Cigar Review - La Sirena Trident
La Sirena - Trident
Vitola: Churchill
Length: 7.0″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo
Filler: Nicaraguan Jalapa & Condega
Pairing: Café Bustello Espresso style coffee
After seeing reviews of the La Sirena brand I was intrigued and began looking for them at my local B&M. This was in large part due to a latin restaurant in Sanford, FL, called La Sirena Gorda (the fat mermaid), which has great food. I finally found one in Orlando at Corona Cigar and picked it up a few months ago. It has been resting at 65% rh since that time.
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/...psyfm4ybuq.jpg
Fit and Finish: A nice richly colored wrapper, moderately veined, with a strong barnyard aroma. One of the most attractive bands I have seen.
Draw: A v-cut gives a slightly loose draw. Very strong dark cocoa on the cold draw. This makes me nervous. Almost every time I find a cigar that is incredible on the cold draw, it doesn't live up to what it's promising. I hope I'm wrong with this one.
Toast/Light: Toasting takes a while, with a section really fighting it. I'm patient though and finally get things going. Its pepper right out of the gate on those first couple of draws. Excellent smoke production.
First third: Pepper and get things going, with a nice full flavor. The pepper stays for a bit and then as it fades, it is replaced by nuts and cocoa. About halfway through the first third, a floral note comes in for several draws and then fades back and is replaced by cocoa once again. The pepper and cedar make a return, with the cedar fading and being replaced with a little barnyard funk. Then it's back to the cocoa, followed by a return of the floral notes. That was a LOT of flavor changes in just the first third of a cigar. It is a churchill, so it took a while, but wow, the complexity!
Second Third: It has been burning pretty well right along, but just after those floral notes it went out. No warning. Just burning great and then 45-60 seconds later totally out. I tap off the ash and relight. The relight is a breeze and instantly I have great smoke production and even fuller flavor than before. It starts with nuts and funk the intensity is way up. The draw is also starting to tighten up a bit, which is making it perfect. Cocoa takes center stage but then it gets a little harsh. I purge and this helps. The crazy kaleidoscope of flavors continues as I get, in turn, cocoa, floral, smokey wood, cocoa, cedar, citrus?, cocoa and floral together, and then nuts, followed by pepper and cedar once again at the end of the third. It again goes out near the end of the third, again without warning. This is not my first cigar, I know how to adjust my draw rate and intensity to nurse a difficult cigar along...this isn't that. It is great and then gone. Relight is once again easy and doesn't seem to affect the flavor.
Final Third: The excellent smoke production continues and the rotation of flavors does too. The same rotation as the previous third, with no floral notes but more citrus and a ramp up in the pepper. There is a strong nicotine hit as well. When it goes out for the third time with about an inch remaining I don't bother with a relight.
Final Thoughts: Easily one of the most complex cigars I have ever had. Full in both strength and flavor. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I will definitely pick up more, though in a different vitola. Churchills are just too much of a time investment for me to properly enjoy.
Total smoking time: 135 minutes
