A little background
Luxury Cigar Club is a monthly subscription box that provides the highest value per dollar cigars on the market. Each box’s retail value will exceed the monthly subscription cost and will occasionally have freebies or surprises. The Palladium box, reviewed here, typically ships with 5 premium cigars between the 15th and 21st of each month. The subscription renews on the 25th of each month, but you can pause or skip a shipment at any time. There are no contracts. Just great cigars every month! All of their box offerings and the online store can be found at luxurycigarclub.com.
Gold Series Belicoso Finos by J London
Construction
Size – 5” x 52
Wrapper
Ecuadorian
Binder
Ecuadorian
Filler
Undisclosed
Experience
The Gold Series Belicoso Finos from J. London is one of my new favorite cigars. It is unique, flavorful, and has impeccable construction. Immediately it provided an almost floral bread note, caramel, and light roast coffee. The smoke is creamy, flavorful, and has lightness to the smoke flavor. Part way through a milk chocolate note arrives on the palate. The flavors are robust and remain throughout the smoke. The Gold Series Belicoso Finos is a near-perfect cigar. It can be enjoyed any time of the day and the flavors will always satisfy. Well done J. London.
Pairing
Diet Coke. I found this pairing on accident, but the syrupiness of the Diet Coke added a thickness to the smoke that was lovely. I would also pair this with coffee, coffee, or coffee. Additionally, biscuit Irish whiskey would also go nicely in the evening if you are looking to unwind a bit.
MSRP
$19.95
Rating
4.8 out of 5
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Bits of Havana Exclusive by Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars
Construction
Size – 4.5” 42
Wrapper
Nicaraguan
Binder
Nicaraguan
Filler
Nicaraguan
Experience
The Bits of Havana Exclusive by Kyle Gellis brought some interesting flavors to the table. This Nicaraguan puro’s flavor profile has notes of cedar, pepper, dried fruit, and a sugar flavor. The sugar note is what intrigued me the most. It wasn’t a sweetness but instead the flavor you would get as a kid if your parents gave you corn flakes, you doused them in sugar, and then would drink the sugar milk out of the bottom of the bowl. There wasn’t much in the way of flavor change during the cigar and late in the second third. I found that I would have to take a primer puff to keep it lit.
Pairing
A sugary coffee beverage. Something like a caramel macchiato or frappe. A cherry-heavy, low-proof bourbon would also go nicely with this cigar.
MSRP
$9.00
Rating
3 out 5
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Alma Fuerte Sixto II by Plasencia
Construction
Size – 6” x 60 Hex
Wrapper
Nicaraguan
Binder
Nicaraguan
Filler
Nicaraguan
Experience
I was excited to try the Alma Fuerte Sixto II from Plasencia. I have seen the hype on social media and have heard great things from my friends who have enjoyed this cigar. That being said…. this cigar did not disappoint. The construction was impeccable providing a razor-sharp burn, tight white ash, and most impressive was I could put this cigar down for a period of time and it was still lit when I picked it up. The flavors of chocolate, iced tea, leather, and a slight saltiness ran throughout the experience. The flavors did not change much, but with the balance and complexity from start to finish, they didn’t need to change. The smoothness of this cigar reminded me of cigars that have been aged to perfection.
Pairing
A comfortable chair. Just sit and take your time with this cigar. If you are going to pair it with a beverage, an espresso would go nicely with this cigar at midday or a full flavor rum like Mount Gay XO.
MSRP
$21.00
Rating
4.7 out of 5
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Fourth Prime Sapta by Fable Cigars
Construction
Size – 6.25” x54
Wrapper
USA – Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder
Ecuadorian
Filler
Nicaraguan
Experience
The Fourth Prime Sapta from Fable Cigars started off with a dark chocolate and back of the throat cinnamon flavor that felt like a chocolate covered atomic fireball. That was balanced with a note of cedar and a bit of sugar. Later in first third there were herbal or cooking spices that came to the forefront. It was a bit bright and reminded me of juniper or sage. Later in the cigar the brightness subsided and a bread note appeared on the finish. Towards the end of the smoke the palate remained the same.
Pairing
An herbal gin like Uncle Val’s Botanical gin. Whether you prefer it straight, in a gin and tonic, or some other cocktail, pairing this cigar with an herbal gin is a winner.
MSRP
$10.00
Rating
3.8 out of 5
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Dias De Gloria Gordo by AJ Fernandez
Construction
Size – 6” x 58
Wrapper
Nicaraguan
Binder
Nicaraguan
Filler
Nicaraguan
Experience
The Dias De Gloria is everything I love about an AJ Fernandez cigar. The construction is perfect, the wrapper leaf is smooth and oily, and the band brings to mind cigar tradition and beauty. This cigar provided notes of milk chocolate, cedar, pepper, and cinnamon. In the second third a black tea note dips its toe in the mix on the finish. The final third takes the cinnamon note and turns it into more of a drying quality. The Dias De Gloria is a excellent example of a Nicaraguan cigar and an AJ Fernandez product.
Pairing
The tradition in this cigar brings the tradition of sipping rum with a good cigar to mind. Find your favorite rum, light this cigar, and relax.
MSRP
$12.00
Rating
3.5 out of 5
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In closing
The March Luxury Cigar Club Palladium box brought a couple of real hitters. The Alma Fuerte and J. London Gold Series certainly stood out. There were several puros as well which is always nice. Being able to see what flavors Nicaraguan tobaccos bring versus Dominican or Honduran is a fun learning adventure. The opportunity to try cigars that I may not buy for myself, like the Alma Fuerte and J. London, was welcomed. I now have two options for special occasion cigars. This box brought two of my new favorites and a couple of cigars that, for me, didn’t shine as brightly.
NOTE: The cigars used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Luxury Cigar Club. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.
