Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the rectangle pressed Red Meat Lovers Fritanga is dark brown with some lighter marbling and has some thick, but well pressed veins present. The seams are a bit loose while the head is finished nicely with a tightly wound pigtail. The band is red and gold and carries the traditional design for the brand. The aroma from the wrapper is earth and faint beef jerky, while the foot brings cedar, earth and some construction paper. The pre-light draw also brings a combination of cedar, earth and construction paper.
Seth: The Red Meat Lovers Fritanga is a nice-looking cigar. It has a soft maduro coloring with some dark Colorado aspects. It is still maduro, but some dark Colorado and Natural qualities are present as well. It has a raisin coloring with a faint cocoa coating quality. The cigar is firm in hand with a nice leathery texture. The aromas are that of rich earth, barnyard, tobacco and stone fruit. The wrapper has a dark cocoa, leather and tobacco profile.
John: The Red Meat Lovers Fritanga comes in cellophane with a UPC sticker featuring the cigar information and an integrated tear space that stays intact when opened. The cigar carries two artisanal complications: a box-pressed shape and a twisted curly head cap. I weighed the cigar at 15.8 grams and measured the humidity with the Humidimeter Pro at 64.1%. Aromas from the wrapper included a rich, sweet, chewy tobacco note accompanied by dry hay, aged wood and sweet earth. From the foot, I was picking up more forward dry hay and aged barnyard, followed by dusty earth and tobacco.
Jiunn: The Red Meat Lovers Fritanga has a hearty maduro wrapper shade that also has a bronze like rustic red. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the mini man bun head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas tell floral star jasmine flowers and cedar wood.

Red Meat Lovers Fritanga

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted oak, earth, mild black pepper and light smoky meatiness. At a half inch in, the smokiness migrates to the oak as the meatiness departs. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth and some leather. At an inch in, some light leather joins the profile. At an inch and a half in, the black pepper is very mellow. As the third comes to a close, the smoky, toasted oak is just ahead of the earth, with some leather in the middle of the profile and black pepper in the background. The strength was slightly below medium.
Seth: The first third begins with notes of dark cocoa, rich earth and coffee. Damp barnyard and some leather qualities are present as well with some sweet spices and pepper notes. Black and red pepper notes. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with sweet tobacco and mild spices, followed by mild pepper and earth combining through the finish. A very clear broadleaf chewy sweetness settles into the retrohale as black pepper defines the finish. As the first third continues, creamy, chewy sweetness leads off while the pepper on the finish settles at light-plus strength, joined by mild earth on the post draw. Some leather joins the post draw through the bottom half of the first third.
Jiunn: The first third provides a full, viscous body with medium plus strength. Abundant flavors of creamy cocoa and fresher seeded pepper. At times the vibe gives off Mexican hot chocolate. Retrohaling gives deep dried red pepper spice and cedar. The finish is the same as the retrohale but tamed down.

Red Meat Lovers Fritanga

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the toasted oak takes on a bit of a stale note. At a quarter inch in, construction paper joins the profile, even with the earth. The retrohale is now just smoky toasted oak and earth. At three quarters of an inch in, the black pepper has departed. At an inch and a quarter, the earth becomes even with the smoky and stale toasted oak up front. As the third comes to a close, the smoky and stale toasted oak is even with the earth up front, some construction paper a bit behind and leather in the middle of the profile. The strength remained at slightly below medium.
Seth: The second third continues to deliver that cocoa, rich earth and coffee profile. Some currants are present with tobacco, leather and barnyard notes. Sweet spices and pepper notes are present on the finish. Like the first third, the cigar is medium-full in strength and body.
John: The second third opens with sweet tobacco leading off, with mild leather and earth following, as spices and leather combine on the finish. Baking spices move to the front of the profile as the second third continues. The creamy, sweet tobacco in the retrohale reaches an equilibrium with the earth at medium strength, with light-plus baking spices finishing. A few minutes later, mild citrus breaks through the center of the retrohale.
Jiunn: The second third feels very similar. The profile tastes better put together. But the vibe is still the Mexican hot chocolate style giving off creamy cocoa and fresher seeded pepper spice. Strength and body remains medium-full and full, respectively.

