2018 Lirio Rojo by Warped Cigars (5 1/4 x 44)

Video review HERE.

This is the 2018 version of the Lirio Rojo by Warped Cigars. These come out in December of each year. I have reviewed this cigar the past two years. Last year's version dropped considerably over the 2016 version. I am hopeful this year's version will be better.

Wrapper: AGANORSA

Binder: AGANORSA

Filler: AGANORSA

Vitola: Corona (5 ½ x 44)

Factory: TABSA (Aganorsa Leaf, formerly Casa Fernandez)

Lirio Rojo comes in one size, 5 1/2 x 44. It is a medium brown in color with a standard feel in the hand for a cigar of this size.

The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were pretty typical of Aganorsa tobacco; orange citrus, brown sugar, cinnamon, quite a bit of nutmeg, and an earthy black coffee. There was nice black pepper which I rated at 7 1/2. There seem to be caramel notes in the mix but I want to see if they fully develop. The nutmeg is pretty standard and in an ample amount. But, at this point the sweeter notes are holding their own.

At the first third (20 minutes) there are definitely caramel notes in the mix and they add nice sweetness to the cigar. At this point I can already tell this cigar is much better than last year's version. There are still  nice citrus notes, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a tingly black pepper mixed into the sweet flavors. The nutmeg, at this point, seems to have come down to a very manageable amount. The earthy black coffee base remains. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is one of caramel and light nutmeg notes with a nice amount of lingering black pepper. At this point the cigar is very much to my liking. I rated the first third at 93.

At the second third (49 minutes) the nutmeg notes have greatly increased. With them there has been a reduction in sweetness. The caramel and brown sugar are trying to hold the sweetness and they are but to a lesser degree. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is unchanged. Typically Aganorsa tobacco is high in nutmeg notes so it's not a big surprise that this cigar had an increase. With the lowering of sweetness I lowered the second third score to a 91.

The cigar lasted 1 hour 7 minutes, which is about average for this size cigar. The good news is nothing changed in the final third. The nutmeg notes remained at their previous level and the brown sugar/caramel sweetness managed to hold on to some sweetness. The cigar reached full bodied. The finish did not change. This cigar should be better with a little more time in the humidor. But, it's better than last year's version. I rated the final third at 91. You can purchase these cigars HERE.

Overall Score: 91.67