Tag Archives: lancero

by | January 19, 2025 · 9:54 am

A Couple Tobacco Queen Cigars from Cigar Ambassador

I recently received a sampler of Tobacco Queen cigars from Cigar Ambassador.  I’m guessing many of us hadn’t heard of this company, but apparently they have been big in the Asian market for some time, working out of the Dominican Republic.  They are entering the U.S. Market with distribution with City of Palms Cigar Distribution Services.  City of Palms is operated by Kevin and Anne Dinkins, formerly of Sutliff Tobacco.  I’ve known Anne since she was with Villiger North America probably a dozen years ago.  Cigar Ambassador has a factory in Tamboril and has been in the tobacco business there for 20 years.  They sent a media sampler out, so you’ll be seeing these reviewed all over the place, it included a nice leather case and a cigar rest.  I’ve included a video of it below.

 

 

I managed to get a couple of the cigars smoked for today’s post.  I know I usually present more diversity, but to day it’s just these two cigars, the Lancero and the Salomon.  Those who follow closely on Facebook, Instagram and Threads may have questions, I’ll be happy to answer those privately. The Lancero is  7″ x 38 with a pigtail cap (size is incorrect on the website, BTW).  I was going to say that this is the best cigar I’ve smoke this year, but that’s too small a sample size, so I’ll say it’s one of the best I’ve smoked in the past year.  This was an exceptional cigar. The wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano, the binder is Dominican Corojo, and the filler blend is Nicaraguan Jalapa, Dominican Criollo 98. The burn and draw were perfect, and I had concerns going in.  This had really interesting flavors, some sweet tobacco and some exotic spices. I enjoyed this down to the tiniest nub, and it took nearly two hours to do that. This was a very impressive cigar, if not for the $20+ price tag, I’d look to add these to the humidor.  

 

I had high hopes for the Salomon based on my experience with the Lancero!  This is a 7¼” x 57 figurado with a neat flagged cap.  It’s a very attractive cigar, and I’m a sucker for a Salomon. It’s a sizable cigar.  The blend is an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado Maduro wrapper, Dominican San Vicente binder and Nicaraguan Jalapa, Dominican Corojo & Criollo 98 fillers.  It started slow, as cigars this shape do, but it opened up nicely after burning through the nipple.  It started mild and built to medium with some nice sweet and floral flavors.  It was well crafted, although I did have to catch up a couple uneven burns here and there.  I watched two periods of hockey with this cigar and had some left for the post game show.  While this wasn’t the masterpiece that the Lancero was for me, it was still a good smoke with interesting and engaging flavors.  Still out of my price range personally, it was a good smoke. The bands on this line are absolutely beautiful, very traditional and high quality.  No complaints about the presentation, and they got these two hard to roll shapes right. 

 

Thanks to Gabriel Pińeres for sending this sampler out. I still have the “A” and Robusto sizes to try, I’m not sure when I’ll get to them, I may let the rest for a while, I want to have a great experience with them.  I have finalized plans to attend the TPE show, look for content sponsored by CigarMedics in the coming weeks.  Until the  next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

😃+
Share

Leave a Comment

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | December 15, 2024 · 10:16 am

Some Unusual Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust Cigars

I’m never one to chase after Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust‘s store exclusives, or rare stuff, but I had a couple things fall into my lap recently, so I figured I’d dedicate a blog post to them.  The first two are thanks to Kevin at CigarProp. I asked him to purchase a couple of the Black Angus for me when he went to the launch event at Corona Cigar in Tampa, not even knowing how damn expensive they are, and he sent me two from his box.  I’m not even sure why this cigar caught my interest, I’m not really a fan of the FSG tobacco, and I certainly don’t seek out $30 cigars, but I was intrigued. Steve Saka doesn’t seem to care for the tobacco, and I needed  to see how he would come up with a Saka-worthy cigar.  This theme will repeat itself, by the way.  So Kevin sent me the cigars, even put them in a box autographed by Steve, which put me into shock until I opened to box and there were just the two cigars in there. I smoked one, and it was good.  You probably want specifics!  This is a 6¼” x 54 with a box press and a pigtail (I believe Saka calls this a “colita”) cap.  In addition to the Florida Sun Grown Corojo ’99 tobacco, it has a Ecuador Habano Viso Rosado wrapper, San Andrés binder (the “Cultivo Tonto” tobacco used for the wrapper of the Sin Compromiso) and a Nicaragua “Angelica” Criollo filler.  I took notes, and said that it started out with a twang, and this was before I read the description mentioning “twang” so it really is there.  It’s a meaty cigar, savory, delicious with that twang, maybe it’s the Black Angus branding that made me think of meat?  It’s good, I’m really fortunate to have been able to try this, because dropping that kind of coin on a cigar isn’t something I’d do. It’s a special occasion cigar, for sure. I’d wager Kevin really enjoys this as he’s an FSG fan.

