Lure The Wahoo The Kingfish

Family is one of the major sources of inspiration in the cigar industry, from brand names like My Father to specific releases commemorating family members; there is no lack of examples, and new products are released seemingly every year.

Lure Cigars is another example of this trend: the company was founded by Lou Cross III in 2023 as an homage to his late father, Lou Cross Jr., who passed away in June 2023 at the age of 90. Lou Jr. was known for his love of fishing and cigars, so the fishing-themed name and packaging that Lure developed made for an obvious tie-in.

During the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show, Lure showed off a new line named The Wahoo, after the game fish that is found in tropical seas all over the world. The two-vitola release is a PCA Convention exclusive, meaning that only retailers who attended the trade show in New Orleans could purchase the line.

Blend-wise, The Wahoo is made up of a Mexican San Andrés wrapper covering a binder from Estelí, Nicaragua and filler tobaccos from Estelí and Jalapa in Nicaragua. Like the rest of the company’s portfolio, the cigars are made at the La Tabacaria Cigars factory in Estelí.

The line debuted with two torpedo vitolas, both packaged in 10-count craft paper bundles:

The Ono is limited to 1,700 cigars, while The Kingfish is limited to 2,500 cigars.

“I’m a fan of San Andrés and was excited to work with this leaf again for this limited run,” said Lou Cross III, founder of Lure Cigars, in a press release. “The point of the torpedo tip reminded me of offshore fishing with my dad—specifically the long, tapered body of the sportfish, the wahoo.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Lure The Wahoo The Kingfish
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: La Tabacaria Cigars
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Nicaragua (Estelí)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí & Jalapa)
• Length: 6 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $16 (Bundle of 10, $160)
• Release Date: June 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: 250 Bundles of 10, Cigars (2,500 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The three Lure The Wahoo The Kingfish cigars look very similar to one another: the dark brown wrappers are the same shade, there are plenty of small bumps all over each one, and the amount of oil that is present is fairly light. The wrappers have some tooth to them without being overly rough to the touch, and while there are some veins covering the cigars, none of those veins protrude all that much. All three cigars are nicely firm when squeezed, but the first cigar is the only one I find a soft spot on, located about half an inch down from the main band. The first and third cigars feature sweet mesquite woodiness as the main note emanating from the wrappers, while the second cigar has more of a creamy nuttiness; regardless, all three also have sweet barnyard, black pepper, earth, leather and a light campfire note. There is more of the mesquite scent coming from the feet of all three cigars—noticeably sweeter than what I picked up from the wrappers— followed by dry hay, creamy leather, generic nuttiness, grilled meat, sweet breadiness and a touch of black pepper. After straight cuts, the cold draws bring similar flavors of more generic but also more creamy woodiness, sweet leather, gritty earth, dry straw, charred meatiness and black pepper, along with some rich raisin sweetness.

For the first 10 puffs or so, the three cigars follow similar paths with gritty earth and black pepper notes, although interestingly, virtually no spice that I can discern. As the profiles develop, the gritty earth flavor remains one of the main notes, joined by a roasted peanut note at the top of the profile. Secondary notes of powdery cocoa nibs, leather tack, stone crackers, cinnamon and pencil lead flit in and out, while the retrohale features a very small amount of red pepper and a sweet note that reminds me of peanut brittle. A bit more spice shows up on my tongue for the first and third cigars as the first third progresses, but the second cigar still has virtually none that I can discern. Flavor ends the first third at full, while the body and strength land at solid medium. In terms of construction, the burn lines are a bit wavy, but no corrections are needed so far.

During the second third of the first and second cigars, the combination of roasted peanuts and gritty earth remains on top. However, the third cigar sees a new combination of charred meatiness and leather tack take over its profile. Secondary notes include sourdough bread, powdery cocoa nibs, dried tea leaves, cinnamon and a touch of a floral flavor, while the retrohales of the first and second cigars continue to exhibit a combination of light red pepper and peanut brittle sweetness. However, my third cigar develops a distinct black licorice sweetness on the retrohale out of nowhere that combines nicely with some light black pepper, and while the combination sticks around for pretty much the entire third of that cigar, it never shows up in the other two. Flavor remains at full, and the body remains at a solid medium, but the strength increases enough to hit a point just over medium. The only construction issue is a minor burn correction on my second cigar.

The powdery cocoa nibs note moves to the forefront in all three cigars, joining the gritty earth and pushing the roasted peanuts flavor to a secondary flavor. At various points, additional flavors of creamy leather, toasted bread, mesquite, coffee grounds and dry hay all show up, and while the same combination of light red pepper and peanut brittle sweetness is now present on the retrohale of all three cigars, it is more obvious on the first one compared to the other two. For the second and third cigars, there is a new mineral salinity on my lips and all three cigars feature a bit more spice as well. Flavor ends at full, and both the body and strength increase to land at medium-plus. There are no issues with the burn lines, smoke production or draw resistance, and all three aspects of the construction work together nicely.

Final Notes

• The Lure booth at the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show featured a massive—as in, at least 15 feet high—fishing pole that Cross built in his garage.
• For some reason, I find the name The Wahoo The Kingfish to be extremely difficult to keep straight in my mind.
• While The Ono is box-pressed, The Kingfish is not.
• The ash on these cigars falls after less than half an inch, so be aware that there is a possibility of it happening at pretty much any time after that point.
• Charlie noted that these cigars are shipped with what felt like the cheapest cellophane he had seen so far this year, and I would have to agree with him on that point. The cellophane is dry and firm, but it feels more like a cheap sandwich bag compared to the cellophane on most other cigars.

• As I have mentioned before, I really love the little tag on the end of the bands for Lure cigars that has the year printed on it, since it makes it easier to know what year you bought them, even if the cigars are outside of a box. It is a small touch that really makes a big impact for people who don’t keep boxes. ‘
• Growing up in Panama, fishing was a fairly common thing that my family did together. Honestly, I was never very good at it, mostly because I just did not have the patience that was needed to really catch anything.
• Lure Cigars are distributed by Valacari Cigars.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• These cigars are listed as being 6 1/2 x 52 vitolas. Above are the measurements we took when we measured them.
• The final smoking time averaged out to one hour and 48 minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Lure The Wahoo The Kingfish cigars, site sponsor Small Batch Cigar sells them.

Belicoso
La Tabacaria Cigars
Lure Cigars
Lure The Wahoo
Lure The Wahoo The Kingfish
Nicaragua