Re: Lancero love
 

Hopefully a little time does them some good, Mark.

Re: Lancero love
 

Southern Draw Cedrus lancero

7.5" x 40

I don't remember when I got this cigar. I think it was part of a sampler. I know this cigar has at least 1 year of humidor time. Box-pressed, shaggy foot, nice looking wrapper. Perfect draw once the shaggy foot tobacco was consumed.

NICE smoke. Decent burn with only a couple of minor corrections. Nothing mind-blowing flavor wise, but a nice depth to the flavor that I don't get from most NCs. The wrapper is Indonesian; maybe that's the secret? Dominant flavors are what you would have in a maduro wrap cigar. The flavor lingers on the palate between draws. Nice smoke volume. Medium 'strength' throughout. Not harsh through the nose at all. Slow burn. Total burn time was around 1 hr 20 min. I let this one die at just over 1".

Final thoughts...potential box purchase for sure. :ss

Re: Lancero love
 

Davidoff Millennium Lancero

Sup guys? Been a while since I posted a review on here.

I, against my better judgement, bought a box of these a while back.

Construction-wise, a fantastic cigar. Perfect draw, good burn.

Flavor-wise...a big giant 'meh.' At $29/stick, I expected a lot more. But this is just an OK smoke. Nice flavors, but somewhat muted and average. Mostly straight tobacco with some woodsy notes here and there.

Final thoughts...I regret buying these, honestly. I coulda acquired way more, and way better cigars for the coin I dropped on these.

Re: Lancero love
 

Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 Fundador (7.5" x 40)

I recently added a 5 pack of these to a Cigar Page order. This is an AJ Fernandez cigar.

Visually, a very nice stick. Draw is almost perfect. Dull looking dark wrapper.

First few draws...spice. Specifically, Nicaraguan spice. Y'all know what I'm talking about.

About 1" in...powerhouse. Too 'strong', honestly. The flavors are good but the nose exhale is harsh. Smaller draws make it a bit more tolerable.

About 2" in...the 'strength' has settled down quite a bit, and the flavors have settled into a fairly typical profile of cocoa/coffee/coconut. A woodsy flavor in the nose and on the finish gives it a bit of a unique quality. One minor burn correction.

About halfway...a nice sweetness has come in on the draw, giving this maduro a nice depth that wasn't present at first. Dominant flavors are still the same, but I can really taste the sweetness when I draw on the cigar. It's nice enough to make me take a draw, nod my head, and say, "Nice."

A little past halfway...dominant flavors are the same, but with more depth, if that makes sense. A nice smoke so far. A significant split in the wrapper that surprisingly doesn't affect the burn. Props!

Toward the end...the 'strength' has come back a bit through the nose. Dominant flavors are still the same. The sweetness on the draw has disappeared. I let 'er die at just over 1".

Final thoughts...good smoke overall, but with limited space in the cabinet, not a potential box purchase. :ss

Re: Lancero love
 

Crusty old Cuabo No. 1. Only one left, they're tasty (not so) little smokes! :ss

https://i.imgur.com/i41HXPQ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DMJBAls.jpg

Re: Lancero love
 

601 La Bomba Lancero (7.4" x 38)

C-Bid was selling the sh*t outta these a while back, and I scored a box of 10 for like $40.

These have that 'fuse' coming out of the head. And it sticks to the body of the cigar. The wrapper ripped a little bit when I tried to remove it. Major points deduction. :mad:

Flavor-wise, a solid smoke. Good construction; good draw. Pretty typical Nicaraguan Habano wrap flavors. Strong tobacco and that 'Nicaraguan spice' flavor. Pretty one-dimensional, but very tasty. A few minor burn corrections. Full 'strength' but surprisingly not harsh through the nose.

A pretty good score for $4/stick. If I can figure out a way to get that stupid little fuse thing off, I can see myself smoking these often enough to keep them stocked.

:ss

Re: Lancero love
 

Smoking another Davidoff Millennium lancero.

