Lost & Found: Cream Machine Lancero Cigars

To say that Lost & Found is a special project is to put it somewhat mildly. Lost & Found is a clandestine endeavor created by Robert Caldwell of Caldwell Cigar Company and Tony Bellatto of La Barba Cigars. The brand itself doesn't fashion or create any of their own cigars, per se. Instead, Caldwell and Bellatto have utilized the potential of "lost" cigars forgotten in the vast warehouses of other manufacturers. It goes something like this: Whenever a cigar brand rolls and boxes cigars for a particular line or release, they're inevitably left with, well, leftovers — either only so many boxes were made or the series was capped at a certain number, the surplus left on the factories' shelves. Caldwell and Bellatto, then, "find" these "lost" cigars, rebrand them, and offer them to consumers. While the blends' original components and company of manufacture remain anonymous, connoisseurs can count on them being from some of the most reputable names in the industry and having several years worth of age to them. Lost & Found offers some of the best kept secrets in the cigar industry and has developed a loyal following.

In 2022, Lost & Found announced that they would also be offering cigars that have been specially commissioned from factories and intentionally aged prior to release. The Cream Machine was originally released in 2015, and, while not one of the brand's first releases, it was certainly an early example of the company's conceptual success. Though it enjoyed great success when released, its limited quantities kept it elusive. In 2023, however, Lost & Found rereleased the Cream Machine as a specially-made smoke rolled at William Ventura's El Maestro factory and set to be released as an annual limited edition line. This release boasts an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper atop an Indonesian binder and Dominican Criollo 98, Corojo, and HVA fillers. Offering an appreciable bit of creaminess with every smoke, this cigar delivers additional notes of vanilla and nuttiness.