Pre-light Experience

Seth: The Kelner LE 80 is lovely, but also simple in appearance. It’s a nicely rolled figurado but finished with a simple but classic wrapper that is Natural to light Colorado in coloring. It has that classic tobacco and faded leather color. The wrapper is smooth in texture with small veins throughout. The aroma is that of warm spices, tobacco, cedar, leather and hay.
John: The Kelner LE 80 features a Colorado-colored wrapper, a Salomones shape, and a 109-style cap. I weighed the cigar at 16.7 grams and measured the humidity at 65.4% using the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper presented grassy wood and light hay. With only a small portion of the foot exposed, there were no discernible aromas from the foot.
Jiunn: The Kelner LE 80 has a beautiful perfecto vitola. The wrapper looks of high quality as it has an oily, even, Colorado wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas reveal star jasmine petals and barnyard stank.

Kelner LE 80

First Third

Seth: The first third begins with cream and hay notes that are paired with light spices, wood, tobacco and coffee notes. There is a faint earthy sweetness, but it is balanced with cedar notes. In terms of strength and body, the cigar smokes at a medium level.
John: The first third opens with a leading combination of tobacco and wood, while medium-strength baking spices define the center and linger into the finish. As the cigar settles in, the retrohale develops a mix of bread and baking spices, with mildly dry wood acting as an accent. A mossy note emerges on the post draw as the first third progresses. Approaching the halfway point, a mild tannic wood settles into the finish, adding a slightly drying quality.
Jiunn: The first third has great balanced nuances. Creamy roasted nuts, graphite minerals and entire palate coating tannins. Retrohaling introduces dried red pepper spice and continuation of that great roasted creaminess. The finish lingers with structured and full cedar wood tannins. Strength and body is medium.

Kelner LE 80

Second Third

Seth: The second third delivers those cream and hay notes, but the coffee qualities are much more pronounced. Some milk and cocoa powder notes are present with the coffee, and it has the finish of sweet spices and cedar. Like before, the cigar is medium in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with a combination of sweet tobacco, bread and tannic wood, all at medium-minus strength. As it settles in, dry tannic wood takes over the post draw at medium strength. Baking spices return to the retrohale, but gradually fade through the bottom half of the second third, leaving the profile more wood-driven.
Jiunn: The second third continues to impress. All the same flavors from the first third are there except this round is led by graphite minerals with the creaminess following. The tannins are still full and structured. Strength and body continues to be medium.

Kelner LE 80

Final Third

Seth: The final third delivers a flavor profile with more cedar and coffee notes. There are some hay notes present as well with a finish of milk, earth, spices and cocoa powder. Touches of earth are present on the end. The strength and body remain at the medium level.
John: The final third opens with creamy, dry and tannic wood. After a few puffs, bread returns to the retrohale, combining with wood while dry wood continues to define the finish. Light-plus earth joins the finish as the cigar progresses. By the halfway point, tannins ramp up quickly on the post draw, reaching medium-full strength and further drying out the profile.
Jiunn: The final third is too mineral driven such that it takes away from the softer notes of the sweet and creamy roasted nuts. The tannins are also starting to fall apart. Strength and body finish the same medium.

Kelner LE 80

Burn

Seth: The burn is decent from beginning to end. At times, it’s a little uneven.
John: The burn was relatively straight through the first and second thirds, with only some minor waviness developing in the final third.
Jiunn: Flawless burn performance providing a razor sharp burn line, tight ashes, ample smoke production and cool burning temperatures.

Kelner LE 80

Draw

Seth: The draw is perfect from beginning to end.
John: The draw measured 74 inches of water on the Cigar Medics draw machine. Initially, it was quite resistant, right around four to four-and-a-half notches into the resistant spectrum which was likely due to the Salomone shape. As the cigar progressed, the draw opened up, eventually settling into a more manageable range of roughly two-and-a-half to three notches resistant.
Jiunn: Flawless draw performance as well, giving the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Seth: The Kelner LE 80 is a good cigar. From beginning to end the cigar delivers complementary and complex flavors. The cigar is balanced and smooth. The core flavors of coffee, earth, nuts, cream and hay are enjoyable from beginning to end, and there are nice additions within each third. I love the vitola, the diadema vitola is fantastic when done well, and this is a great example of the size. Yes, I would come back to this cigar and would smoke at any time. I would love to bring a box to the beach.
John: This cigar opens with a balanced and engaging first third, where tobacco, wood and baking spices come together in a cohesive way. The addition of bread through the retrohale and the emergence of mossy and tannic elements give the profile a bit of character early on, suggesting some potential for development. As the cigar transitions into the second and final thirds, the profile shifts more decisively toward dry, tannic wood. While this evolution feels natural, it gradually strips away some of the nuance that made the first third more engaging. The fading of baking spices and the increasing dominance of tannins create a drier, more linear experience, particularly in the last third where the intensity ramps up without adding much new complexity. From a construction standpoint, the burn performs very well, requiring no intervention, while the draw was initially quite tight, it improved as the cigar progresses and ultimately settles into an acceptable range. In the end, this Kelner LE 80 is a cigar that shows early promise but becomes increasingly one-dimensional as it moves forward. It delivers an average overall experience, with the first third standing out as the most enjoyable portion before the profile narrows into a more tannic, wood-driven finish. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 29 minutes.
Jiunn: This was not only beautiful to look at but it was also a delightful and elegant smoking experience. The flavors and body were structured, full and well balanced. Give this Kelner LE 80 a try.

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.87

Cost/Point

$8.30

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.80

Cost/Point

$9.83

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$8.36

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Kelner LE 80