Red Meat Lovers Fritanga

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the smokiness departs and the stale, toasted oak, earth and cardboard are all even up front now. The retrohale is now stale toasted oak, earth, construction paper and leather. At an inch and a half in, the toast level increases a bit. As the cigar wraps up, the stale, toasted oak, earth and construction paper are even up front, with leather in the middle of the profile. The strength bumped up to medium.
Seth: The final third delivers some more mineral notes with the cocoa, rich earth and coffee flavors. Leather and barnyard notes are present as well with sweet spices and pepper. Currants present as well. Like the first two thirds, the cigar is medium-full in strength and body.
John: The last third begins with creamy earth and light-plus baking spices as leather joins through the post draw. Earth continues to drive the profile as the cigar moves to the halfway point of the final third. Medium-minus pepper joins the finish through the bottom half of the last third.
Jiunn: The final third shifts to showing less cocoa but more of the fresh seeded spice and cream. Not bad but not as attention grabbing as the prior two thirds. Strength and body finishes the same medium-full and full, respectively.

Red Meat Lovers Fritanga

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any intervention. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: The burn was perfect from start to finish. I always expect a wrapper and tobacco of this nature to throw off the burn, but it was great.
John: The burn was straight through the first and second thirds, with only minor waviness in the last third.
Jiunn: Stress and hassle free burn performance giving an even burn, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

Red Meat Lovers Fritanga

Draw

Aaron: The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Seth: Perfect draw.
John: I measured the draw at 38 inches of water with the Cigar Medics Draw Machine. Subjectively, I found the draw to be at most half a notch toward the resistant spectrum, which is right in the ideal range.
Jiunn: Excellent draw performance featuring the best balance of air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted oak, earth, mild black pepper and light smoky meatiness. The meatiness departed quickly and the smokiness paired up with the oak. Some leather joined a bit later and the pepper was very mellow. The second third saw the oak take on a stale note and some construction paper joined in. Later the black pepper departed. Then the earth became even with the oak up front. The final third saw the smokiness depart and the construction paper became even with the oak and earth up front. The toast level then increased a bit. The Red Meat Lovers Fritanga started off average as the flavor profile and lower than expected body wasn’t all that exciting. It took a step down in the second third as the oak became stale and the overall profile felt a bit hollow. The enjoyment level remained at that level the rest of the way. The cigar seemed to be lacking in body, and the staleness of the oak just created an unexciting profile overall. I’m curious to see what the others experience, but at this point, it’s a pass for me.
Seth: I liked the Red Meat Lovers Fritanga, and the Red Meat Lovers is a collection that continues to grow on me. I thought it was a fun Broadleaf release out of NACSA, and Saka continues to deliver complex and flavorful blends with that factory. Saka and NACSA know how to work with a variety of tobacco and make multi-national blends that are terrific and superior to most, if not all puros. The construction was perfect from beginning to end, draw and burn, and the body and strength meshed well with the cigar. Great pricing on this cigar as well. I would highly recommend to any fan of NACSA, Saka, or someone looking for a medium-full blend that is dark, rich and complex.
John: The Red Meat Lovers Fritanga delivered an experience that felt unmistakably broadleaf from the outset. A rich, chewy sweetness that anchored the profile and set a satisfying tone early on. What impressed me was how that core character kept finding new ways to express itself. Sometimes creamy, sometimes leather-tinged, sometimes pushed forward by a well-behaved undercurrent of pepper. The retrohale, in particular, showed a lot of character, capturing that dense sweetness and gradually layering on earth, baking spices and even a surprising touch of citrus in the second third. While the final third introduced more earth and pulled the cigar into a slightly more linear direction, it never tipped into harshness or bitterness. Instead, it settled into a steadier, earth-driven rhythm that contrasted nicely with the more dynamic opening half. With excellent construction and a consistently satisfying broadleaf profile, the Fritanga ended up being one of those cigars that rewards you with depth when you take the time to pay attention. It’s a “Good” overall experience with a rich, engaging and flavorful profile firmly rooted in the style that broadleaf lovers will appreciate. Total smoking time: 2 hours and 14 minutes.
Jiunn: Fans of prior versions of Red Meat Lovers will find the Red Meat Lovers Fritanga pleasing and enough of a change to keep things interesting and familiar. I found it to be stronger and deeper in flavors with increased strength to match the bolder flavors. Smoke this one after a heavy steak dinner.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

4.43

Cost/Point

$3.82

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

7.17

Cost/Point

$2.37

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.49

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.49

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Red Meat Lovers Fritanga