Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Habano Rosado
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Lancero 6.875″ x 42 ring
The Lancero is not a regular size in the Cuban Classic line of Pepin Garcia’s Name brand. The Lancero is a very limited release available in one of two presentations. There is a Holiday Sampler pack that sports two Lanceros in each of Don Pepin’s lines, the Blue Label, the JJ, the JJ Maduro, the Centurion, and of course the Cuban Classic. There were also just 100 cabinets of the Black Lanceros containing 50 cigars (I’m not 100% on that quantity but I think it was a 50 count). Part of the thinking behind the limited release of the Lancero size in all his lines was to give his fans a format for them to experience all the subtleties and complexities of the wrappers used in each of his line. The old Cuban purists believe that to experience the true essence of a blend you need to do so with a Lancero, Lonsdale, or a Corona. Who am I to argue with those guys. Those three sizes happen to be among my favorite vitolas, the Lonsdale being my absolute favorite. Some of the most complex and best smokes I have ever had have been in one of those formats.
Lanceros have a reputation for being a tough vitola to make, bring prone to various construction issues like plugging or splitting. I think it is an unfair reputation because if they are made right by skilled rollers they don’t have these issues. I think cigars with these issues are not isolated to just Lanceros, but you’ll find these problems in other vitolas of the line as well. The problem in my opinion is a lot of cigar makers don’t regularly produce Lanceros because in the US market they don’t seem to sell as well. Since they don’t produce a lot, they sometimes don’t do it well when they do make one. This cigar is very well made and the draw on it is perfect. It sports a smooth creamy brown wrapper and has a Cuban style triple cap tipped with a small pigtail.
It starts off with blasts of black pepper and a robust woodiness. About an inch or so in, it smooths out quite a bit. It is woody with a creaminess that has a buttery feel in my mouth. The aroma produced by the cigar is a rich smell of dark roasted coffee. Past the halfway mark it developed a rich earthiness with pepper and a slightly grassy finish. I have to say the end of this smoke was a little disappointing. The flavors became very muddled and not very distinguishable and it lost some of its body.
Even with the lack luster ending, the Black Lancero is a very good smoke. Medium to full bodied most of the way, it was a complex and engaging smoke. If I can find the cash, there are still some of the Holiday Samplers out there to be had, and I’d like to pick one up so I can try this size in Pepin’s other lines.
What Others think of the DPG Black:
The Stogie Guys give the Robusto 31/2 stogies
Lucky7 at Keepers of the Flame liked the Robusto “Very Much”
The Stogie Baby wasn’t impressed with the Petite Lancero
I would love to see an Lancero revival.
Enjoyed your review! Wish I could find one of those elusive cabinets. The Lancero definitely tests the roller but the nuances of the blend and wrap seem to be much more pronounced.
That Cuban Classic Robusto has become my mainstay. It allows for smoking at a faster pace without losing the flavor balance. Many times I don’t have enough time to complete a whole cigar but with the CC I can pick up the pace and still enjoy the nub.
Brilliant review Matt. I do agree with Lucky7 here regarding the classic Robusto size. It’s one of those sizes that you can enjoy in under 45 mintues.
I wish we all had the time to just get together and enjoy some stogies together but until than, robusto is also my size of choice.
Cheers!
Jibran Qazi
http://www.vancouvercigar.com
[…] Stogie Review smokes the Sancho Panza Double Maduro. Cigar Jack reviews a Camacho Corojo Toro. Matt puffs on a Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic Lancero. The Stogie Baby tries a Montecristo Media […]
CC Robusto – Nice cigar (for a non-Cuban), well made, good spicy scent, quality. Inconsistent, e.g., the CC corona does not even smoke nearly as well. Which is unfortunate as a corona is a much more civilized smoker-friendly size. (Why are 85% of the cigars sold in the US toros, robustos and belicosos, etc?). I’ll take an elegant lonsdale, panatela, corona any day. But that does not fit the business model of the big companies, so you will only see them as limited releases. With a corona (the traditional sized cigar of the so-called “purists”) you don’t have to devote 1.5 hours to the task either. From my perspective (authentic Habanos) DPGs are over-hyped, over-priced. Same with Tatuaje. Better value stateside and a closer match to the real thing: Padilla Habano (yes, Robusto & Toro, again).
I’m sorry but the only thing a Padilla Habano is a closer match to is a lousy cigar. Padilla makes some good smokes but I don’t think the Habano is one of them. I also don’t subscribe to this “real thing” notion. I have had my fair share of Cuban cigars and there are plenty of bad Cubans as well as good ones, just like there are good and bad NC’s. The implication that if a cigar isn’t Cuban, that it isn’t the “real thing” is ridiculous. Also, this review is of a DPG CC Lancero, not a Robusto….
[…] had a chance to try a rare lancero vitola and gave it a […]