Released back in 2016, the Andalusian Bull is an homage to the heritage of cigars in Spain and based on an old mold that Litto brought back from the country. The name and logo also references bull fighting of the andalusian people who are southern inhabitants of the region. The primings and seed variatels on the blend are relatively undisclosed for the cigar with an Ecuadorian Corojo for the wrapper and binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic. The cigar has been continuously produced since its inception, but at a relatively low and undisclosed amount and due to that lack of supply, and the huge demand due to many accolades make it a hard cigar to find.

Under the Lid:

The cigars have a regal gold blue and black theme to them with a silhouette of a matador, and the LFD initials on the bottom. The wrapper is a smooth medium brown color with tight wrapper seams and a nice slightly tapered head. The cigar is a figurado that has a 64 ringe gauge at its widest and 52 and its skinniest.

• Wrapper: Ecuador Corojo
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Vitola: 6 1/2 x 64 to 52 Figurado
• Factory: Tabacalera La Flor S.A.
• Release Date: 2016
• Number of boxes released: Continuous Limited Production
• MSRP: $15 in 2016

The cold draw offers notes of fig like sweetness with a mild spice and bread note, the foot offers aromas of musty barnyard and manure, and the wrapper reminds of walking into an old basement cellar. The draw feels just slightly resistant during the cold draw but almost perfect.

Performance Notes:

First Third:

On light up the Andalusian Bull opens up with some red pepper flakes, cedar, honey, salt and bread notes. The cigar is surprisingly balanced and not overwhelming in any one major flavor during these first few puffs. As the first third progresses the red pepper flakes turn into a bit more of a generic pepper spice and overall falls back a bit in the profile, while the cedar, honey, salt, and bread notes hold consistent and strong. Occasionally I pick up a tart berry note that adds some depth. The combination of pepper, cedar, honey, and bread gives me a feeling of having a 3 course meal with a nice appetizer, main course, and dessert all in one puff. As the first third comes to a close the main core flavors stay strong with the occasional tart berry alongside the occasional citrus note. The finish is medium with some lingering bread and cedar notes. The retrohale is very complex with bread, pepper, cedar, and a mild saltiness, I am finding I can take bigger retrohales with this cigar compared to many others, possibly due to the age. Palate stimulation is middle of the tongue with a bit on the roof of the mouth and the cheeks.

Second Third:

The second third transitions a bit as the ring gause has slightly tapered in with notes of toasted cedar, bread, salt, mild pepper, mild citrus, and an earthy mushroom note. Each puff is moving between bread and toasted cedar taking the lead with the flavor profile with mild citrus and honey taking turns being the sweet accented note in the background. The earthy mushroom quality makes the profile a bit funkier compared to the first third of the cigar and it doesn’t overpower anything. As the second third continues there is an occasional leather note as well. The mild pepper is occasionally replaced by a baking spice note that reminds me more of a cardamom than anything else. As the second third ends the overall profile ramps up a tiny bit with toasted cedar, bread, salt, baking spices, mushroom earthiness, and a mild leather. The finish is medium with leather, cedar, and mild spice. The retrohale offers aromas of cedar, bread, and cardamom. The palate stimulation is the tip of the tongue, middle of the tongue, and roof of the mouth.

Final Third:

The final third starts out with creamy toasted cedar, bread, mushroom earthiness, and mild leather. The citrus note is found occasionally alongside the honey but they aren’t as prominently found compared to the first two thirds. The saltiness has moved slightly off the palate itself and mainly found on the lips when licking them after a puff. The final third continues consistently through most of it. During the last few puffs the profile takes on a bit more strength and a bit of a wet earth overtone. The main core flavors of toasted cedar, bread, and baking spices are still present and easy to pull out. The finish is medium with baking spices and leather. The retrohale offers aromas of bread and baking spice. The palate stimulation is the tip and middle of the tongue and roof of the mouth.

Core Flavors: Cedar, Bread, Salt, Pepper, Baking Spice, Honey, Citrus, Mushroom, leather

Strength: Medium but last inch and half is Medium+

Body: Medium

Complexity: Full

Smokin Experience: Unlike many of the other LFD cigars I have tried this cigar is much milder in terms of nicotine strength, but very complex in nuanced flavors and continuous transitions as the ring gauges tapers through the entire smoking experience. The flavors are well balanced through the entire cigar and also keep things interesting by transitioning many nuanced background flavors in and out of the profile. The cigars had great draws with just the slight resistance that wasn’t too open. Each sample did require a slight touch up to keep things on track but nothing major. I would highly recommend this to any experienced cigar smoker, but I would hesitate to offer this to a newer smoker due to the size and I dont think they might appreciate all the nuance and compelxity this cigar has to offer as their palate developes.

Smokin Facts:

• LFD has since released a few sizes of this Andalusian Bull as special limited released with the most recent being a limited regular production Andalusian Bull Golden NFT
• Due to demand of the cigar it is rarely found at MSRP in cigar stores
• This shape allows you to get the cooler smoking experience of e 64 ring gauge when the cigar starts but is comfortable in the mouth with a tapered tip and closer to a 52 ringe gauge near the foot

Purchase Redommendation: Box Purchase

Cigars Smoked: 2

Average Smoking Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes

SCORE: 93

Mitchell Santaga – Product Reviews

Mitchell Santaga started his journey into tobacco in 2011 by trying different flavored and machine-made cigars while enjoying a handle of Jack Daniels whisky. Shortly after that he yearned for a more premium experience and dove headfirst into pipe tobacco that his local tobacconist blended, and soon after started indulging in premium cigars.