Cigar Review: Merlion Robusto By La Sirena
New at Emerson’s Cigars, Merlion by La Sirena!
Following the success of the full bodied La Sirena, Miami Cigar set out to create a medium bodied cigar; the result was the Merlion. Merlion is the product of collaboration between La Sirena and La Aurora; hence the name Merlion, a creature that is part lion and part mermaid. In what Miami Cigar describes as a beauty and the beast relationship, the Merlion is a medium bodied cigar with great complexity.
Pre-light notes: Carrying on La Sirena’s tradition of large beautifully decorated bands, Merlion features a silver band with a silver colored Merlion placed in purple and blue background. The elaborate band is a perfect contrast to the pristine soft tan Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper. La Sirena’s focus on quality is found in the Merlion with a wonderful draw that is highlighted by notes of a semi-sweet coca, subtle grass, and a light pepper.
1/3: Upon lighting, the Merlion opens up with a great roasted wood flavor. This profile is present for only the first few puffs and is quickly replaced with notes of sweet coca, and coffee, with a faint hint of grass. Upon retro haling, I am greeted with pronounced grass notes with a soft pepper finish. From the beginning, the Merlion stands apart from La Sirena. Where La Sirena is full of pepper kept in check by the Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro Wrapper, Merlion is sweet and medium bodied. The burn is wonderful, leaving a well constructed ash in its wake.
2/3: The Merlion rolls into the second third with notes of roasted wood intermingled with slightly escalated pepper and coffee notes. The coca and grass notes that were present in the first third have dissipated entirely. Later in this portion of the cigar, the pepper notes have become more pronounced giving Merlion a slight zest. By the end of the second third, Merlion has developed into a balanced complex cigar.
3/3: The cigar signals the final third with the return of grassy notes, though much softer than in the first third. The semi sweet coca also makes its return. Earthy notes, which is the result of the Nicaraguan filler present in the cigar, are also present in this portion of Merlion. While the first two thirds tasted completely different from La Sirena, the final third of Merlion tastes very similar to the second third of La Sirena with balanced earth and coca notes.
Final Thoughts: Merlion is a wonderfully complex medium bodied cigar, taking the pepper of La Sirena, toning it down, and adding an array of flavors to make the cigar stand out. The cigar is perfect for those who tried La Sirena and found it a little too peppery, and for those who prefer a medium bodied cigar.
Merlion is available in 3 sizes in boxes of 20 at our five Hampton Roads locations as well as emersonscigars.com.
