JC Newman

April 09, 2022

LCA Watch Series; Red and Blue, or Pepsi (6 x 54)





Video review HERE.


(Description taken from Halfwheel.com website)

LCA retailers have a cigar called the Privada Watch Series, a cigar named Red and Blue. (This is the first in the series) It is a 6 x 54 Honduran puro that uses a Jamastran corojo claro wrapper, Trojes criollo binder, and a filler of Jamastran corojo seco, Trojes habano ligero, and Trojes corojo, a blend created by Hugo Edemaño at Raíces Cubanas. It comes with an MSRP of $10 and is currently shipping to shops, as it is part of the LCA Plus program, which doesn’t bind retailers to a specific release date.

The cigar is a tribute to the Rolex Blue and Red GMT, which debuted in 1959 and became known as the Pepsi watch for its color way that evoked comparisons to the logo of the soft drink. The LCA said it will be announcing more horology-inspired installments of the Privada Watch Series throughout 2022 that will feature blends from several different master blenders.

Production numbers are not being disclosed.


The cigar has a very good feel in the hand.



The test draw after cutting the cap was good with a touch of firmness. The initial flavors at light up were strawberry preserves, citrus peel, brown sugar, nutmeg, and an earthy leather. There was black pepper rated at 7. 



At the first third (23 minutes) I had the same flavor notes but now the nutmeg is very thick and almost chewy. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish has some of the strawberry preserve flavor, citrus peel, and leather with average or below lingering black pepper. The cigar is ok but it's not grabbing me. I rated the first third 91.




Moving through the second third (1 hour 4 minutes) there wasn't a big change. The cigar has a little more leather and a little more earthiness. The cigar is still medium bodied. The finish is citrus peel and leather with average lingering black pepper. The cigar lost a little. I rated the second third 89.




The cigar lasted 1 hour 29 minutes. At the end the wrapper did a little unraveling. In the final third the cigar changed from puff to puff. You would have some sweet notes and then highly elevated earthy leather. It wasn't consistent. The cigar remained medium bodied. The finish was nutmeg, light strawberry, leather, and pretty good lingering black pepper. I rated the final third 85.




Overall Score: 88.33

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