the Lars Tetens Serie D and see what the smoking experience had in store.

Tasting Notes

The chocolate licorice notes from the pre-light draw continued as the smoking experience of the Lars Tetens Serie D Robusto commenced. In addition, I detected notes of apple and earth. For the most part, the chocolate licorice flavor was the primary note. During the first third, there were times the apple sweetness came into the forefront. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered a mix of cedar and citrus.

As the Lars Tetens Serie D Robusto moved through the second third, some of the overall sweetness found during the first third started dialing back. Some coffee notes entered the forefront with the chocolate licorice. The apple sweetness started to diminish as well. There was some slight mixed pepper in the background.

By the last third, the coffee notes were firmly entrenched as the primary note. By this point, there was a slight bitter component to these notes. The apple sweetness, earth, and pepper notes were still present – along with some subtle hints of the chocolate licorice. By this point,  I was surprised the pepper didn’t become overpowering considering this was a “ligero” blend.  As the cigar experience closed out, the resulting nub was cool in temperature and soft to the touch.

Burn

The construction of the Lars Tetens Serie D Robusto was excellent and this was reflected on the burn. For the most part, the cigar maintained a straight burn path and straight burn line. The resulting ash was on the firm side. This was an ash that was silvery-gray in color. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Draw

The excellent construction of the Serie D Robusto also reflected on the draw. This was a cigar that had a touch of resistance – which is something that I like. This was also a cigar that produced an abundant amount of smoke.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the Serie D Robusto started out in the lower end of medium range. There was a nominal increase in the intensity of both attributes. While there was more strength and body at the end of this cigar, the Serie D Robusto remained in the medium range right until the end.

When looking at strength versus body, there was a slight edge that the body had from start to finish.