TX Duo Review - LFD Litto Gomez Emeraude TAA 2024

[Çnote]

@Capn_Jackson

A mistake was made as we have too many cigars. The only way to correct this is to smoke them all!

I'll smoke this one asap. Cap'n will smoke the Small Batch asap. We'll get back on track...

[Capn_Jackson]

On 5/31/2025 at 12:43 PM, Çnote said:

@Capn_Jackson

The only way to correct this is to smoke them all!

This is the way!

LFD Litto Gomez Emeraude TAA 2024

Not too familiar with the specifics of this cigar. I’ve enjoyed a few LFD smokes in the past, and have been looking forward to another one. @Çnote probably knows more of the market details and release specifics of this one.

Cold draw is like baked bread with pistachio on top. Great resistance. 

The first third continues that pistachio, with some walnut splashes popping up. Some buttery marzipan here and there as well, and sweet nutmeg galore. Some very CC-like Partagas spice, and oatmeal stout. Ash is somewhat flaky, falling at intermittent points, never in the ashtray. Strength is hovering nicely around medium, maybe a notch over.

Second third is all gingerbread cookie, with some cocoa icing. A few notes of bourbon barrel sweetness, and some baking spice rolls across the tongue. Maybe even a floral wine note at one point. Hints of agave and dark treacle past the midpoint.

Last third gets a little muddled, and a little heavy. Nicotine strength kicks up a notch, but nowhere near full. Dark molasses prevails, but a little burnt. Lots of damp earth, and dark roasted coffee beans. Around the band, some of that stout from earlier returns, this time more a caramel stout than oatmeal. Almost some s’mores chocolate and marshmallow vibes. Traces of BBQ wood smoke. Gets bitter at about the last inch, but a nice smoke overall, would definitely visit this again.

Thanks for this one, Cody!

[Çnote]

Ok! Litto Banded LFD at midnight Round 2. Thankfully I don't have much going on this weekend...

I try not to read Jackson's reviews before I smoke and write, just to avoid any issues. I did scroll thru on the way to this text prompt and see him mention that I may know details about this cigar...

In brief, the Litto Gomez band was used until about a decade ago for regular production of LFDs estate grown tobacco, and then semi annually on the Small Batch series, again estate grown. In 2024, this band was used for this cigar, called 'Emeraude' for the 55th (emerald) anniversary of TAA. 

The wrapper is dark rye sourdough overwhelmed by fresh raw humidor. It's big tobacco for sure.

The 1st 1/2 inch could be the worst cigar I've had this year, and that's been a competitive bracket. It's unripe cantelope, sour to the point of unbearable. My patience is rewarded with a much more approachable pumpernickel, dark rye, gingerbread profile, but where the sweetness is from spices, not sugar. Some classic caraway and dill traces really hammer on this. I've been dying for bagels and lox for months and there's nothing local worth a schmear. Maybe I'm projecting.

I'm suddenly covered in hot ash and this teeters into Korean roast barley tea and dried apricot. Very sexy. I notice I'm about at the 2nd third. Earth becomes the major vibe and this is certainly full blown and trying to get fuller. Last night's fireplace, drawing charcoal, almost Paulliac lead pencil even. Stonefruits are coming in, sweet white cherries and plums. Great stuff here if you handle the weight, it's not delicate, anvil pounding on the palate, mouth coating and I can feel the threat of hiccups. Allspice and clove like boulders, prickly on the palate, retros are all clean tobacco without much nuance but lots of richness. Definitely the Dominican vibe, lots of power but classy and clean. Some sourness on the backend comes back, but this time more yuzu citrus than unripe melon. Getting to about 1/2 way. 

I suddenly don't like where this is going at all. 'I don't like sand.' Hot dry earthy herbacious in all the wrong ways, like burning stale herbs de Provence. I'm burning leaves, but badly. Extremely bitter. Slowing down seems to make it worse. Some sweetness comes out in the front, and is immediately transmuted to bitter and burnt before I can even finish the puff. Before long, this becomes very ammonia driven and I lose any interest in proceeding. I still have a fair bit of cigar left....I'll turn a leaf of kindness and grace and decline rating.

Maybe too young? Maybe too wet? This is certainly in the bigger brooding style that Jackson in general likes more than me, and constantly retrohaling is it's own reward. I can't say much nice here, so I'll take my mother's advice.

[Capn_Jackson]

@Çnote I can definitely see some similarities in our experience, although they came across a little differently for each of us. That “unripe melon” sourness you got, came to me like a more floral white wine. You mentioned white cherries at one point, same. Retrohaling as I do every puff, maybe made it more floral than sour. Often when I taste stout, especially something like oatmeal stout, you get tea or “stale herbs du Provence.” Definitely smoked the same stick, just popped differently for us. And this is why we do the TX Duo! 😄

I will say, Mine was likely a bit more on the dry side, which may have helped. I boxed it a little as it seemed “squishy.” I didn’t write about the ammonia, but yeah it came through a little on me too. Not as much as yours. Definitely youth of the stick, but it didn’t detract too much for me.

[Çnote]

8 hours ago, Capn_Jackson said:

Definitely youth of the stick, but it didn’t detract too much for me

I'm a pretty princess. I deserve well aged properly humified cigars under my mattress at all times.