Freyja 12 Dvallin by Las Cumbres Tabaco

In 2018, Las Cumbres Tabaco would release its second blend under its Freyja brand known as the Freyja 12. Las Cumbres Tabaco is the company founded by José Blanco and his wife Emma Viktorsson. Freyja is the brand the was spearheaded by Viktorsson. In 2016, Blanco would turn the reins of Las Cumbres Tabaco over to Viktorsson and Frejya 12 was the company’s first major release since that transition occurred. Freyja 12 would originally be released in one size – a 7 x 52 vitola known as the Brisingamen Churchill. Last year, a second size was added to the line in the form of a 5 x 46 Corona Gorda known as the Freyja 12 Dvalinn. Today we take a closer look at the Dvalinn.

Freyja 12 was originally released to commemorate Viktorsson’s 12 years in the cigar business. Brisingamen is named for the necklace the goddess Freyja (for whom the line is named) would wear. Late in 2018, as Viktorsson was promoting the Freyja 12 Brisingamen in Sweden, the line was well-received but many felt the size was too big to smoke during the long, cold winter months in Scandinavia. As a result, requests came in for a smaller size. After the tour of Sweden, Viktorsson went to work with the Tabacalera Palma factory to tweak the 7 x 52 size of the Frejya 12 into a 5 x 46.

Viktorsson would then solicit ideas for a name for the new 5 x 46 and ultimately Dvalinn was chosen. Dvalinn ties into the story of the Freya 12 line. Supposedly four dwarves created the Brisingamen necklace for Freyja and one of the dwarves was named Dvalinn. The Dvalinn size was released back in the summer of 2019.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Freyja 12 Dvallin and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Freyja 12 features a Habano Ecuador wrapper over Dominican tobaccos. The filler includes Piloto Cubano which has become a staple of the Las Cumbres Tabaco blends.

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Dominican Corojo
Filler: Dominican (Piloto Cubano, Criollo ’98 and Corojo)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera Palma

Vitolas Offered

The addition of the Dvalinn brings the total number of sizes in the Freyja 12 line to two. While the Brisingamen was put in 12-count boxes, the Dvalinn was put in 6-count cellophane bundles.

Dvalinn: 5 X 46.
Brisingamen: 7 x 52

Freyja 12 Dvalinn Packaging

Appearance

The Habano Ecuador wrapper of the Freyja 12 Dvalinn was medium brown in color. There was a slight amount of oil on the wrapper. Some very subtle mottling could also be seen. There were visible veins and visible wrapper seams on the band. The cigar itself is finished with a small pig-tail cap.

The band of the Freyja 12 is a slight modification of the band used on the original Freyja line. The band features an oil panting-styled image of the goddess Freyja. On the lower part of the image is the text “FREYJA” in large classic-styled gold font. The image is surrounded by a gold and blue frame. The left and right of the band has blue colored old-painting-styled images of Viking boats. On the lower part of each of the side images is the text “HAND MADE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC” in small white font. The sides of the band are also trimmed in gold.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

As opposed to pulling the pig-tail off the Freyja 12 Dvalinn, a straight cut was used to remove the cap and pig-tail together. At that point, it was on to the pre-light draw phase. The cold draw delivered notes of sweet natural tobacco, cedar, and even a touch of mint. This was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to light up the Freyja 12 Dvalinn and see what the cigar experience would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Freyja 12 Dvalinn started out with a mix of sweet natural tobacco, cedar, black pepper, and floral notes. Early on the sweet natural tobacco and cedar notes moved into the forefront. The black pepper and floral notes settled in the background. During the first third the floral notes gradually diminished and a plum-like sweetness surfaced in the background. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of black pepper with a slight amount of red pepper mixed in on the retro-hale.

During the second third, the plum sweetness moved into the forefront with the cedar notes. There was also an earthy component that surfaced in the background. The natural tobacco flavor shed some of its sweetness and settled in the background. Meanwhile, there was still some black pepper in the background and a touch of floral.

By the last third of the Freyja 12 Dvalinn, the earth notes joined the cedar notes in the background. The plum sweetness joined the natural tobacco, black pepper, and the remaining subtle floral notes in the background. This is the way the Freyja 12 Dvalinn came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Freyja 12 Dvalinn required several touch-ups along the way to maintain a straight burn line and straight burn path. The touch-ups did the trick, but I did find this cigar needed more touch-ups than I prefer. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side. This was an ash with a light gray color. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Burn of the Freyja 12 Dvalinn

Draw

The draw to the Freyja 12 Dvalinn performed excellently. This was a draw that had a touch of resistance to it – which is something that I like. At the same time, this was a cigar that was low maintenance to derive flavors from.

Strength and Body

The Freyja 12 Dvalinn started out as a medium strength, medium-bodied cigar. Along the way, there was a nominal increase in the intensity levels of both attributes. While there was more strength and body at the end of the Freyja 12 Dvalinn, the cigar still was in the medium range for both attributes.

When looking at strength and body, both attributes balanced each other with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Freyja 12 Dvalinn performed quite nicely. This is a cigar that delivered excellent flavor and offered a nice amount of complexity. The flavors delivered seemed ideal for the medium strength and medium body that the Freyja 12 Dvalinn had to offer. The burn wasn’t perfect, but in the end, the positives of the Freyja 12 Dvalinn significantly outweighed any of the negatives.

This is a cigar I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. While it’s positioned as a winter smoke, it is one that could be enjoyed any time of the year. As for myself, the Freyja 12 Dvalinn is a cigar I would smoke again. It is one that I would buy multiples to keep in the humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Natural Tobacco, Plum, Cedar, Black Pepper, Floral
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium to High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent