Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Rosado
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican, Mata Fina, Dark Fire
Size: 5 x 52 “552”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $8.00

First, I want to thank Jack Toraño for sending me some samples. The Toraño Family is distributing this cigar. The Leccia web site is not up and running yet so I can’t glean any info from it. As everyone knows, Sam Leccia was the designer for Nub and Cain cigars.

It wasn’t until 2012, that Sam Leccia was able to break the relationship with Oliva and start his own company. He had tried to release a cigar in 2011 called “Debut,” but the Oliva Company stopped it. And the legal hassle continued. Sam declared that the new blends have nothing to do with the Debut blend. He started from scratch when developing the current blends. His current company resides in Pittsburgh.

“For the last couple of years I’ve been dreaming of the day when I could get back to the industry that I love,” said Leccia. From Cigar Aficionado.

Black and White will come in four sizes: 4 x 46, 5 x 52, 6 x 50, and 6 x 60

Construction is excellent. Invisible seams. Lots of veins…a light oily sheen.

I do the snifferoo and detect a smoky whisky aroma like the brochure says. This is from the Dark Fire process which means the tobacco is wood fire cured, “..seldom used in the cigar business. (Almost all cigar tobaccos are air cured.)” From Cigar Aficionado.

The aroma, from the clipped cap, is very bold and potent. While the foot of the cigar provides a more intense point for obtaining aromas, a clipped cap is much more intense.

The smokiness is so strong; I really cannot discern other aromas, so I light up.

The first puffs are a blast of red pepper. The smokiness creates an interesting component that matches perfectly with the spiciness.
Some cigars, you are just very lucky with. You can get them, dry box them for 24 hours, and light them up the next day and get all the intent the blender wanted you to taste. I took a chance with this cigar by lighting it up and hoping for the best. And I was rewarded. Very few cigars will fit into this profile.

Smoke pours from the foot. The char line is dead nuts. Spice and smokiness, with a bit of cedar permeate the early beginning.

I’m sure there are other cigars that do something along the line of whisky imbued aromas but they are either very cheap or very expensive. One being artificially applied and the other, like the Leccia Black, get there the right way. Patience.

The body is classic medium at the first inch mark. The ash, which is a mixture of gray and white, falls from the stick easily. It is very delicate and fragile.

A tobacco sweetness appears. And then comes the creaminess. Meanwhile, the spiciness has not faltered. A cocoa arrives…the Nic part of the cigar. The smokiness no longer dominates the flavor profile but adds, along with the sweetness, a delightful asset in no other cigar I’ve smoked
The creaminess ratchets up. The cocoa and, now, some coffee enter the arena.

You would think that a smoky whisky flavor along with sweetness would create a BBQ flavor, but it does not. I have no urge for ribs or brisket. I come close to the end of the first third and this cigar is telling me it will be a flavor bomb. Flavors keep expanding exponentially. They arise from the depths like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. (One of my favorite “B” movies from the 1950’s).

The cigar finds its complexity at the beginning of the second third. The flavors intertwine and mingle so that nothing really stands out above the other. Remember when they tried “Smell-O-Vision in the early 1960’s? Of course you don’t. But I do. I wish I could produce Taste-O-Vision because this cigar is becoming so spectacular that my words don’t accurately describe what this cigar is pumping out.

I’m sure there are more discreet flavors swimming around but, for me, this is all I need. Proper aging should allow those flavors to show themselves in six months to one year. At that point, the blender’s intent will be self-evident. Now, I’m getting a spectacular preview of what this cigar has to offer for those who are patient. But this preview is stunning. I will need more of these. Plus, I haven’t even gotten to this cigar’s partner: White. A full bodied cigar. I truly look forward to it.

The second third sees the creaminess, smokiness, sweetness, cocoa, coffee, cedar, and spice do the dance from “Fantasia.” Really. This is the first cigar of the day for me, when my palate is fresh, and I’m tasting it all, baby.

It took a while for Leccia to set a new standard, like he did with the Nub and Cain…but it was worth the wait. This is a great cigar and I’m happy for Sam. He went through a lot of crap and I’m sure, undeservedly so. The problem is that when you are young, the vultures lurk everywhere. I learned the hard way in the music business and I’m sure the cigar biz ain’t no different.

I move in towards the halfway point and the cigar is singing to me…What a wonderful flavor bomb.

As Sam is still a young man, I predict big things for him. His latest incarnation of blending is nothing short of impressive. By the time he gets to be Jack Toraño’s age, he will have become a master blender who will take his place as a mover and shaker in the cigar industry.
OK. I’ve schmoozed Leccia enough now.

The halfway point sees the flavors just explode. My palate is in overload. Yes, I am gushing over this cigar. But if you read my reviews, like the last one, I don’t do this unless I fall in love with a cigar. I ripped the cigar in my last review a new one. So just because someone is kind enough to turn me on to some samples doesn’t mean I’m beholden to them to write a brilliant, favorable review.

Clearly, this robusto size was made for this flavor explosion. I’m partial to robusto or smaller, because they seem to age quicker, and have a more intense flavor profile.

I highly recommend that you only sip water with this stick. Anything else will only diffuse the flavor profile.

The last third begins and the flavors have not skipped a beat. The body is still classic medium. The nicotine is non-existent at this point.
The spiciness has tamped down quite a bit while the rest of the flavors are complex and have a very long finish. They have me doing that lip smacking thing I do.

The balance on the stick is perfect. The char line has been a bit wavy throughout the duration, but it has never gotten out of hand and required any touch ups. The cigar remains very cool. And not a hint of harshness.

A few retailers have both the Black and White cigars in stock. At $8, it ain’t cheap, but it isn’t expensive. Especially, considering the quality of the blend.

This is a whole new experience for me. And once more, Leccia, has broken new ground.

I love it when I can gush over a cigar. You might think it’s all B.S….but it truly comes from the heart. I’ve written close to a thousand reviews and I write what I taste. And I don’t gush easily.

With just a couple inches to go, it’s Flavors on Parade. That smokiness has been riding high during the entire smoke. It makes this stick such a unique cigar and one that I wasn’t expecting such incredible flavor from.

Time to remove the band and it fights me a little so I just slide it off.

As I finish the cigar, the enjoyment quotient is so high, that I want another one. The cigar is billed as medium/full, but for me, it never reaches that fullness.

I think the Toraño Family deserves a great deal of respect for helping Sam in getting his new cigars to market. And to Sam, I say, Kudos. A job, very well done.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS