PCA 2022 Report: ADVentura Cigars

ADVentura is the flagship line of ADV & McKay Cigars, owned by Henderson Ventura and Marcel Knobel. It is a true concept brand as the cigars follow a theme of two adventurers named Adventura and McKay. The first lines followed the travels of these two companions. Now according to Ventura and Knobel, Adventura and McKay are entering a “darker chapter” of their adventures. This chapter will focus more on the characters they meet along their journey. The company has two releases – La Llorona and Barbarroja’s Invasion. Both lines introduce some innovative concepts. If it’s anything like the previous “chapters,” cigar enthusiasts are in for a treat. In 2021, one cigar from those previous chapters “The Royal Return – Queen’s Pearls” won some big accolades including Cigar Coop’s #2 Cigar of the Year and El Oso Fumar’s #3 Cigar of the Year. Like 2021, ADVentura Cigars was a part of the Sutliff Tobacco group, which hosted the family of brands it distributes.

La Llorona is a cigar that is being positioned for ADVentura’s “elite” retailers. The name comes from a tale from Latin folklore. She is a vengeful ghost that roams the seas mourning her dead loved ones, which she herself killed.

The blend for La Llorona is derived from another cigar ADVentura had in its portfolio called La Bucanera. La Bucanera was a cigar sold in Europe by ADVentura. It was produced in Nicaragua by the Casa Favilli factory. La Bucanera had more emphasis on Nicaraguan tobacco. For La Llorona, the idea was to recreate the flavor profile of La Bucanera, but using Dominican tobacco. Since then, La Bucanera was discontinued and the new La Llorona product is now being offered in the U.S.

La Llorona features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Dominican binder and a combination of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. La Llorona will initially come in one size – a 52 x 5 Robusto, with another size planned in the future. It is presented in ten-count boxes. Pricing for La Llorona is set at $16.00.

One really interesting thing about La Llorona is the banding. Not only is it different than the rest of the ADVentura portfolio, but has a different spin on a double band. While the band has a skull with a pirate hat, the top band can be pulled off to reveal a skull with a bandana.

The other new release is Barbarroja’s Invasion – with a theme of Adventura and McKay encountering a darker character called Barbarroja. The blend incorporates a San Andres Mexican wrapper over a Dominican binder, and Dominican fillers that include medio tiempo. ADVentura Barbarroja’s Invasion has three sizes: Robusto (52 x 5, SRP $14.20), Toro (54 x 6, SRP $15.00), and Corona (44 x 6, SRP $13.20) – each presented in 20-count boxes. One piece of innovation is that the box has a sound module built into it. When the box is opened, it reveals an audio message (which can be heard in our interview).