 

Another cigar that I wouldn’t have had a chance to sample were it not for Kevin’s generosity was the Candela lancero out of the #GFY (Good For You, so Saka claims, be we know what it really means!) sampler.  I tossed around the idea of buying a box, but the thought of smoking ten lanceros that were all different, none of which were regular production and may never see the light of day again didn’t appeal to me.  Apparently someone sent Kevin a couple knowing he likes Candela and he shared one with me. This is another leaf that Saka doesn’t like, in a format he doesn’t like. I maintain that I was the one who put the candela lancero idea in his head, evidenced by this audio snippet:

He seemed to poopoo the idea he’d ever make one, then back peddle a little.  Anyway, this is a traditional 7″ x 38 lancero with the pigtail cap. This was a nice smoke, not at all mild (think RomaCraft Fomorian),  with the grassy tartness one gets from a good candela wrapper.  I had to relight a few times, but I was probably smoking it too slow, as I’m careful not to overheat lanceros by smoking too fast.  I’m sure the other nine cigars in the sampler are excellent, Steve doesn’t put crap out with his name on it.  This was special to me since I claim responsibility!  Thanks again Kevin! 

 

My final cigar in this week’s tribute to Dunbarton was the Stillwell Star Aromatic No. 22. This was included in a media package last month.  The Stillwell series is unique in that id incorporates pipe tobacco in the blends. We drove to South Carolina for the release event at Low Country Cigar and Pipe where I picked up a sampler of the originals.  I didn’t smoke any there because I wanted to get the right experience, not in a room full of other people smoking.  “Room Note” is an important part of the Stillwell experience, in my opinion.  Now, I don’t smoke a pipe, too much fidgeting for me, but I have, and I have pretty detailed memories of my first dentist smoking a pipe.  He was a one man show, he’d put his pipe on his desk, do whatever he had to do in your mouth, then light it up afterwards while he wrote up the bill (there was a cash price and an insurance price).  I think I went to him from the time I had teeth until I was in my 20s.  So this Aromatic No. 22 is a 6″ x 52 parejo, with a  Ecuadorian habano wrapper, Mexican San Andrés negro binder with a filler blend that includes Cavendish burley and Virginia pipe tobaccos. This was originally the Holiday 2022, just rebanded with the blue Stilwell dress.  I can’t say that I fully appreciate the pipe tobacco blends, but it’s an enjoyable cigar. It has the “pipey” flavors that my pedestrian palate can identify, and the room note is distinctly “pipey”. I almost wish this had the sweet cap, like the Aromatic No 1.  There’s a little bit of a drying sensation I get. I enjoyed this while watching hockey on the porch, hard to go wrong there.  Burn and draw were exceptional, and this is a nice change of pace.  I still have a set o the original four blends, I suspect I’ll have to resample them one of these days. 

 

That’s all for today. I thought about smoking a Mi Querida PataPerro, but it was a little too cold last night for a 3 hour cigar! I’ll save those for warm weather.  That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

Share

1 Comment

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

by | May 12, 2024 · 10:13 am

Blackbird, Sobremesa, Cohiba and Brickhouse Cigars

First off, I’m really looking forward to going to the Smokonos event at Best Cigar Prices in Drums, PA next Saturday.  There’s going to be a lot of the A-list cigar celebrities there, and a bunch of friends I haven’t seen in a long time. Unfortunately it’s sold out, but I hope to see some of you there!  It’s a shame that it’s the same day as the Atlantic City Cigar Social, we had a nice time at that event last year.  If you happen to be attending that event, say hello to my friend Dan at Bucksco Barrels! Wednesday evening we went to Parings Cigar Bar in Media, PA to visit with Jonas Santana of Blackbird Cigars, and his area broker Mark Weissenburger. We didn’t stay around for it, but he was hosting a tasting session with puritos and rum. I picked up some of my favorite Blackbird cigars, the Crow, and some of the new Superb in toro.  I smoked a Supurb there, and had one Thursday night at home.  This is a 6″ x 52 toro, where most of their toros are 54 ring gauge. It has a Habano wrapper and undisclosed binder and fillers. Jonas is very tight lipped about the blend, claiming he forgets, which I don’t buy for a minute.  I speculated that it had Dominican Olor, and got nothing…I find it has a dryness that I associate with that tobacco. It also has some sweet spice, and was a very nice cigar. I generally don’t smoke the same cigar twice in a row unless it’s really good. It’s always nice to see Jonas and Mark, and the staff at Pairings is top notch. It’s one of the few cigar bars around the area, so if having a drink with your cigar is something you enjoy, check this place out if you’re in the Philadelphia area.

