Cigar Review: Tatuaje Black Label Lancero

Lancero, 7.5” x 38 ring gauge / $32.95 (part of Old Man and the “C” set), Burns
In 2011, Tatuaje released a special edition Culebra + Lancero called “The Old Man and the C,” a play on a Hemingway novel. The Old Man was a single regular lancero in the original El Triunfador (brown label) blend and the “C” was short for Culebra, 3 more of the Triunfador lanceros twisted and tied together with string. I got to split one of these with 3 friends at Burns one evening; truly a very nice smoke. I had no real compulsion to buy more sets of those, though, because the El Triunfador lancero was fairly easy to come by still on its own. Enter 2012 and the second Old Man and the C set, this time featuring the Black Label. If I’m not mistaken (and I might be...I’m not a Tatuaje brand historian), this is the first time a full lancero of the Black Label has been available, and if it’s not the absolute first time, it is almost definitely the first time it’s been widely available. So a total of 4 Tat Black Lanceros (3 tied together in a Culebra) for just over $30...not bad considering that the Black Label Petite Lancero retails for about $9.25 each, making 4 of that shorter vitola about $37. So I went ahead and bought a set. In case you’ve not had the Black Label (properly called the “Private Reserve”) before, they are a Nicaraguan puro with a Criollo ’98 wrapper and are produced in the My Father Cigar factory.

For the purposes of this review, I selected the regular, not-twisted lancero. This is the only one in the set that has cellophane (the Culebra is wrapped in foil) and the only one with a band (the standard Tat Black band). Overall, I have to say the presentation of this whole set is awesome. The outside of the box is traditional and descriptive; the inside is inviting. The wrapper of the Black Label is a reddish-brown, very oily to the touch and with a nice sheen in the light. It was slightly toothy and slightly veiny and had an aroma like cedar and leather. The foot gave off a richly pungent earthiness. Once clipped the Lancero had a good draw with flavors of earth, raisins and cocoa powder. I did want to make one note about the difference in draw between the straight Lancero and the twisted ones; I've been told that Culebra Lanceros are actually under-filled a bit so they can twist easier (they are also kept very moist for the twisting process). This also makes them draw better when released from the Culebra; in fact, the twisty Lancero I had before this straight one had a better draw.

Once lit up the Black Label Lancero delivered a straightforward earthiness on the palate, along with bits of black coffee and pepper spice; on the retrohale, it was nutty and a little more peppery, but not excessively spicy like some Nicaraguan puros can be. As I smoked through the first third, I noted a medium-to-full-bodied smoke full of earthiness and fairly static levels of pepper spice--it didn't get stronger, but didn't fade away, either. There was also enough continuing sweetness to balance the earthier elements.

During the first third the smoke just verged on being harsh at times; during the second third, that harshness went away and it became creamy and smooth. A cedar flavor emerged and the pepper spice mostly went away. Construction was great for this Black Label Lancero; I got ash that held on for an inch or more, a fantastic draw and a very even burn line.

You probably know where this is going...I love Lanceros...I gave the Tatuaje Black Label Petite Lancero a 10/10 back in 2011 and it made my year-end list as one of my favorite cigars of the year. This one...yeah, I nubbed it! As I got down to the end, some pepper spice came back and it got earthier again as the cedar taste faded a bit. The body was in the medium-to-full level and I never felt like the nicotine content was all that high. What this really was to me was a way to get the same experience as the Petite Lancero for a longer amount of time. Yes, it was great and if your local shop has any of these in stock, I would highly advise you to pounce on them...who knows if they will be made again.

Body: 8/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 10/10

Last time I was there Burns had some of these sets available still. If your local shop doesn't have any, give Burns a call at 423-855-5200.