Lancero love

[icehog3]

Hopefully a little time does them some good, Mark.

[borndead1]

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.

[borndead1]

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.

[borndead1]

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.

[icehog3]

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

[borndead1]

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.

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.

[borndead1]

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.

[borndead1]

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).

[icehog3]

Oh, that COCD, Mark!

Thanks for another great review.

[icehog3]

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.

[borndead1]

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.

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.

[icehog3]

Note to self: No Atabeys, ever.

[Brian D.]

No attaboys for the Atabeys. Got it.

[Porch Dweller]

Atabey?

I'll say neigh.