La Sirena Cigars will be launching a fourth vitola to their La Sirena Merlion line.  This size will add a perfecto vitola into the line called the La Sirena Merlion Sea Lion.  As a twist, an additional cigar will be packaged that is a maduro version of the Sea Lion.   This cigar is expected to be launched at the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show in Las Vegas.

Word of the Sea Lion was first mentioned on the May 18th edition of Kiss My Ash Radio where Assistant Director of Marketing Barry Stein was a guest.  In that conversation Stein mentioned the Sea Lion and that this was a cigar that Brand Manager Arielle Ditkowich has smoked at various events she has attended.

The Merlion Sea Lion will be sold in boxes of ten.  Each box will contain nine Sea Lion cigars using the core Merlion blend that features an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper.  In addition, the tenth cigar in the box will feature the Merlion blend, but with a San Andres maduro wrapper.  A differentiating feature is that the perfecto will have a shag/unfinished foot.

La Sirena Merlion Sea Lion –
Ecuadorian Corojo (Left 9), San Andres (Right)
(Photo provided by Miami Cigar and Company)

In regards to the maduro option Stein told Cigar Coop, “The discussion was to do it in either CT Broadleaf or a San Andreas, in blind taste testing the San Andreas won.” 


The La Sirena Merlion was launched just prior to the 2012 IPCPR Trade Show.  The Merlion was the second blend in the La Sirena line.  We scored the Merlion a 93 and the cigar finished as our #21 Cigar of the Year for 2012.
Here are the particulars:
Blend Profile

The following is the blend composition of the Merlion Sea Lion

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo (* San Andres for the bonus maduro vitola)
Binder:  Brazilian Sumatra
Filler: Brazillian Bahia, Dominican Corojo, Dominican Criollo ’98, and Nicaraguan Ligero

Vitolas Available

As mentioned the Sea Lion becomes the fourth vitola in the Merlion line.  The Sea Lion is the only vitola in the line that has a San Andres.

Sea Lion: 5 1/2 x 47
Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 5 1/2 x 54
Gran Toro: 6 x 58