 

Friday evening came around and I decided it was the right time to smoke the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sobremesa Brûlée Wagashi that was a generous Secret Santa gift from a fellow Craig.  This is from the original CigarDojo release, not the new regular production.  If I have to smoke a shade wrapped cigar, there are a short list of ones I’m attracted to, and the Brulee blend is one of them. I’ve had the Brulee and Brulee Blue, and I’d heard this was milder.  Maybe so, but it was packed with sweet, nutty tobacco flavor right off the start.  This is a box pressed, 6″ x 50 with a bun type pigtail cap.  I think I liked this better than the previous two iterations of Brulee, and I like them a lot. Highly recommended. 

 

I noticed that my friends at CigarMojo’s The Grove location (the one close to me) decided to use one of my pictures in an Instagram reel. I don’t mind, but a photo credit would be nice.  Remember people, when you use someone’s intellectual property, it’s the right thing to do to give them credit.  I left a snarky comment, but I might have to stop in and have a talk with them!  Anyway, yesterday afternoon I watched some TV on the porch with a Cohiba Riviera Lancero, which, admittedly, had just arrived the day before. I let it rest overnight, it seemed fine, and I gave it the old Humidimeter test, but the prongs on the meter are ever so slightly narrower than the cigar, so it was really only reading from between the binder and wrapper.  This is a box pressed 7″ x 38 with a San Andrés wrapper, Honduran grown Connecticut shade binder, and fillers from Honduras and Nicaragua, made at STG’s factory in Esteli. The box press makes it seems slimmer than 38 ring gauge.  I really liked the Robusto size in this line, so I felt compelled to smoke this lancero.  I really liked it.  It has dark chocolate and espresso, and since I figured out that dark chocolate gives me migraines, I seek it out in cigars.  The Lancero is actually the most affordable in the Riviera line at $15, the rest of them are in the $20 range, which means I won’t be smoking them. $15 I can handle and it’s a very nice smoke. It surprises me that it took this long for General to make a Cohiba in the Lancero size, considering how iconic the Cuban Cohiba Lancero. is. 

 

I wanted to include a fourth cigar today, and I was hunting around the humidors for something I hadn’t written about yet, and it occured to me that I hadn’t talked about the Brickhouse Crystal Churchill from J.C.Newman.  I’ve had a box in the humidor for a year or so and have smoked half a dozen.  This is the 7¼” x 50 Habano wrapped Brickhouse in a glass tube.  They come ten per box and run just under $10 each. I quite enjoy the Brickhouse line, they are Nicaraguan cigars that aren’t terribly expensive, but provide a good smoking experience. It’s on the leathery side, but I like it anyway!  The tube doesn’t do much for me, although it’s a nice presentation, I worry about carrying glass around in my pocket, so would prefer aluminum tubes for portability.  I like Churchills,  and this is a good one (although it’s a couple rings oversized!). 

 

That’s all for now, happy Mother’s Day to all who celebrate.  Don’t forget the Smokin Tabacco Raffle for The CFCF! Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

Share

1 Comment

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | December 15, 2019 · 10:08 am

New Undercrown Shade and Flor de Cesar Cigars and an Editorial

I have been looking forward to smoking the Drew Estate Undercrown Shade Suprema since it’s announcement last summer, and finally had my chance this week. This large perfecto is 6″ x 50-54 and uses the same molds that the old Chateau Real Gran Cru Perfecto used. I smoked a bunch of the Chateau Reals in Maduro before they were discontinued in 2010 or thereabouts. I love the format, an I actually have a couple of the Chateau Real Maduros left from the box I bought in 2010, and a Connecticut as well. So I was looking forward to smoking the Shade in this size, and I really like the Undercrown Shade anyway. I’ll start out saying I think this is the best representation of the Undercrown Shade blend to date, in my opinion! It was slightly underfilled, which was which was OK, I just needed to slow my draw so as not to overheat it, after having a few overfilled cigars this week, I appreciated the effortless draw and the abundance of smoke! The smoke was rich and creamy and loaded with the flavors I expected from the cigar. It had me wondering if we might expect a limited edition of this shape in the Maduro and Sungrown versions of the Undercrown? What the heck, how cool would a Liga Privada be in this shape? Willy? Joe has my address, I’m between jobs, I have time to sample  😁.  The Undercrown Shade Suprema is a wonderful smoke!

