The Particulars

The Review

This review for the LA Cigar Collective Le Flambeaux (No. 3) - Gran Toro (6.5 x 55) is based on the journal entry dated 2026-08-17

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Good (3)

The Mexican San Andrés wrapper used here definitely has some age to it. Putting several cigars side-by-side, there’s a lot of uniqueness to each leaf with the mottling and dark spots. But each one is a medium-to-dark chocolate brown with a nice sheen. There’s also a light, craggy, British-style tooth that’s just present enough to give each one some texture and a light sandpaper feel to it. There are several dominant veins, but this is Kelner, so in spite of it being a thick leaf, the seams are so tight they’re nearly invisible in spots. The triple cap is clean and each stick has a nice firmness and density to it. And the labels… 🤌🏻 definite chef’s kiss. The rich, royal blue with a slight violet hue on heavy stock paper, the elegant light gray filigree design, all dressed up with metallic gold accents—it’s a stunning look.

And that elegance carries over to the boxes with a beautiful 15-count presentation.

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Good (3) / Great (4)

The experience starts with a spot-on draw from the punch and a beautiful burn line. I’ve smoked enough Avowed and Stoic to know that Klaas Kelner’s factory doesn’t mess around with quality assurance. An inch in and the ash is a very light gray, bordering on white, with wide spacing between dark, deep cracks. The burn line is razor-sharp, relatively even, and almost dead-flat with just minor waves to it. The ash is stacking exceptionally well and holds past the first third, making it to just short of the midway point before I gracefully rolled it off into the ashtray.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Excellent (5)

On light-up, there is a hearty mix of immediate baking spices that is cinnamon-heavy, alongside chocolate breadiness, salt, and caramel sweetness. Big Rob at LACC likes to describe it as the well-done crust of a salted caramel brownie, and that’s a spot-on assessment. You might interpret it a little differently, but if you struggle to identify notes in a blend, it’s a fantastic reference point. But as I’m also getting some espresso notes, for me it’s like a mix of Mexican hot chocolate and a salted caramel mocha paired with a snickerdoodle cookie. Maybe you’re double-fisting them or making a delicious mix, but there’s no judgment here—that’s just how we do! 😂 But in the first inch, this thing is just a fucking laugh riot of bold and rich flavor. There is a little bit of earth, leather, and charred cedar woodiness in there, but we’re starting with strong toasted molasses breadiness, rich baking chocolate, strong cinnamon, very light red pepper, medium espresso, light vanilla, and a strong salted caramel sweetness that really lingers on the tongue. It’s all wrapped up in a slightly powdery, marshmallow-creamy finish. As we like to say in New Orleans, “the thang is thangin’.” If you can’t pick up anything else, you definitely should be picking up a lot of natural sweetness.

The second third starts with an uptick in espresso notes as there are definitely more coffee aromatics at play. Still very bready and chocolatey, with a nice mouth tingle, but more of the espresso notes are hitting my nasal passage. I’m getting growing notes of herbal anise, a savory nuttiness, and a bit of lemon citrus tang. Complexity is full-on with this blend and it’s just singing. Historically, the Flambeaux carriers at Mardi Gras would dance and put on exciting moves to compete with the Krewes because they weren’t allowed to join them. At this point, Le Flambeaux is putting every Krewe to shame. The fact that 60% of the filler is Ligero isn’t bringing a beatdown of nicotine; it’s just boosting the flavors to the absolute next level.

The final third begins with an increase of anise. What the fuck is anise, you ask? It’s a slightly bitter and sweet herbal note that you’ll recognize as black licorice or root beer. This is where terms like “bitter” can get tough to navigate, because some flavors with natural bitter notes are beautifully balanced and enjoyable, but you obviously don’t want an overly bitter profile. The red pepper sneaks up on you, too; my mouth is in a full-on tingle even though there’s never been a single bit of harshness or oppressive pepper overload. IMO, the best pepper is the one that doesn’t assault you, but leaves its signature calling card for you to find. But that well-done edge of the salted caramel brownie is still here in force, along with the other more nuanced base notes. This cigar is a fucking delight. It’s hard to review your friends’ cigars because not only do you want them to do well, but you fear either hating it or being too soft on it. But they completely nailed the blend and the experience on this one. I’m giving it a full-throated endorsement, not because LACC is my local lounge, but because it’s a truly exceptional blend that more than delivers above and beyond its premium price point.

Overall Experience (0-5):  Excellent (5)

Klaas talked about the challenge of taking an MSA wrapper—one he usually doesn’t work with—and blending it with his core Dominican tobaccos to hit that full-bodied target. But that crazy bastard not only hit the target, he annihilated it. There’s a lot of truth in letting the chef cook, and Kyle’s trust to let him cook by laying out the target—rather than dictating the recipe—has paid massive dividends with the resulting blend.

They say the third time is the charm, but LA Cigar Collective already had two fantastic house blends in the Padre Elegido and Gris Gris. This one is even better IMO, and it raises the bar for whatever comes next.  The constructive criticism I have though is I think they’ll need to pivot a little; the sheer size of Le Flambeaux and the 6″x60 Definition Big Iron (their most recent shop exclusive) does risk painting them into a corner of exclusively big sticks with bold blends.  Don’t get me wrong, they’re wonderful and really strong blends can definitely find better balance with a larger ring gauge, but my only concern is it risks alienating customers who want smaller vitolas or different profiles if big and bold becomes their reputation for house exclusives. A Corona Gorda or Lancero/Lonsdale version of Le Flambeaux could change that, or those vitolas would be a solid recommendation for  house blend number four to change things up a little. There are so many ways they can go for number four, but I’m incredibly excited to see what they do next!

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.