Lovely Cigars Ain’t They Lovely Elegante X2 – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Lovely Cigars is a fairly new cigar company, officially founded in 2019. The company is based out of Wisconsin and is described as an ode to the vast cigar history that the state of Wisconsin was once known for. Founded by Mike Gehm, Keith Archiquette, and Dylan Masse, all three were born and raised in the Green Bay area, and have a passion for tobacco the community that comes with that. Lovely Cigars are rolled in at Tacasa S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua, home to other smaller cigar brands like Veritas and Big Sky. Their first release, Ain’t They Lovely – Elegante X2 comes in just one size, a 6 x 52 toro.

The blend for Lovely Cigars Ain’t They Lovely Elegante X2 uses an Ecuadorian wrapper, Mexican binder, and Nicaraguan fillers. The artwork on the box was recreated to closely mirror the original boxes that were sold and traded in the Port of Green Bay, WI over 120 years ago. This is their flagship line, and is made in limited quantities and released quarterly. They come in boxes of 20 cigars, and retail for $11.11 a stick.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Mexico
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Tacasa S.A.
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 5 – Sean F. (fullermaine) Angel M. (Angel) Randy B. (randobush) Noah S. (Noah) Chris M. (Chris)
Price: $11.11
Age: 4 Months
Release Date: 2022
Contributed by: Lovely Cigars

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 94

“6×52 rg this brown leather colored has a leather-like look to it. Triple cap up top, and open foot at the bottom that reveals a filled cigar with a plethora of tastiness. The pack is firm, and there are soft spots, lumps, or bumps!” –Randy B. (randobush)

Aroma: 94

“Off the wrapper, I get a solid blend of peppercorn, natural tobacco, and coffee, with an underlying meatiness. Pepper and sweeter natural tobacco off the foot.” –Chris M. (Chris)

First Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“On the pre-light cold draw, I got milk chocolate fudge and black coffee. On the first few post-light draws, I notice a medium to long finish of pink peppercorn, salt, and chicory, coupled with a retro that is composed of creamy baking spices, cedar, and stone fruit (think black plum) The draw is almost perfect but just a tad snug, but it provides a nice mouthful of smoke for the palate to savor!” –Randy B. (randobush)

“In the first third, I’m left with a bit of a green pepper flavor on the lips, the smoke is giving off some very nice flavors of vanilla, cedar, cashew, and honey. The texture of the smoke so far is creamy and slightly cool in temperature. I would say it’s starting off at mild to medium and very enjoyable so far.” –Angel M. (Angel)

Second Third

Flavor: 95
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Caramel, cedar, and cayenne still lead. Creamy, earthy coffee is still the backbone. The graham cracker has picked up to nearly match the top. Fairly similar to the first third, but those flavors were enjoyable, so no complaints. Creeping past the midpoint sees the addition of black pepper on the finish, and table sugar throughout.” –Chris M. (Chris)

“Entering the second third, this stick has remained fairly one-dimensional although the flavors are becoming a bit more robust and pronounced. Woodiness continues to dominate the taste buds while cardamom contributes the oh-so-subtle sweet, spicy, and minty notes that delicately balance out the abundance of wood making for a simple yet enjoyable smoke. The draw remains tight but a bit of heat has built up within the cigar which is beginning to help with the smoke output. The finish has lengthened dramatically creating a mouthwatering tingle that lingers on the tongue and lips. At last, the retro is beginning to show signs of life with an uptick in spiciness as the notes of cardamom carry over from the foreground.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Final Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Going into the final third there are even more flavor transitions, there is still a bit of a roasted nut flavor, the pepper drop to the background although it is still noticeable, the espresso has disappeared, and a slight bitterness has kicked in. The smoke texture has dried out yet a little bit more but remains slightly creamy and still very enjoyable. The temperature is now warm, and the strength is pushing into the medium to strong category.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“Black pepper notes return and blend with subtle notes of cocoa.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 86

“From start to finish the draw on this cigar was much tighter than I prefer. Not only was the effort needed to get a mouthful of smoke a nuisance that ultimately detracted from the overall smoking experience, I can’t help but wonder how the lack of smoke output may have affected the flavor profiles.” –Noah S. (Noah)

Burn: 96

“The burn of the cigars is on par. It waivers back-and-forth but never required any touchups. Considering how tight the draw was, I was afraid I may have an occasional relight, but it stayed lit consistently.” –Angel M. (Angel)

Construction: 94

“I found the construction of the cigar to be nearly perfect. The beautiful aesthetics of the outward appearance was equal to the stellar performance of the cigar!” –Randy B. (randobush)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 91

“Another great cigar that was a pleasure to smoke. A nice mix of notes. Notes of leather, cedar, black pepper, cinnamon, and cocoa. Perfect draw and burn that didn’t require a touch-up. A nice grey-white ash that fell off on its own. A cigar I’d have in humidor and to share with friends.” –Sean F. (fullermaine)

“Overall, this was a very interesting cigar. The flavors were very enjoyable the transitions from third to third were very interesting, ending with a much more significantly stronger cigar than how it began. All in all, I would love to try the cigar again, hoping for a more open draw, which I think would’ve made the experience excellent. Other than the draw everything about the cigar was quite enjoyable I would definitely smoke it again. It should be noted by the end of the cigar there was definitely a nicotine buzz that kicked in.” –Angel M. (Angel)

“This cigar was a delight from start to finish. The draw, burn, construction, performance, and flavor transitions were all conducive to me picking up more of these in the future.” –Randy B. (randobush)

“Among the handful of things I enjoyed most with this cigar was its simplicity. From the first puff to the last the flavors remained fairly one-dimensional but undeniably delightful and balanced while the smoke was nothing but buttery smooth throughout. My palate was never inundated with too many notes to keep tabs on nor was it left guessing with transition after transition which I found to be a pleasant change of pace. The only negative thing I can say about this cigar is that the draw was subpar from start to finish. Way too much effort was required to get a decent mouthful of smoke. Not only did the extra effort steal away from my relaxation, I’m sure the flavor profiles were muted as well which only leaves me wondering… What if??? I can say with certainty that a perfect draw would land this smoke smack dab in the middle of my regular rotation and I can’t wait to give it another go.” –Noah S. (Noah)

“This cigar may have been fairly consistent in the flavor department, but they were very enjoyable flavors. The construction on this sample was where it failed. If this cigar is inexpensive to moderately priced, I’d easily give it another chance. I get the feeling that I’d get a bit more complexity and a longer burn if I didn’t have two major corrections.” –Chris M. (Chris)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 74

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Lovely Cigars Ain’t They Lovely Elegante X2 – Blind Cigar Review