Some humidor time has improved these. VERY nice smoke. Smooth, deep flavors of tobacco, wood, and a bit of coconut.

Still not worth $30/stick. :r :ss

Re: Lancero love
 

Smoking another Murcielago lancero.

These are 'stronger' than the toro (my other favorite size in this line). But this cigar is noticeably milder than the last one I smoked, as were the last few toros I smoked. It seems like these mellow quite a bit with humidor time.

And I am not complaining. I have loved these cigars in every incarnation they've been in over the years, and I really think that this latest blend might be my favorite. From my experience, most cigar lines that change manufacturers/blends never live up to their former glory. This version of Murcielago are definitely an exception.

REALLY tasty smoke. Typical maduro flavors of cocoa/coffee/coconut, but with a distinct tangy flavor on the finish. Looking at my previous reviews of this cigar, I described a floral flavor/aroma from the foot. I am not getting that on this cigar. The aroma coming from the foot of this cigar is woodsy. Slow burn. I've recently been thinking of my 'top 10' cigars, and this may be one of them.

I think I have 2 sealed boxes of these in the cabinet. I may have to snag one more, because I have COCD (Cigar Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). :ss

Re: Lancero love
 

Oh, that COCD, Mark! :r

Thanks for another great review.

Re: Lancero love
 

Smoked my first Caldwell Long Live the Queen Queen's Sword last night. I'll definitely put this in the rotation, one of the better recent Caldwells I have had.

https://i.imgur.com/OWxw7zC.jpg

Re: Lancero love
 

Atabey Spiritus (7.5" x 40)

I consider myself pretty immune to hype, but when I saw people on CC message board saying that Atabey are one of the only NCs they smoke, it piqued my curiosity for sure. A few people even said that Atabey is the NC that comes closest to the flavor of a CC.

First off, tight draw. Really? A $38 cigar has a tight draw? Maybe the guys who think these taste like Cubans meant to say they're constructed like Cubans. :r

First half, solid medium 'strength', one-dimensional flavor. Not much of a finish to speak of. Flavor is that of a typical medium-bodied CT wrap cigar. Decent burn; a couple of minor corrections.

A bit of a woodsy flavor comes in the second half, but the flavor still lacks any real depth and the finish is very short, with a hint of liquor.

Final thoughts...what an absolute joke this cigar is. And I'm not just saying it's not worth the price (it's not). It's not even a good cigar. It's just an OK cigar. These taste very similar to a $2 CT wrap bundle lancero I got from Cigar Page a while back. I'm not kidding and I'm not exaggerating.

Whoever thinks this cigar tastes Cuban has the palate of a goat, and probably couldn't spot a scammer even as they were cashing his fake checks.

Re: Lancero love
 

Note to self: No Atabeys, ever. ;)

Re: Lancero love
 

No attaboys for the Atabeys. Got it. :)

Re: Lancero love
 

Atabey?

I'll say neigh.

Re: Lancero love
 

Tatuaje Skinny Frank. Purty good.

https://i.imgur.com/km5VukSm.jpg

Re: Lancero love
 

:sl:sl:r

Re: Lancero love
 

Luciano The Dreamer lancero (7.5" x 38)

I bought a 10 pack of these from Cigar Page a while back. I remember smoking one ROTT and not being impressed. It's been quite a while, so I decided to see if any humidor time has improved these.

Pretty solid smoke! I'm getting an aroma from the foot that I've never experienced from a cigar before. The aroma of browned butter! I know, I know. Very specific and cigar-snobbish. But I'm being serious. It's super present and noticeable.

Flavor-wise, very good but not great. Fairly typical medium-plus Habano wrap flavors, with more woodsy than spice. A good everyday/dog walking/drankin' cigar. Good burn and draw; only a couple of minor burn corrections.

I think I paid $5/stick for these on special. I'd buy them again at that price all day long. :ss

Re: Lancero love
 

Glad the Lucianos improved for you, Mark. Brown butter cigar!

