A Cigar That Arrived Too Late for a 90th Birthday
The Cigar That Started a Company Is Finally for Sale
Lou Cross III had a cigar made for his father's 90th birthday. It didn't arrive in time. His father passed, and the cigars were handed out to friends and family at the funeral instead.
People kept asking about them. That response is the reason Lure Cigars exists at all. Now, three years later, that same blend is being released as The Codfather, and you can actually buy one.
AT A GLANCE
- The original blend behind Lure Cigars, founded by Lou Cross III in 2023.
- Lure's first Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade — a real change of direction for the brand.
- 6 1/2 × 54 Sublime, mild to medium, made at La Tabacaria in Estelí.
- Only 4,000 cigars — 400 ten-count packs, pearl-white, with Boveda inside.
- $16 per cigar, $160 per pack.
Who the Cigar Was For
The man being honored is Lou Cross Jr. — a lifelong outdoorsman, a serious fisherman, and a cigar smoker. He made it to 90.
That detail is what makes the timing land. The cigars were commissioned for a 90th birthday and showed up late. They ended up being smoked by the people who knew him best, on the day they said goodbye to him. A lot of brands have an origin story. Not many have one that honest.
Lure built its whole identity around what that man actually did with his time. The brand runs on two mottos — "Tackle and Tobacco," and "Smoke Great Cigars and Tell Tall Tales." Fishing, friends, a cigar, and the story getting bigger each time it's told. If you've ever sat on a boat with a cigar going, you already understand the brand.
Why This Blend Is a Bigger Deal Than It Looks
The Codfather is Lure's first Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade. We can back that up from our own shelf, which is the useful part.
We carry twenty Lure Cigars references. Every single one of the other nineteen is Corojo, Habano, Maduro or Oscuro — darker wrappers, medium to full. Lure has built its reputation on that side of the spectrum. So a mild-to-medium Connecticut Shade isn't just a new wrapper on the list. It's the brand stepping into a lane it has never worked in.
That's genuinely interesting to us, because Connecticut Shade done well is harder than it looks. There's nowhere to hide behind pepper and power. If you want the background on the wrapper, our guide to Connecticut cigars is a solid primer, and our list of mild cigars worth starting with covers the same territory.
The Codfather Limited Edition 2026 — the details
| Size | 6 1/2 × 54 Sublime |
|---|---|
| Wrapper | Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade — a first for Lure |
| Binder | Nicaraguan |
| Filler | Aged Nicaraguan and Honduran |
| Strength | Mild to medium |
| Factory | La Tabacaria, Estelí, Nicaragua |
| Production | 4,000 cigars · 400 packs of 10 |
| Packaging | Pearl-white 10-count pack with Boveda |
| MSRP | $16 per cigar · $160 per pack |
Four Thousand Cigars Is Genuinely Small
Let's put that number in context, because "limited" gets thrown around until it stops meaning anything. Four thousand cigars is 400 packs. Spread across every shop in the country that carries Lure, that's not many packs per door.
To be clear, it isn't sold out — it hasn't even shipped yet. But at this size, availability is going to come down to how much each retailer was allocated. That's just how a run this small works.
On timing: shipping is scheduled for October 21, and our own product page currently lists October 23 for orders. We'll update that as soon as it firms up.
Mardo's take
- We like boutique manufacturers who bring authenticity and a real story, and this one is about as real as it gets — a cigar made for a man's 90th birthday that ended up being smoked at his funeral, and the response to it built a company. I also love the connection between cigars, fishing, family and the outdoors. That's a lifestyle I can relate to, and it's refreshing to see a brand actually live in it instead of borrowing it for a label.
- Is it worth chasing? If you like Connecticut Shade, yes — I'm genuinely curious how an Ecuadorian Connecticut sits over aged Nicaraguan and Honduran filler, because that's complexity without heavy strength, which is exactly what I'm always hunting for. And at 4,000 cigars, waiting is a decision. If you've never tried Lure, the regular line starts at $8, so you can meet the brand cheaply first.
- What I won't do is tell you how it smokes. We haven't lit one. No tasting notes from us until we have.
Get The Codfather at Mardo
It's listed on our site at $16 a cigar and $160 for the pack of ten, with the pearl-white packaging and Boveda included.
Lure CigarsLure Cigars The Codfather Limited Edition 2026 (Ships 10/23/26)See The Codfather
And if you want to meet Lure before the limited edition lands, here's where we'd start. Note the names — Big Lou is who you think it is, and Fat Tony sitting next to The Codfather is not an accident.
The Codfather is a limited edition, but that's the least interesting thing about it. It's a cigar a son had made for his father, that his father never got to smoke, that strangers liked enough to turn into a company. Follow us for release and availability updates — and if you pick one up, light it somewhere worth telling a tall tale about.
Smoke great cigars and tell tall tales.
The Codfather is $16 a cigar, $160 the pack — 4,000 made. Browse the full Lure lineup at Mardo.
Browse Lure CigarsMardo Cigars sells premium tobacco products intended for adults 21 and older. Please enjoy responsibly.
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