Cigar Weekly

El Original Lancero Maduro

Published
Compiled by Doug McGuire (Mad Dawg)

 

The El Original line of cigars is exclusively produced for the Island Smoke Shop in Key Largo, Florida (http://www.islandsmokeshop.com).  The blend was developed by Santiago Cabana, master blender from the Partagas factory in Havana . Bob Curtis, Island Smoke Shop's owner (who graciously provided the cigars for this review), describes the blend and the line as follows:

The El original is a six-country blend of small-batch, hand-selected tobaccos. Specifically, Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Ecuadorian, Mexican and Peruvian tobacco. (We were the first to use Peruvian tobacco to add a 'Cuban' quality to our blend). We make quite a range of sizes, but our Lancero is my personal favorite - a 39 X 7" panatela.

 

I'm going to break with tradition and offer my own impressions of this cigar. I found the El Original Lancero Maduro to be both brawny and elegant at the same time. The well-developed and constantly shifting complexity deriving from the 6-country blend provides the elegance, as does the format. The brawn is provided by a healthy dose of ligero in the filler. In fact, the first few draws from the examples I smoked were almost overpowering, but the strength fell quickly into balance with the flavors. The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance, and the burn was laser-straight throughout. Slow, gentle smoking yielded dense volumes of smoke - a quality I value highly in any cigar.

As their comments show, most of CW's panelists were similarly impressed by this cigar:

Pre-Smoke Comments

Fishin' Phil: Nice dark slightly veiny wrapper. Well executed pigtail cap. Draw was a little too tight for my liking. Nice subtle aroma. Very even burn with a good solid ash.

flipflop: Beautifully constructed cigar. I have high hopes for this. Smooth; only subtle veins. Pig tail cap is perfect.

TommyBB: As I've stated in a previous review, the lancero and perfecto shaped cigars, hearkening back to days of old, tend to intrigue me, and pique my interest. This lancero did that. I couldn't wait to smoke both samples with their rich, chocolate color, and ever so slight roughness complimented by the pig tail twist at the head of the cigar.

ronin: Nice looking cigar with a pigtail cap. In testing the feel it felt nicely rolled. Upon clipping and testing the draw, I found it to be a very easy draw.

SLR: Wrapper was a bit rough looking with some veins. It was also course and a bit dry looking. Nice solid feel, great draw, and good even burn. Overall a well constructed cigar.

Elk Twin: Lancero. Surprisingly little aroma from the baggie. Slid from the cello smoothly to reveal a naked muddy-brown cigar with some small veins, a tight roll, and a prominent pigtail. The cigar felt moist to me - not so much soft as supple and spongy. The cap cut cleanly and the draw was perfect. Again, hardly any discernable flavor on the pre-light draw.

Smoke Comments

Fishin' Phil:  Nicely balanced earthy flavors with kind of cocoa notes.

flipflop:  The draw was not easy but not tight either. An in between the two. Burn is darn near perfect. Nice subtle flavor; ample without being overpowering. Would like to have a bit more aroma. Draw got easier in second half.

TommyBB:   This cigar was quite satisfying  and enjoyable, I had burn issues on the second sample, so I'd like to revisit again to see if that's part of the character. I didn't smoke this any slower than normal, but not faster either, and had the second sample simply stop burning forcing me to relight. On a lancero, that could ruin the experience, but it didn't. This is a cigar worthy of a weekly visit.

ronin: The cigar took an even light and did produce volumes of smoke. It did have a tendency to burn uneven ad did require three touch ups. It seemed to be a very mild cigar. The first half of the cigar exhibited a grassy taste which at the mid point turned metallic and became more pronounced as it continued.

SLR: This cigar was rich in flavor, and had nice complexity. It stared out very strong, but mellowed as it was smoked down. It was on the sweet earthy side, with a slight perfume flavor on the finish. The wrapper left a nice sweetness on the tongue. What a great tasting cigar.

Elk Twin: Man, I just love this size! The flavor shines through and is focused brilliantly. From the first draws this cigar showed a classy blend that offered smooth, rich tobacco flavor embellished with opulent spiciness. The medium-grey ash was firm and grew to an astonishing length, hinting at the attention to detail in the construction. At the halfway mark the artful blend had transformed into a medium-strong symphony of spice and smooth leather that offered a hint of citrus. The aroma was rich and satisfying as well - a pleasant complement. The smooth finish was fleeting, leaving me wishing for more.

Summary Comments

Fishin' Phil:  I liked this cigar quite a bit. Flavor and aroma were both good, burn was excellent. My only complaint is the draw was lust a little tight.

flipflop: An excellent cigar that got even better in the second half. Flavor built nicely. This is not only a cigar I would recommend, this is a cigar I would buy. The only thing holding me back from giving it a better score is the lack of aroma. Best cigar I've reviewed for CW to date.

TommyBB: I enjoyed this cigar, before, during and after, from the moment I took the samples out of the shipping box. The lancero shape immediately drew me in, along with the rich looking wrapper leaf. The smoking experience was quite agreeable, burn issues aside. It's not the best cigar I've ever smoked, but it is one that brought me satisfaction, relaxation, and all that a cigar should be. It's worthy, depending upon the price point, of regular visits, as it were.

ronin: Overall, a very mundane cigar. Not a dog rocket, but a fair cigar. When I finished it, I could not find anything to really recommend this cigar. It would be a cigar to smoke while mowing the lawn. In other words, no real taste or complexity. Just a smoke.

SLR: This cigar is rough looking but the flavors are really good. Should appeal to those who enjoy strong sweet earthy cigars.

Elk Twin: This was a very well made cigar. The shape and blend combined to create a very pleasant experience. I liked this cigar and would recommend it. Smoke it slowly, though, and savor its complexity.

Scores

Review Results

The El Original line consists of eight sizes:

Corona (5.5" x 46 RG)

Robusto (5" x 50 RG)

Toro (6" x 52 RG)

Churchill (7" x 48 RG)

Lancero (7" x 39 RG)

Torpedo (6.25" x 54 RG)

Presidente (7" x 50 RG)

 

Available exclusively from Island Smoke Shop: http://www.islandsmokeshop.com

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