Re: Lancero love
 

My tasting notes on the Fabrica 005 lancero, smoked pretty fresh. Liked it a lot.

The wrapper was dark and attractive, much darker than the others in my sampler. The pre-light aroma and draw had a raisin sweetness and pleasant earthiness. With the first few puffs, I was impressed with the elegance and overall structure of the flavors, which were of sweet aged wood and saddle leather. I could almost see Ricardo Montalban wearing a tailored white suit and talking about the aromas of fine Corinthian leather in this cigar. Some pepper and salted chocolate came in to tickle my nose. Creamy dark chocolate on the retrohale. There was some serious canoeing to start with, which I was able to correct, and a slightly uneven burn line.

As I continued to puff on the first third, dark chocolate covered cherries showed up briefly then muted into baker's chocolate and a light finish of coffee. By the beginning of the second third, fresh baked bread and baker's chocolate were the primary notes, with everything else becoming muted. This trend continued, with quieter notes of toasted bread, baking chocolate and medium roast coffee emerging as the remaining flavors. That stayed consistent until the end of the cigar, with nothing else emerging.

The cigar required multiple relights and corrections, which was not unexpected from a cigar fresh from transit. It remained a pleasant smoke until the end. I paired it with a nonalcoholic Negroni from Devil's Foot. It would have paired nicely with rum, bourbon or coffee as well. Other than the burn issues, the only downside to this cigar for me was that it did lose a lot complexity by the end of the first third. Still, the flavors that remained were quite pleasant and it was overall a very enjoyable smoke.

Re: Lancero love
 

Nice review, JD. :tu

I had a Don Pepin Blue lancero last night at the local B&M, and I forgot to get a picture.

Re: Lancero love
 

Thanks! I didn't know Don Pepin had a lancero. Was it good? I enjoyed the My Father lancero, though not nearly as much as the comparably priced or cheaper Fabrica 005 lancero.

Re: Lancero love
 

My wife and I smoked two Fabrica 5 lanceros last night and we really liked them.

Re: Lancero love
 

Do the Tatuaje "Skinny Monster" cigars count as lanceros? If so I've had a few of each off and on since one of the shops got them in mid September. Frank, Hyde, and the Wolf, I think?

I'm not much for doing reviews, so I'll just say I like all varieties enough to buy more. But they're not so delicious that I'd chew 'em up and eat 'em instead of smoking them.

Re: Lancero love
 

It was very good, JD. I tend to lean towards the smaller ring gauge NW cigars, so right in my wheelhouse in that way as well.

Re: Lancero love
 

Interesting! I smoked two of them and enjoyed both. I found them smooth and pleasant throughout, with no off flavors. Not as complex as some others in this vitiola, but a good smoke with clean consistent burn and draw and no flaws I could detect. I wonder what happened to yours? Both of mine were in cello at 65/65 for a month or two before smoking.

Re: Lancero love
 

Smoked a Triniadad Espiritu #3 tonight. Technically they call it a Fundadores but it's more of a box pressed lancero. Very nice dark oily wrapper with a good feel. Predominant notes were dark sweet raisin with a touch of cocoa and chili. It was not particularly complex and remained consistent down to the last third, where it got a bit ashy and vegetal. Not bad, but not sure I'd buy another.

Re: Lancero love
 

This comment grabbed my attention! I recently bought several 5 packs of different sizes of these lines to check out, since it has become next to impossible to buy CCs anymore (busted 4 times in the past 2 years, none of the old school vendors shipping to the US).

I smoked a lancero ROTT and found it to be very good but not great, and certainly not a replacement for CCs. I'll let the remaining 4 sticks sleep in the humi for a while and then do another review.

Re: Lancero love
 

I've smoked quite a few of the Espiritu #2 Fundadores and found them to be a solid smoke, but not a mind-blower. I didn't know that the $3 came in a Fundadores. Thanks for the review!