Sam Leccia is Back

You may remember Sam Leccia as one of the creators of the Studio Tobac Line.  He was the driving force behind the Nub and Cain creations for Oliva.  Since stepping away from that endeavor he has been out of the business.  Now, he makes his triumphant return with the Black and White line distributed by Torano Cigars.  I met Leccia at the recent trade show and he is a humble man filled with a passion for cigars.  He was very excited to explain his wood-fire cured tobacco which they say is like a whisky flavor but I thought reminded me of barbecue sauce.

Today’s cigar is a beauty to look at.  It has nice rich golden brown coloring.  It feels silky to the touch and looks very much like an old line Cuban cigar.  The band is also very understated, again resembling and old time band.  Traditional elegance is what comes to mind with the look and feel of this stick.  I punched and lit the cigar without a problem.

Construction is excellent.  The stick has a nice easy open draw, pulling lots of smoke through.  The stick burns evenly and holds a very tight edge.  The ash grew longer than two inches of light gray wonder.

The flavors I tasted were not overpowering and mostly medium of ‘lunch’ strength.  At first there was lots of earthiness and cedar, wtih just a hint of cream.  As the cigar moved through the second third of the burn, I got some sweetness to go with my earth.  Finally, towards the end, a little leather was added.  Overall, this was the only disappointment for me.  While the flavors were nice, there wasn’t much interest of change in them.  Still, it was a very pleasant nice smoking stick.

At just under $8.00 this is more of a special cigar than one for every day.  It is a wonderful smoke, beautiful to look at and smoke.  Leccia makes a hell of a cigar and can’t imagine a humidor without them.  I am very much looking forward to the white version that I have waiting for me int he humidor.