6.875" x 40 ring gauge / $7.40, Burns
Dave Said:
Dave Said:
Recapping our story so far: La Aurora debuted the 107 (celebrating 107 years in the cigar business) in May 2010, expanded the line to include a Corona in August, then bowed to populist will on Twitter to produce a lancero, released on 10/7. Like the other vitolas in the 107 line, this is composed of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers, a Dominican binder, and an Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper. I smoked 2 of these lanceros prior to the review stick (as well as a couple since); I bought them all with my own money. [Ed. Note: the original version of the preceding paragraph contained some speculative material, that although was labeled as such, was not perceived as such by all parties. For anyone who may have been offended by it, I apologize for putting into print personal ramblings that may be have been better kept to myself.]
Having first tasted and reviewed an Aurora 100 Años lancero earlier this year, I had rather high standard for this 107 lancero-I specifically asked Jose Blanco to please make it at least as good for a lot less money. He responded that it would be great, but they were two completely different cigars, so I guess I will not be allowed to make any further comparisons between the two. The wrapper leaf of this lancero was smooth and oily, although the veins were readily apparent. The color was medium-brown with a bit of darker mottling. There were a couple minor imperfections but nothing unacceptable for the price point they chose. Lifting the cigar to my nose, I got an earthy, woody aroma from the wrapper and a fairly intense chocolate from the foot. I used my Xikar MTX scissors for the cut and got a nice, open draw that had flavors of natural tobacco, dried fruit, and cocoa powder.
Initial puffs gave up anise, natural tobacco, and red pepper. The level of spice right form the outset was somewhat surprising considering the other vitolas of the 107 I have smoked...but maybe it should not be surprising-after all, the lancero is the vitola that shows off wrapper characteristics best. What should you expected from a sungrown wrapper? Spice. It did not last too long at that initial intensity, though. Soon the flavor settled in to a mix of natural tobacco, cocoa powder and a bit of sweetness. There was still quite a bit of pepper on the retrohale and the finish was fairly spicy, as well.
The second third gave more cedar and earth flavors while the sweetness and spice never fully went away. So far construction was perfect, just as it had been on the other samples of this cigar I had smoked. The body was medium-to-full and the flavor was bold and full.
In the final third, the 107 lancero keeps the flavor coming; there was a resurgence of red pepper spice and more of the natural tobacco goodness, layered upon with more earthiness. The question must be asked: is this the best of the 107 line? Maybe by a slim margin over the Corona. For everyday smoking, I think the Corona wins by being more practical: its shorter size make it easier to fit in the pocket (or travel humidor) while its thicker ring gauge make it harder to bend while you're doing so. For relaxing on the front porch with a stogie in one hand and an adult beverage in the other, the lancero wins the flavor battle. The lancero also provided more of a nicotine kick than I have experienced on the Corona. This may be partially due to the fact that they have been on the market less time and maybe were slightly rush to market; it could change once they have a month or two of age on them. I would love to have a box of each-corona and lancero-and do an extended test, but unfortunately, my finances to not allow that to happen right now. Hopefully, the lancero will be added to the 107 line permanently, making it available to enjoy for years to come.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
Keith Said:
Having first tasted and reviewed an Aurora 100 Años lancero earlier this year, I had rather high standard for this 107 lancero-I specifically asked Jose Blanco to please make it at least as good for a lot less money. He responded that it would be great, but they were two completely different cigars, so I guess I will not be allowed to make any further comparisons between the two. The wrapper leaf of this lancero was smooth and oily, although the veins were readily apparent. The color was medium-brown with a bit of darker mottling. There were a couple minor imperfections but nothing unacceptable for the price point they chose. Lifting the cigar to my nose, I got an earthy, woody aroma from the wrapper and a fairly intense chocolate from the foot. I used my Xikar MTX scissors for the cut and got a nice, open draw that had flavors of natural tobacco, dried fruit, and cocoa powder.
