The Fiat Lux Tenebrus gets its name from the Latin “lux ex tenebris” which means “light from darkness.” It’s a great play on the original Fiat Lux, the Latin, “fiat lux,” which means “let there be light.” The Fiat Lux Tenebrus Limited Edition features two wrappers. The first is a Honduran habano Azuacualpa from the Plasencia farm in the Olancho region of Honduras. The other is an Ecuadorian Sumatra, which was used on the original Fiat Lux cigar. These two wrappers are draped over binder and fillers from Nicaragua. The cigar is produced in Plasencia’s Tabacos de Oriente in Honduras. Luciano Cigars moved production of their Fiat Lux line there earlier this year.
I was very excited for the Tenebrus, based on my experience with the original Fiat Lux release. That cigar put Luciano Meirelles on my radar at the 2021 PCA Trade Show in Las Vegas. I remember one of their reps being very excited and wanting us to try the Fiat Lux. The Tenebrus was also going to the first cigar that I smoked knowing it had two wrappers. The Honduran habano Azuacualpa wrapper is definitely dark, oily, toothy, and is best described as “light from darkness.”
OVERVIEW
VITOLA:Â Â Toro
SIZE:Â Â 6-1/2″ x 52
ORIGIN:Â Â Honduras
FACTORY:Â Â Tabacos de Oriente
WRAPPER:Â Â Honduran habano Azuacualpa/Ecuadorian Sumatra
BINDER:Â Â Nicaraguan
FILLER:Â Â Nicaraguan
STRENGTH:Â Â Medium
SOURCE:Â Â Â
Small Batch Cigar
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:Â Â
Studio Lounge
WHEN:Â Â
September 14 @1pm
DRINKS:Â Â
Bottled Water
WEATHER:Â Â
70° & 70%RH
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:Â Â
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Â Limited Edition
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE Â May 2024
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size:Â Â Â Boxes of 10
Production Totals:Â 1,500 boxes
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o  Toro (6-1/2″ x 52)
BAND DESIGN
In a world full of brightly colored cigar bands that are designed to grab your attention in a humidor, the Fiat Lux Tenebrus does the opposite. Black with a silver accent, the Tenebrus’ band is understated, subtle, classy. The band pops against the Honduran habano Azuacualpa wrapper.Â
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The Tenebrus’ outer wrapper, the Honduran habano Azuacualpa wrapper, looks almost dark and inviting. A nice oily sheen coats the Tenebrus’. Veins crisscross the length of the cigar. A few small bumps can be found along the body of the cigar, as well. The wrapper has some tooth to it, and feels rough to the touch.
AROMA
The Tenebrus’ gives off strong notes of barnyard and cedar. The foot offers up notes of sweet tobacco, raisin bread, and barnyard.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw reveals notes of dry grass, fruity sweetness, and maybe just a hint of barnyard. The draw is not too tight or too open. It had the right amount of resistance.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut:Â Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire:Â Vector’s ICON IIIÂ
The initial light has notes of wood and chocolate flanked by pepper, spice, and a light note of sweet molasses. Perhaps it’s closer to maple syrup. White pepper on the retrohale. While this is full-flavored, it’s not nearly as strong as I was expecting.Â
SMOKE
The smoke is a bit on the dry side, but there is plenty of it with each draw. When the Tenebrus is at rest, the smoke production dies down to almost nothing.
FIRST THIRD
>> Wood, Chocolate, Red Pepper
The Tenebrus begins very wood forward, with a side of chocolate and dash of citrus. Baking spice and red pepper round out the flavors. Salted nuts join in. Fruity sweetness lingers on my palate. The smoke begins to become more creamy, giving it a very pleasant mouthfeel. Each draw brings a good hit of red pepper that cuts through the wood and chocolate. The burn line was less than straight for every Tenebrus smoked for this review. Some were more egregious than others. One needed relit in the first third. Each draw feels like I need to reignite the Tenebrus. The first draw creates no smoke, forcing me to puff several times in a row…and each puff makes the burn more uneven. For its part, the ash is compact and dark grey with black streaks. Leather and earth take over for the wood and chocolate. The rich fruit note still lingers on my palate. The leather and earth subside, giving way to chocolate and caramel notes as the first third ends.