 

Editorial

It was a funny week with lots of news! One interesting controversy that arose was the Avo Unexpected line being revealed to actually be the Avo core lines repackaged on Cigar Dojo’s Smoke Night Live. I’ll admit that the Smoke Night Live show hasn’t been on my podcast playlist until now, I have too many to possibly listen to as it is. But I had to listen to this one, and I was rather surprised to hear four prominent members of the Davidoff team reveal this news. Important to the story is that these four cigars were positioned as limited releases with a higher price point, and then were revealed to be the exact same cigars as four of the regular production Avo line. This prompted a rather visceral response from some very prominent retailers, one with especially close ties to Avo Uvasian himself, prompting him to sell off said stock as cost. I have smoked a few Avo cigars, they are OK, not a huge fan but I don’t dislike them, and I don’t have any ties to Davidoff at all, other than the fact that they make some great cigars and have been nice to me a few times in the past. I don’t think that the marketing plan behind this was a good idea at all, and it ended up tarnishing a prestigious brand. In all honesty, the repercussions probably don’t reach the rank and file Avo consumer so much as the few retailers that bought in to the Limited Editions and felt like they got burned, and maybe lost sales on something else because they had basically eight boxes taking up the shelf space where it normally would be four. Someone thought it would be clever, someone went about it the wrong way, and someone should apologize to the retailers who feel betrayed. That’s my unsolicited two cents. 

 

Last week when I was at BnB Cigars in Chestnut Hill, PA (which is actually within the Philadelphia city limits), Vince there implored me to sample a few of their exclusive Flor de Cesar cigars, which I’ve enjoyed in the past. I managed to smoke the “lancero” last night, and I put  “lancero” in quotes because it’s actually 7″ x 42, so it’s not really a lancero technically. It’s actually a whole four ring gauges larger than a lancero, maybe it’s a super corona, or something. Call it what you will, if you put it next to a Gordo, it’s a lancero. The Flor de Cesar line is made by James Brown at Fabrica Oveja Negra, but, in my experience, it’s very different from other cigars I’ve smoked from that factory. First, I’ll say that this format, whatever you want to call it, was very comfortable to smoke. It didn’t need quite the babying that a 38 ring lancero needs, yet it still had that elegant feel. You know I think that small ring, wrapper to filler ration bullshit is poppycock, it all has to do with combustion, so the 42 ring strikes a nice balance for me, slow draws to not over heat and it’s a nice cool smoke. I loved the flavor. This had that rare flavor of spiced hard candy that I like, I gotta get a bag of grandma candy and figure out what exactly that is, but I love it and when I find it in a cigar I really dig it. I believe this was the 2019 Flor de Cesar Silver The Novin Lancero to be technically accurate, and it was delicious. I kinda want to try the Corona Gorda now! 

 

Well, that’s all for now, it’s coming up on Christmas all of the sudden. It’s occurring to me that I don’t have much in the vault for giveaways this year! There were a few years there were giveaways were going crazy this time of year, sadly no longer. I’ll see what I can do to put something together! Until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

Share

6 Comments

Filed under Editorial, Review

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | July 12, 2015 · 8:33 am

A Visit to SMoKE Manayunk and Various Lanceros and another Fratello Cigar

SMoKELast Sunday my wife and I went into Philly for Afternoon Tea at a downtown hotel.  While not a particularly manly pursuit, it was very nice, with good little sandwiches, scones and pastries to nibble on and a nice tea selection. Afterwards we stopped at SMoKE Manayunk, one of the newer lounges in the area which I’ve been hearing a lot about. It’s the place everyone goes after SMoKE2the other cigar stores close since they are open late. The building is located right next to the fire station, which is always a good idea, and has a rustic, industrial decor. SMoKE3The ceiling is open to the rafters with the galvanized spiral pipe ventilation system. There’s seating in the front of the store, a large bar (it’s BYO, but they have soft drinks) and the walk in humidor in the middle, and more lounge area in the back. It’s a spacious place, and we found it very comfortable.  Kosta is the owner, and is a very gracious host, who is a lancero fan, and has a SMoKE4nice selection. Of course, I had to pick up a couple of his store exclusive cigars, the Zeus, named after the mascot of the place, a large, simian/yeti sort of painting in the front of the space. Of course, I got the lancero, and was impressed with the way it smoked, and I ZeusLancerowould go so far as to say that if you find yourself in the Philadelphia area, put SMoKE on your list of destinations and try this cigar. It was my favorite kind of cigar, dark flavors, rich espresso and cocao, and it burned smooth and perfectly.  The cigar is 7″ x 38 with a nice pigtail cap, and I seem to remember Kosta saying it was made at Placencia, but he mentioned a Perdomo tour in the same conversation. I’m afraid I didn’t take very good notes on the blend either, I’ll try to update when I get the details, unless they show up in the comments.  It was the outcome of a blending seminar on a factory tour. Great smoke!

