At the end of July, 2023, Lou Cross decided to start his own brand of cigars; he called it Lure Cigars. A play on his (and his late father’s) name. What began as an homage to his father who had passed just the month before, soon turned in to something much more. Lure Cigars is now one of the newest and most fun cigar manufacturers in the industry. Take one look at their packaging and marketing, and you’ll know that Lou is having fun. Having fun, however, does not always make for great cigars. This is where I put in the disclaimer that Lure Cigars is a sponsor of Simply Stogies Podcast. That said, I told Lou that he was going to get an objective score should I decide to review any of his cigars.
Lou names most of his core line after members of his family. The latest release, The Mean Jean, is no different. Named after his wife, The Mean Jean offers up an Ometepe binder with Ometepe Ligero from Jalapa. This double Ometepe blend is wrapped in a Habano 2000 wrapper. The first 2 Habano releases, The Holy Colie and The Tally Allie, are named after his daughters. The Mean Jean is aptly named, not because of Lou’s wife is mean…but for the strength found in the double Ometepe blend.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA: Box Pressed Toro
SIZE: 6″ x 52
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
FACTORY: Tabacalara Pages Nicaragua S.A.
WRAPPER: Habano 2000
BINDER: Ometepe
FILLER: Ometepe Ligero (Esteli y Jalapa)
STRENGTH: Full
SOURCE:
Lure Cigars
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:
Home Lounge/Studio
WHEN:
August 3
DRINKS:
Bottled Spring Water
WEATHER:
70° & 70%RH
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
5
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Regular Release
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE July 28, 2024
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Bundles of 10
Production Totals: Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o The Mean Jean (6″ x 52 BP)
o The Tally Allie (6″ x 52)
o The Holy Colie (5″ x 450)
BAND DESIGN
The band is the same as the others in Lure’s Habano line: A yellow and green color scheme with red accents. Can a band have tooth? Because this one does. The band has texture to it. The cigar itself comes wrapped in wax paper with a green construction type paper over that. The label shares the logo that’s on the band: a fishing lure smoking a cigar with smoke coming off of it. The band and overall aesthetic is fun, colorful, and light.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
The Habano wrapper has a luxurious look and feel. Yes, veins and seams are visible, but do not detract from the look. The Habano wrapper has some tooth to it. Oil shimmers on the wrapper. The Mean Jean is a gorgeous looking cigar.
AROMA
The Habano 2000 wrapper is just big notes of barnyard and grass. I typically get really excited when I smell that. The foot has notes of dried fruit, sweet tobacco and a hint of barnyard.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw has subtle notes of baking spices, but not much else.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire: The Bar Single Flame Torch Lighter by Peter James
Notes of chocolate, nuts, baking spices, and citrus all jump out on the initial light. Black pepper on the retrohale. There’s a bit of red pepper flake that is there, too.
SMOKE
The smoke is rich and creamy. It coats my palate and is extremely satisfying with each draw.
FIRST THIRD
>> Chocolate, Baking Spices, Salted Nuts
The Mean Jean begins much like the initial light: chocolate, nuts, baking spices, and a hint of citrus. There is, however, an unmistakable wood note now. Black pepper on the retrohale. There’s an almost floral element that lingers on my palate. Red pepper flake tickles the back of my throat. The ash is slightly flakey, but mostly compact, and grey with black streaks. The burn line is a bit wavy, but nothing to be concerned with right now. A note of Avocado oil comes through; straight butter. The wood note becomes more pronounced as the chocolate fades into the background. Salted nuts and citrus remain. The baking spices add depth to the combination of flavors. A floral note begins to make its way forward.
SECOND THIRD
>> Baking Spices, Floral Note, White Pepper
The middle third begins with notes of baking spices, dry roasted peanuts, cocoa powder, and a floral note. White pepper on the retrohale. The red pepper flake is completely gone, leaving The Mean Jean a smooth experience while still packing some oomph. Graham crackers and sweet cream appear, giving nuance to the experience. The ash remains just the tiniest bit flakey, while maintaining its overall cohesion. The burn line is slightly wavy, but has self-corrected. The sweetness from the cream and graham cracker combo pairs nicely with the slightly sweet chocolate and wood note. It all melds into a rich, slightly sweetened coffee. Baking spices are still there but just sitting in the background, quietly adding to the experience.
FINAL THIRD
>> Charred Wood, Coffee, Black Pepper
The final third begins with black coffee, an almost fruity sweetness in the background, charred wood, and baking spices and black pepper on the retrohale. A rich, fruity sweetness and a hint of citrus linger on my palate. Chocolate, coffee, wood, earth, baking spices, citrus, and black pepper. The greatest hits of the first two thirds come back for an encore in this final third. The ash has flaked a bit more in this final third. The burn line is also wavy, but has self-corrected up to this point. Salted nuts, campfire and baking spices all wrap around coffee and chocolate notes. The fruity sweetness cuts through the earthiness, balancing the flavors nicely.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The Mean Jean, according to Lure’s website, is full strength. While I’d say it’s more medium+, it’s certainly full flavored. Creamy notes of chocolate come and go, replaced by notes of coffee, wood, leather, earth and all of these are supported by citrus, floral, and baking spice notes. The black, white, and red pepper found throughout the experience keep you engaged and focused on the cigar. The Mean Jean’s double Ometepe makes for a complex and nuanced smoking experience.
BURN EXPERIENCE
Dat. Ash. The burn was fine. Was it perfect? No. Did it always correct itself? Yes. What more could you want from a cigar? Ash that doesn’t flake. While 3 of the samples smoked for this review did not have any problem with flakey ash, 2 of them did. It was NOT an egregious amount of ash, but it was disappointing enough to note.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.75 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.46 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
7.06 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.48 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- The Mean Jean is an engaging smoke that never gets boring.
- FLAVOR, FLAVOR, FLAVOR!!!
- The construction between samples from the same bundle do not appear to be entirely consistent. Not bad, just not consistent.
THE MEAN JEAN LIVES UP TO THE NAME.
The cigar industry is full of gimmicks, tongue-in-cheek names, and innovative marketing. But nobody in the industry is having as much fun as Lou Cross III of Lure Cigars. He will tell you that he’s a cigar consumer first, and a manufacturer second. I think that shines through in not only how he brands and markets his cigars, but also in his choice of blends for this lines. The Mean Jean takes his core Habano line and turns it on its head. The double Ometepe blend (binder and filler) pack a nice flavor punch that, in my opinion, elevates this Habano 2000 wrapped blend to something special.
The Mean Jean just doesn’t have that “lull” that some cigars have. We all know what I’m referring to: That point in any cigar smoking experience where you just lose interest. The flavors get boring or, worse, the flavors get bad or disappear. The Mean Jean will keep your attention by providing you with complexity and nuance throughout the cigar. My lone complaint is consistency of construction. Two of the five cigars smoked for this review did not have a consistent ash. I never ended up with ash in my lap, but they were less than perfect. If that’s all I’m complaining about, what are you waiting for?
Thank you for your great feedback and for taking the time to review “The Mean Jean”! You really nailed the flavor profile and progression throughout the smoke. “Smoke Great Cigars & Tell Tall Tales!”