Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 7.25 x 46
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $10.50

This is a Viaje. Translation: It ain’t cheap. But in its defense, almost the entire blend is worth the cost of the cigar. The Super Lance is the ninth blend to be released from the Exclusivo Series. This series of cigars are based upon owner, Andre Farkas’, personal blends.

As are most Viajes, this stick is a Nicaraguan puro.
Construction is excellent but as in most Viajes, there is a bit of a rustic quality to the appearance. There is no shortage of veins. But seams are tight. The wrapper is a medium brown akin to milk chocolate. It has a bit of mottling. The triple cap with a small pigtail is a nice touch. And there is a nice oily sheen. As usual, the band is ornate but never delineates which blend it is. One must depend on one’s memory to remember what this cigar is 6 months from now.

I sniff and detect spice. In fact, I sniff the foot so long that the spiciness makes my eyes water. There is also the aroma of tea and lemon zest. Earl Grey. There is just a touch of sweetness in the mix. And quite a striking dose of cedar. That’s a lot of aromas.

I clip the stick and light up.

I get a small blast of spice. The draw is perfect. The Exclusivo series has always given me burn issues and this cigar is no different. Immediately, the burn line becomes erratic and I quickly give it a touch up to keep it from turning into a canoe. It’s better now, but far from perfect.

The spiciness increases while the citrusy flavor and the Early Gray linger in the background. There is a bit of cocoa; but just faintly.
I am forced to touch up the foot again. Hopefully, it will be the last.

At the end of the 1” point, the cocoa becomes much stronger and some creaminess joins it. If you’re English, you know never to mix Earl Gray with milk, only lemon. So we have the best of both worlds here.

While living in England, I had a hard time adjusting to “tea time.” 4pm, like clockwork, everything stops and you have tea and biscuits (cookies). And the English always put a bit of cream or milk in their tea. I got the hang of it and ended up drinking it that way without thinking. Of course, nowadays, the Brits are Starbucked so the old days of tea time are probably a scarcity.

The body is classic medium at this point. I am approaching the end of the first third and nothing has changed yet. There is a nice combo of flavors and the spiciness is right on.
As I write this, I have to remind myself that this stick costs over $10. I have some sticks that cost half that that I truly love. I have no idea why the stick is so expensive. The blenders usually attribute it to shortage of material. I attribute it to the blender’s shortage of college dough for his kids.

No doubt, this is a very pleasant cigar. At the beginning of the second third, the flavor profile becomes complex. The difference between a $5 stick and an $11 stick.
The flavors morph.

Citrus, tea, coffee, cocoa, creaminess, cedar and pepper are all there and accounted for.

The creaminess makes a leap. It comes in huge waves bringing out the best in the other flavors.

At the halfway point, the flavors really take off. They produce a very long finish. And are perfectly balanced.

By the way, I got these from Atlantic Cigar which still have a few left: http://www.atlanticcigar.com/All-Cigars/Viaje-Exclusivo-Super-Lancero.asp

I don’t understand why an expensive cigar has burn problems. Especially, in its entire line of blends. There is no longer a burn line, more like a space station photo of the western coast of Mexico.

The creaminess really brings out the tea flavor. In fact the tea is so strong, it reminds of the DE Cold Infusion Tea cigar. Just not as cloying.

The halfway point melts away and the last third begins. Due to the ring gauge, the stick is a quick burner. It’s taken me a bit over 35 minutes to get here. The strength is still at classic medium. I imagine that at any moment, I will be hit in the puss with a full dose of nicotine and off we go; although, I made sure to eat my bowl of cereal prior to the review.
About 6 months ago, I bought a box of Viaje Oros. They were about $2 a stick cheaper than this one. And I still have half of them left. Six months does a lot of good for a Viaje. After this one, the rest will go to sleep for a while.

The last couple inches see the spice ramp up. My tongue is really feeling the affect. While the flavors have excelled, I would not configure this stick as a flavor bomb. The creaminess, spice, and tea are doing all the heavy lifting. The citrus, coffee, and cocoa are laying back.

This cigar is in the position of you wanting to say you tried it. Because none of the Exclusivo blends last long as they are all made in small batches. I contacted Garland at Atlantic about their Viaje Exclusivo Anniversary cigar that I fell in love with; but didn’t last long. He told me they were a small batch and gone forever. I think that house cigar was better than the Super Lance. And it too was a couple bucks cheaper per stick. I reviewed the cigar on this blog.

The body moves to full with just a couple inches to go. I always feel it first in my head.

I read in one review how they reviewer thought there were baking spices in the last third. I have to admit that with all the other flavors booming along, it is very difficult to taste something as subtle as spices. Maybe my palate is just not as attuned as his.

As the strength increases, so do the flavors.

This is an excellent cigar. Would I buy more if I had the opportunity? Probably not. $52 for a 5 pack goes around just once in a while. And then, the cigar would have to be so spectacular that my boxers fall off. But if you are a Viaje fan, like me, you want to try all the small batch blends so that you can satisfy your curiosity and also be able to discuss it should it come up.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS