Aug 26, 2026
Exclusive Le Flambeaux
LA Cigar Collective’s third exclusive release combines New Orleans tradition with a stronger, fuller expression from Kelner Family Cigars.
METAIRIE, LA — For its third exclusive cigar release, LA Cigar Collective is taking a familiar blending name into unfamiliar territory.
The Louisiana retailer teamed up with Klaas Kelner of Kelner Family Cigars to create Le Flambeaux, a Dominican-made cigar designed to showcase a bolder and more powerful side of Kelner’s blending style.
Rather than simply asking Kelner to make a strong cigar, LA Cigar Collective presented him with a specific challenge: push beyond the strength profile smokers may typically associate with his blends while maintaining the balance, complexity and refinement that have become hallmarks of his work.
“Build us a cigar that’s full-bodied. Push beyond the strength profile people expect from a Kelner blend without sacrificing the complexity and balance that define your work.”
The result is Le Flambeaux, a 6 1/2 x 55 Gran Toro featuring a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over an Ecuadorian Habano binder and Dominican fillers. Notably, the filler blend contains 60% ligero, giving the cigar the added strength and intensity LA Cigar Collective was looking for.
Carrying the Torch
The cigar’s name is rooted firmly in New Orleans history.
Before modern street lighting illuminated Mardi Gras parades, flambeaux carriers walked alongside the processions carrying flaming torches that lit the streets for both participants and spectators. The term flambeau comes from the French word for “torch,” and the tradition remains one of the enduring visual symbols of Mardi Gras.
For LA Cigar Collective, the imagery also became a fitting metaphor for the collaboration.
Le Flambeaux is intended to shine a light on a different side of Kelner’s blending ability, retaining his recognizable approach to balance and complexity while delivering it through a richer and considerably more commanding profile.
According to LA Cigar Collective, smokers can expect transitions featuring dark brownie chocolate, particularly the rich, slightly caramelized character of a brownie’s outer edge, along with notes of leather, raisins and underlying sweetness.
Despite the high percentage of ligero and the cigar’s fuller strength, the goal was never simply to create power for power’s sake. The focus remained on building a cigar in which strength works alongside flavor, balance and complexity.
A Collaboration Built on Creative Trust
For LA Cigar Collective, Le Flambeaux represents more than another retailer-exclusive cigar.
The project grew from the idea that exclusives should give both the retailer and manufacturer an opportunity to explore something outside their normal boundaries.
LACC challenged Kelner to step beyond expectations. Kelner responded with a cigar that maintains elements of his blending identity while moving firmly into a more powerful expression.
“This project stands as a testament to creative trust, when a retailer challenges someone at the top of their game, and they answer with something extraordinary.”
LA Cigar Collective says Le Flambeaux is ultimately an opportunity for smokers to experience another dimension of Kelner’s blending style while also celebrating a tradition deeply connected to New Orleans.
Production is limited to 10,000 cigars.
Le Flambeaux will be available through LA Cigar Collective, Small Batch Cigar, and select brick-and-mortar retailers.
Le Flambeaux Blend Information
Vitola: Gran Toro
Dimensions: 6 1/2 x 55
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Dominican Republic, 60% Ligero
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Kelner Family Cigars
Packaging: 15-count boxes
Production: 10,000 cigars
Release: LA Cigar Collective Exclusive