Black Works S&R November 2020 Release Lancero
Posted on December 07 2020
Vitola: Lancero (6.75x42)
Smoking Time: 53 Minutes
Cigars Smoked: 3
Body: Medium
Wrapper: Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua Habano
Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic
MSRP: $9.50
First impressions: Upon first inspection the cigar wrapper is smooth, not the smoothest I have ever seen, but notably so. The cigar appears to be constructed well, and is filled evenly. The pigtail is gorgeous, and masterfully completed.
Cold Draw: The cold draw on this stick was a bit one dimensional, some mild sweetness, grass, and chocolate notes. To the nose the wrapper on this cigar smells like vanilla, sweetness, and tobacco, almost as if a Vanilla Tobacco candle would smell. It is quite wonderful.
First Third: Wow the initial few puffs of this cigar were full of pepper, the smooth sweet flavors from the cold draw were not there. After the first quarter inch of this cigar, the spice settles down significantly, and it becomes much creamier and smoother. The stick does taste a little dry. Notes of toasted walnuts, oak or cedar, and cream. The sweet notes on the cold draw are still nonexistent. Towards the end of the first third this cigar came alive! I hope it lasts. Graham cracker, honey, toasted walnuts. Delicious. It is also important to note this cigar produces wonderfully thick white smoke.
Second Third: The burn on this cigar is far from razor sharp, however its consistent, and has required no touch ups or corrections. Flavors are about consistent with the last part of the first third and have developed very little in the first part of the second third. I’m not complaining though, because these flavors are wonderful. I would be considering this stick to be solidly in the medium body, with hints of full-bodiedness brought to you by a slight spice which is not always there.
Final Third: The ash on this stick is very flaky, which is nothing more than annoying. It is a fairly common misconception that flaky ash indicates, a poor quality tobacco, or bad construction, but all it really indicates is unique soil makeup or specific types of tobacco. The same is true of ash color.
The last third of this cigar is mostly the same is the first and second thirds, which is a good thing If you are looking for consistency, towards the end there is a bit more pepper and cream than before, but this is mostly due to the concentration of oils.
Final Thoughts: Although the cigar is not very dynamic, and lacks an extremely clean burn line, this is a cigar that I will revisit. First each one has been consistent within itself, and compared against other sticks. Secondly these flavors, and body are preferred by my palate for breakfast smokes. All in all if you like cigars like Atabey, Sobremesa Brûlée, and J London, you will almost certainly enjoy this one.
-Chris