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Forgotten Favorites II: La Luna Natural Fuerte Perfecto

Black Plague

Black Plague

New Member
Joined
May 11, 2006
Messages
539
Here's a brand I heard great things about when I first began venturing into online cigar forums, but I never actually got to try. I can remember when this brand and Bucanero were THE sticks to have. If you had Bucs or La Lunas to trade, you could get anything. People were trading away Montes and Cohibas for them, ferchristssake! :laugh:

This stick was provided by the generous BOTL yanksfan, and seeing how I can't even FIND La Luna Fuertes being sold anywhere, I'm guessing this stick has some age on it. This isn't so much a trip down memory lane for me...but let's see if La Luna is as good as everyone used to say it was...

La Luna Natural Fuerte
Perfecto
6 x 46 Perfecto

Prelight: Very nicely shaped, long, "Fancy Tale"-style perfecto: straight-sided with a perfecto foot and a slightly tapered head. Wrapper was a dry-leaf-colored colorado, evenly colored throughout with small, pale veins. Prelight tastings returned medium tobacco.

Beverage: Just water.

Flavor: Started out with a slight chalky taste which quickly dissipated, but then blossomed into a flavor of fresh tobacco leaves drying in the curing barn rafters, chocolate, with floral hints, nuances of citrus fruit and cut grass. Very smooth and incredibly complex. This flavor continued through most of the cigar. One-third down, the distinct aroma and flavor of caramel came forward. The aroma hinted at exotic trees and herbs. The core tobacco flavor took on a more medium-toasted aspect, with a finish that smacked of fruit-and-nut caramel candies (like the ones you get in a Whitman's candy sampler). Two-thirds down, the flavor was floral with a decidedly more herbal aspect to it, with some woody flavors joining the toasted tobacco finish.

Construction: Burn was OK, did require a few touch-ups. Draw was perfect and the ash was beautiful, firm, and bone-white.

Summary: This was an excellent cigar! Very complex, smooth, and rich throughout, thanks to a little box age. I see why everyone raved about these back in the day.

But one question I have is: what happened to La Luna? Their website shows they don't even make any of the Fuertes anymore, I can't seem to find anywhere that sells them, and most all the articles about the La Luna factory are several years old. Did La Luna go belly up?
 
I have a 5-pack bundle of La Luna Maduro torpedoes that is from way back when the company started in 1996. At least I think it's a 5-pack but it could be a 4-pack. They sent it to me when I was an editor at SMOKE. The cigars are completely wrapped in heavy yellow and blue paper that sports the original La Luna logo, and then the whole bundle is shrink-wrapped in plastic. I always thought it was such a great little packet that I never cracked it open. Now, over ten years later, I wonder what the cigars in there are like. These particular cigars were fairly highly regarded when they made their debut.
 
LarryH said:
This article may answer some of your questions.

Linky
Click to expand...

I saw that one, but that was written in 2001. Looks like they hit bust during the boom......and apparently they hit bust again sometime around 2003 or 2004...that's the last time I remember seeing internet vendors selling La Luna.
 
Nice review Dan. I still have one or two buried somewhere around here. Have to re-visit them again.
 
After extensive searching, only Cigar King in Scottsdale carries ANY La Lunas whatsoever, and it's a house brand made by La Luna specially for them.

For some reason, they seem to have pulled out of the retail distribution game. I guess you can only buy from the factory. That's a shame :( I'd like to try the blends they currently sell, but don't want to commit to a whole bundle/box without even sampling them.

Hmmm....maybe a group buy is in order :laugh: Would anyone be interested?
 
Wow, that made my mouth water... hey it's almost 12 pm... not to early for a cigar and scotch!

Great review.. I'm going to have to see if I can track some of those down.
 
From this Ca article dated February 29, 2008:

"Art District Cigars
1638 SW Eighth St. (between 16th and 17th aves.); 305-644-0444
La Luna cigars were once crafted at this address. Since La Luna Cigars changed its name to Art District last July, the location became a building that combines the finer elements of a cigar shop, bar and a smoking lounge. But the heritage of production is kept alive by a few rollers making the company's house brand, called 1638. You can, however, still buy La Lunas here (they are made in Honduras) and listen to music, plus take advantage of a bar serving beer and wine."
 
I tried one of these. I think it was a short corona, I have to say it was quite a nice little smoke, really enjoyed it.
 
I like your imagery and the blend, too! ;)

The PC sounds like it would be a good but inexpensive daily habit - and I really need another one. :whistling:


Steve
 
Black Plague said:
After extensive searching, only Cigar King in Scottsdale carries ANY La Lunas whatsoever, and it's a house brand made by La Luna specially for them.

For some reason, they seem to have pulled out of the retail distribution game. I guess you can only buy from the factory. That's a shame :( I'd like to try the blends they currently sell, but don't want to commit to a whole bundle/box without even sampling them.

Hmmm....maybe a group buy is in order :laugh: Would anyone be interested?
Click to expand...


I've seen them many times at the Cigar King in Skokie Illinois as well.
 
Those natural fuertes were awesome. I have heard that the Torano 1916 is the same blend. Of course, I dont know if that is really true.
 
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