Initial puffs gave up anise, natural tobacco, and red pepper. The level of spice right form the outset was somewhat surprising considering the other vitolas of the 107 I have smoked...but maybe it should not be surprising-after all, the lancero is the vitola that shows off wrapper characteristics best. What should you expected from a sungrown wrapper? Spice. It did not last too long at that initial intensity, though. Soon the flavor settled in to a mix of natural tobacco, cocoa powder and a bit of sweetness. There was still quite a bit of pepper on the retrohale and the finish was fairly spicy, as well.
The second third gave more cedar and earth flavors while the sweetness and spice never fully went away. So far construction was perfect, just as it had been on the other samples of this cigar I had smoked. The body was medium-to-full and the flavor was bold and full.In the final third, the 107 lancero keeps the flavor coming; there was a resurgence of red pepper spice and more of the natural tobacco goodness, layered upon with more earthiness. The question must be asked: is this the best of the 107 line? Maybe by a slim margin over the Corona. For everyday smoking, I think the Corona wins by being more practical: its shorter size make it easier to fit in the pocket (or travel humidor) while its thicker ring gauge make it harder to bend while you're doing so. For relaxing on the front porch with a stogie in one hand and an adult beverage in the other, the lancero wins the flavor battle. The lancero also provided more of a nicotine kick than I have experienced on the Corona. This may be partially due to the fact that they have been on the market less time and maybe were slightly rush to market; it could change once they have a month or two of age on them. I would love to have a box of each-corona and lancero-and do an extended test, but unfortunately, my finances to not allow that to happen right now. Hopefully, the lancero will be added to the 107 line permanently, making it available to enjoy for years to come.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
Keith Said:
Like Dave after trying the 100 Años Lancero my ears perked up when the talk of the 107 Lancero was happening on Twitter. I smoked 2 samples before this one and they were purchased with my money. One departure for me was I smoked this cigar while drinking a cup of coffee on a cold November morning.The wrapper of this sample was slightly lumpy with fairly prominent veins. The reddish brown wrapper had a good amount of tooth and oils to it. When I gave the cigar a squeeze it had the right amount of give, however there was one soft spot near the foot. From the wrapper I got the distinct aroma of hay, while the distinct aroma of barnyard came from the foot. After I clipped it with my Xikar MTX and took a cold draw on it I was able to get a good draw with a slight amount of sweetness on the tongue.
The first third started off with spice, leather & chocolate. The draw from the start was great and produced a large volume of smoke. Once I hit about .25" in I was hit with an almost wasabi spice on the retrohale. It made me pause a bit as I hadn't expected it to be so intense as I don't remember that happening on previous examples. Believe me I'm not complaining as I thoroughly enjoy spicy things. The other flavors I was able to get in the first third were of coffee, earth, maple and cola. The ash was fairly white and needed to be tapped off after .75". After the first time I tapped it off the ash was kind of flaky and needed to be tapped off fairly regularly. This was something that happened on the other samples I smoked and a fairly common occurrence on lanceros. The burn was slightly wavy but didn't require a touchup.
As I moved into the second third the spice toned down a bit. Mind you it wasn't gone, just not as intense as the first third. The flavors continued to be of leather, spice, sweetness, and chocolate. The draw continued to be great and the smoke was billowing. I was able to watch it waft across my yard for what seemed like a minute after I exhaled. I would say this cigar is at the bottom end of the full range in regards to strength.
In the final third the cigar continued to go on strong with flavors of coffee, chocolate, leather, maple and earth. The spice built back up, however not as strong as in the first third. The burn also evened itself out without needing to be touched up.
Like Dave I don't think I could pick whether the lancero or corona is my favorite size in this blend. They are both excellent cigars with lots of flavor and enough strength to make it interesting. I would agree with Dave that the choice between which size I would choose would depend on what the situation called for as the corona is easier to transport, while the lancero smokes longer. You can't go wrong with either size and I hope that La Aurora makes the lancero a regular production size rather than just a special size.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 7/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
Agree, disagree or have your own thoughts you would like to share on this cigar? Please leave a comment and speak your mind!
0 comments:
Post a Comment