If the staggeringly scrumptious, and somewhat strong Sumatran cigar known as Fiat Lux didn't ring your bell, then perhaps today's top consideration will. 

Produced by the same boutique brand, and finished in the exact same Corona vitola as the aforementioned blend, Foreign Affair by Luciano Cigars entices with an all-medium approach, and a blend recipe that relies upon tobacco from Costa Rica and not one, but two binders.

To find both of these rarities in such a slender cigar earmarks this smoke as one of the more unique offerings from Luciano Cigars. But with memories of the burn issues I encountered with the last cigar I reviewed from the boutique brand still fresh in my mind, I set to critiquing what could possibly be one of the smoothest Sumatran-wrapped cigars we sell here at Klaro...

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Unlit Impressions 

Oily and showing a healthy touch of tooth, the light honey leather-colored wrapper sits atop a duo of binders that feel borderline rock-hard. Tight to the point of feeling too snug, with a beautifully built cap on the far end, this stick feels firmly constructed. Although my review stick did show some physical imperfections, they were not too rough to the touch, and the retro band really did tie the whole visual side together splendidly. 

Smells of honey graham crackers and ginger snap cookies waft off the wrapper, with the faintest touch of nutmeg and clove arriving afterward. The foot smells of dried soil and tree sap, before two slices of buttered toast and a bowl of rumcake batter land in your lap. 

Stacks of musty, leather-bound books sit beside a freshly tilled garden on a spring morning. A cup of Earl Grey tea that's been finished with milk and honey and ginger snap cookies to nibble. These are the images that strike my mind when I cut that cap and take a cold pull or two off Foreign Affair. Oh, what a wonderful world we live in...

Initial Smoke

Buttercream infused with bourbon vanilla is the first thing I tasted in this blend both times I smoked it. Smooth and anything but spicy, this beginning gradually becomes more tree bark, cedar, and cinnamon-inspired as it burns. 

1st Half   

By the time aromas of palm bark and that musty smell of vintage leather books forms, it's time to bake some cookies. Ginger snaps and cinnamon raisin. Butter and shortbread coated in toasted almonds. Perhaps the smallest pinch of salt and pepper, but nothing potent enough to overtake the bake-off I just mentioned. 

Medium in body and flavor, but mild-medium in strength, the first half swerves toward a cedarwood target that is dry and aromatic. Toasted almonds strong enough to be considered "snackable," and a spicy retrohale that is of the cinnamon and white pepper sort send you into the second section of this stick with a shove. Thanks to an absolutely amazing aftertaste, this uptick in retrohale intensity is completely manageable in my book and makes for a damn good transitional phase. 

On a negative note, the entire first third of the review cigar was borderline plugged and required two cuts, a poke, and a punch to get things going. Despite almost making me pass out from huffing and puffing, this section of the stick burned perfectly. 

2nd Half 

Creamy, milky, nutty, and both richer and spicier as it goes, anything past the halfway mark in this blend is pure gold in my opinion. All of the cigar flavor profiles from before have built a medium-strength smoke that is big on flavor, but not on body or bite. 

Pages pulled from the faded folios entombed within a dusty stack of books, their unoiled leather spines and rough-cut paper tugging at the bibliophile's nose once again. The cinnamon spice graham cracker taste is back, and so too are the honey ginger notes. Could that finally be a bit of Sumatran spice I detect? Oh how it has been missed these past few dozen puffs or so, and oh my has this blend built in strength in the midst of its final third.

Parting Puffs

Buttered biscuit cookies dunked in bowls of sweet cream begin to mellow out all of the spice detected in parting puffs. All of the Sumatran flavor is still present, but it is mellow and milky in its presence now. Dark loam and dry clay blend together to add a bit of body and flavor to the last inch or so for a rich final few minutes.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Ash and burn may have been a thing of beauty (unlike what was seen during my review of Fiat Lux) but the draw and level of smoke production found within the review stick seen here was borderline abysmal during much of the first half. Luckily, the second half's flow rate was much better, and the other cigar I smoked performed a bit better despite also being a touch too restrictive in flow. This gives me reason to wonder whether the double binder on this slimmer vitola is the culprit or if it could just be a construction conundrum.

Final Thoughts  

Once again, construction inconsistencies seem to have sabotaged a really good blend from Luciano Cigars. In fact, if it weren't for the draw-related difficulties encountered in the first half of this smoke I would have rated this as one of the best Sumatran cigars I've smoked all year. But since both cigars had draw issues, with my review cigar bordering on the extreme, I had to deduct a decent amount of approval points. If I can't get enough smoke to taste and critique I can't form an assessment. It's just that simple.

However, being that the first sample stick provided a much better draw, I was able to combine my tasting notes from both sticks and form a synopsis, and it's a good one. 

Notably mellower and arguably smoother than its Fiat Lux counterpart, Foreign Affair features tropical island flavor profiles and loads of baked sweets in controlled amounts. It's an elegant little cigar with a classic look and a classy aroma that is both enticing and tasty once retrohaled. The razor-sharp burn also scored some serious points for this blend, and I sense that this would remain the case regardless of what sort of draw is provided.

Flavor, Aroma & Transitions

Depth & Complexity

Construction, Burn & Physical Appeal

Backstory & Branding

Overall Balance & Repeatability

Stogie Specs

Cigar	Luciano Cigars "Foreign Affair"
Wrapper	Sumatran (Ecuador)
Binder	Ecuador & Nicaragua
Filler	Nicaragua, Dominican Republic & Costa Rica
Factory	Nicaragua
Size	42 x 5⅝ "Corona"
Strength	Medium
Pairing Drink	Homemade Ginger Honey Citrus Soda
Rating	4.2/5