 

Fratello_Bianco_IIIBesides lanceros, I managed to fit another Fratello Bianco in early in the week, this time the  5″ x 56 Bianco III.  I can’t wait to have easy access to this cigar, it’s got a little of everything I like in a cigar, the San Andrés maduro wrapper and fillers from Peru and Pennsylvania. Still an early favorite for one of my favorite new cigars this year. Omar is one of many people I’m really looking forward to seeing at the IPCPR show next week, he’s got a personality that goes along with his physical stature. For what it’s worth, I would smoke the crap out of the Bianco blend in the lancero format…just a little food for thought for Omar!

 

AlecBradley_Nica Puro_H-townBack to the lanceros!  I had enjoyed the Fratello Lancero that is one of Stogies World Class Cigars H-Town series, and decided to explore some other or the lanceros in the line. I love the Alec Bradley Nica Puro line in general, so I was excited about the lancero.  Obviously, it’s a Nicaraguan puro, and the sweet and savory flavors I get have always satisfied my palate. It’s one of those go-to cigars you always keep around and default to when you can’t decide what to smoke. You can always count on them to deliver good flavor and a great over-all experience.  The H-Town is no different, although the flavor is a little more sharply focused due to the small ring gauge. Smooth, full of flavor, and certainly a compliment to the already great line.  I’ve been wanting to try the Diamond Rough-Cut in this line, but haven’t picked any up, is it much different from the regular line? I’ll have to keep an eye out for one.  The H-Town lancero is recommended if you enjoy this line.

 

Quesada_Espana_H-townThursday I went with another from the H-Town series, the Quesada España Lancero.  This is the first I’ve smoked of the España line, and it was a very tasty smoke. It used to be that lanceros were prone to having a plugged draw, or other construction problems, but I can’t recall when I’ve had a poorly made lancero in the past few years. It takes a pretty specific hand shape to bunch these, long, thin fingers seem to be key.  Anyway, this España was pretty terrific, loads of tasty smoke and perfect performance, I smoked this to a very small nub. It may be the only member of the H-town family with three bands.  So far the H-Town series of lanceros are all winners for me.  I smoked the Room 101 Namakubi Ecuador in the lancero format a few weeks ago and it was equally as enjoyable as it’s larger brethren, but with the little extra punch from the smaller ring. I’ll have to get to Houston one of these days to visit the store, it seems like quite the place!

 

RockyPatel_SuperLigero_LanceroFriday I sat down with a Rocky Patel Super Ligero in the Lancero size. I had picked this up when I visited SMoKE as I had been eager to try the lancero size in this blend. I’ve been enjoying the toro shape, and really like the lancero. Once again, it’s got a little more punch in the flavor department, sharper, more direct.  As with the others I smoked this week, the burn and draw were spot on, and I nubbed the sucker.  Great dark roast coffee flavors which are right in my wheelhouse. SO far I’ve smoked this blend in both the Toro and Lancero formats and really enjoyed the experience.  I’ll pick up a some more in the Robusto and Sixty sizes when I see them.  This isn’t a ridiculously strong cigar, the “Super” in Super Ligero is actually the name of the leaf, not a characterization of the power or even the priming, as I understand it. It’s generally a bit odd to have Ligero in a lancero as it doesn’t burn great and lanceros need to burn right. There’s a lot of Rocky Patel cigars (I could end the sentence right here) that I can take or leave, but this one is a winner for me.

 

Yesterday we rented a truck one last time and finished moving all the big stuff out of my wife’s parents house and into our garage. I was exhausted last night, so after a shower I sat down with a nice Inca Imperio and caught up on some podcast listening.  Great smoke to unwind after a long day of sweating and swearing (I don’t think I swore as much as other times…).  Now to start preparing for our trip to New Orleans this week for the IPCPR show, I’ve made some appointments, I have a list of folks I want to see and have been plotting my course on the floor plan. I’m sure once I get on the floor that will go out the window due to the overwhelming nature of the event! So, the next time you hear from me should be from the show, whether it’s short video updates or something else, we’ll see what happens.  Have a great week, until the next time,

 

CigarCraig

 

 

Share

7 Comments

Filed under Review, Stores

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,