At the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, ADVentura Cigars introduced a new line known as La Llorona.
La Llorona is a tale from pre-Hispanic Latin American folklore. She is a vengeful ghost that roams the seas mourning her dead loved ones, which she herself killed. ADVentura is very much a theme-based brand. ADventura Cigars is the main brand created by ADV & McKay, the company owned by Henderson Ventura and Marcel Knobel. The brand tells the tale of two fictional characters, ADVentura and McKay, in the age of exploration. La Llorona expands on the travels of ADVentura and McKay and brings what ADVentura Cigars calls a darker side to the story. Today we take a closer look at the ADVentura La Llorona cigar – which at press time has only been released in a Robusto size.

There are some interesting things in terms of the production and distribution of this cigar. In terms of production, 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.

Distribution-wise, La Llorona is being offered to its higher volume accounts through its “Elite Exclusive” program – which from what I have seen is somewhere in the 14 to 20 account range. La Llorona is an ongoing production for ADVentura.

At this point, let’s turn our attention to the ADVentura La Llorona and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

La Llorona is highlighted by an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The blend is Dominican-forward featuring Dominican tobacco in the filler and binder. There is some Nicaraguan tobacco in the blend – as well as high priming Medio Tiempo.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan (including Medio Tiempo)
Country of Origin Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera William Ventura

Vitolas Offered

As mentioned above, La Llorona is offered in one size – a 52 x 5 Robusto. The cigars are presented in ten-count boxes.

Appearance

The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper had a medium brown color to it with a Colorado tint to it. Upon closer examination, there was some light mottling on the surface. There also was a light amount of oils on the wrapper. The surface of the wrapper had both visible veins and some visible wrapper seams. The cigar was finished with a classic Cuban-style flat cap.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting up the ADVentura La Llorona, a straight cut was used to remove the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a mix of wood, cedar, earth, and natural tobacco sweetness. The wood and cedar were very much a wheelhouse of what I get on many ADVentura cigars and to me it was a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the ADVentura La Llorona and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The ADVentura La Llorona opened up with notes of classic wood, cedar, natural tobacco, and peppercorn. As the cigar progressed through the early phase, some notes of coffee bean emerged. The coffee bean and wood became the primary notes. The cedar, natural tobacco, and peppercorn settled in the background. A mushroom note also entered the equation as a background note. Meanwhile, there was a combination of cedar and black pepper on the retro-hale.

As the ADVentura La Llorona moved through the middle of the first third and into the second third, the wood and coffee notes alternated in intensity.  The cedar, natural tobacco, mushroom, and peppercorn remained in the background. There were a few times the natural tobacco notes crept into the forefront.  Toward the latter part of the second third, the mushroom notes subsided and the peppercorn increased in intensity.

The final third saw the peppercorn join the wood notes in the forefront. The coffee bean notes receded into the background joining the cedar and natural tobacco notes. This is the way the ADVentura La Llorona came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

While the ADVentura La Llorona maintained a straight burn path and had a relatively straight burn line, it required more frequent touch-ups than I prefer. The resulting ash had a near salt-and-pepper complexion to it. This wasn’t the firmest ash, but it was also not loose nor flaky either. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Draw

The draw of the ADVentura La Llorona had a touch of resistance to it. This made for an ideal draw from start to finish. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the ADVentura La Llorona started out in the medium range. Both the strength and body increased in intensity along the way. By the end of the second third, the strength of this cigar entered medium to full territory. The body of the flavors entered medium to full a little quicker – namely by the midway point.

When comparing strength and body, the body had a slight edge throughout the smoking experience.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

The ADVentura La Llorona features one of the most unique bands around. The cigar has a double band. The two bands align with each other and slightly overlap. When they overlap there is a pirate with a pirate hat on.

When the bands are separated, the remaining band on the cigar has a pirate with a pirate bandana on.

The red, white, and blue Dominican flag colors with an oil paint texture really pop on this cigar.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

As I mentioned earlier, many of the ADVentura cigars I’ve smoked have a very woody profile.  The ADVentura La Llorona is no exception. While it’s going to give you notes of wood and cedar, it’s also going to bring notes such as coffee bean, peppercorn, natural tobacco, and mushroom into the equation. The result is a smoke with a nice amount of complexity and one that will keep you interested from start to finish. The cigar scores a very respectable 89 points, and while it is one I certainly enjoyed, it does carry a price point of $16.00. I’m just not sure this is a cigar for everyone, so I’m more inclined to tell someone to try a sample first before making a decision to smoke it.

Smoking Syndicate Roundtable

Back in November 2022; the Cigar Coop Coalition featured this cigar on The Smoking Syndicate Roundtable.

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Summary

Key Flavors:  Coffee Bean, Wood, Cedar, Natural Tobacco, Peppercorn, Mushroom
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Remainder)
Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Try a Sample
Score: 89

REFERENCES

News: ADVentura to Launch La Llorona for Elite Accounts at 2022 PCA Trade Show
Price: $16.00
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Adventura Cigars

Photo/Media Credits: Cigar Coop