SECOND THIRD
>> Leather, Salted Nuts, Charred Wood
The middle third begins with a sharp mineral note, cayenne pepper, leather, and earth. Black pepper on the retrohale. A milk chocolate note lingers on my palate. The draw seems to be tightening up. While the ash is superb, the burn line is just plain wonky. This was the case for each Tenebrus smoked. Two of them required relights at this point. Salt. That’s all. Just salt at this point. I had to check if there was somehow ash on the head of the cigar. There wasn’t, but it sure tastes like it. Thankfully, that subsides and what’s left is mild nuttiness, a hint of sweetness, and a fair amount of pepper. The ash is starting lose cohesion, probably dude to the unevenness combustion issues the Tenebrus seems to have. A touch up seems to help. Charred wood, pepper, salted nuts and freshly mowed lawn. An unexpected combination, to be sure.
FINAL THIRD
>> Espresso Charred Wood, White Pepper
Bitter espresso, charred wood, earth, and star anise come through at the start of the final third. White pepper on the retrohale. Citrus tries to cut through the bitterness, leaving the Tenebrus feeling somewhat…off. Like a a symphony slightly out of tune. The ash seems to have regained its cohesion. The burn line is slightly less wonky, thanks to the touch up earlier. However, this the point in all three Tenebrus where it loses combustion completely. Relights were needed on all three. This final third is overly bitter and very charred wood forward. So much so, that any nuance gets drowned out. A soft spot on the Tenebrus appears right above the band. It seems a bit underfilled. Pinching it slightly help with each draw. At least the burn line has evened up. The further away from the relight I get, the Tenebrus gets better. There’s less bitterness and more creamy notes of caramel and baking spices. The charred wood remains, drowning out any other flavors. The Tenebrus ends wonky, unbalanced, and kind of a mess.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The Fiat Lux Tenebrus Limited Edition is, in all honesty, kind of a mess flavor-wise. The first third is definitely the standout third. The issue for me is that any nuance gets drowned out by the overpowering note of charred wood or, worse yet, bitter espresso and earth notes. The middle third goes from mineral, to leather, to mowed lawn, to just straight up salt. Sure, there are some very nice flavor notes in there, but they never seem to come together. The final third is just…well, not my favorite.
BURN EXPERIENCE
Relights and touch-ups followed by more relights and touch-ups. That seemed to be the norm for all three Tenebrus smoked for this review. Wonky burn lines and a touch-up or two is something I can deal with and look past. More than two touch-ups is a bridge too far. Any relights spell trouble for any cigar. Combustion seemed to be an issue beyond just the relights. Having to draw several times to get combustion on the wrappers makes it difficult to not be annoyed.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.80Â / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.47Â / 0.50 …Â Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Lighting Process
6.20Â / 7.70 …Â Smoking Experience
0.20Â / 0.50 …Â Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- The Tenebrus is a sharp looking cigar that screams elegance.
- I really love the branding and the idea for the Tenebrus.
- The flavors were unbalanced and all over the place. Nothing ever came together.
- Construction issues plagued the Tenebrus from the middle of the first third onward.
IN TENEBRIS.
The Fiat Lux Tenebrus Limited Edition never came together for me. The flavor notes conflicted and fought each other in each third, with maybe an exception in the first third. I kept waiting for dark, rich flavor notes to be cut through by big notes of fruit and citrus. The Tenebrus never seemed to be able to deliver “light from darkness” in the same way that the Fiat Lux delivered on “let there be light.” The Tenebrus meandered firmly in the medium strength area with flavors that were out of balance. What’s worse were the construction issues that plagued the Tenebrus from almost the beginning. I was expecting something great and was instead left wandering in the darkness.
