Wrapper: Corojo Maduro (10 Years Aged)
Binder: Indonesian Sumatra
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano Ligero, Nicaraguan Ligero, Pennsylvania Ligero, Dominican Olor
Size: 7 x 44 Lancero
Strength: Full
Price: $20.00+
BACKGROUND:
These cigars were released in 2022. I’ve had this Lancero in my humidor for some time and since 18.625% of my brain is slightly fried, I don’t remember who gave it to me. I am entering this review totally blind. (I have put in an application to be a comfort ferret at children’s cancer wards and for politicians that have served time).
That being said, according to the Sinistro website, the release included only a Robusto and a Toro. I found no mention of the Lancero size on the interwebs. Still, the leaf stats are the same according to certain sources.
From Sinistro Cigars:
“The most gifted cigar rollers at the Tabacalera El Artista factory that uses a Dominican Corojo Maduro wrapper that has been aged for 10 years and made in one of the world’s most historic cigar factories in Tamboril, Dominican Republic.”
It is a limited-edition release. The Lancero must have been handed out to Mossad operatives who have retired and are now living in South Florida.
The Robusto and Toro sizes are still available. Seek them out…maybe. We shall see.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Woke up with a stiff neck…at my age, that is the only thing that is stiff when I wake up.
Badda-Boom (snare drum and cymbal hit).
Aromas are faint and would require a smarter man than I to describe them…OK. A bit of baking spice, cinnamon, black pepper, bourbon, and a hint of vanilla.
The draw is a bit tight for my tastes. I am truly a snob about the draw on any cigar I smoke. After all, I paid the average price point of $32K for a cigar and I should be able to get what I want. I use my PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool. This ring gauge is tiny. Piercing the wrapper is always a concern…but then I am a professional. I carefully insert the tool and find a small plug near the cigar band position. I remove the tool and the draw is spot on.
https://theperfecsmoke.com/
The wrapper is aged 10 years. That may be the reason that initial aromas were faint…but present. The leaf stats are intriguing…much more so than the usual Nic puro that has become common place. This stick should follow suit and impart serious depth and complexity.
First notes are very sweet. Courvoisier comes to mind immediately. The sweetness of orange and the hint of aged alcohol are an unusual, but pleasant, start.
Following the libation…notes of creaminess, milk chocolate, aged NY Strip steak, cinnamon buns, vanilla, slight maltiness, cedar, and BBQ potato chips appear. That was certainly odd. I like it.
It takes a few minutes but complexity digs its heels in and we’re off…
A frolicking depth is a sudden surprise. The savory part of the blend noodges itself into equal balance with all the sweet notes in hand. My favorite type of blend.
Linear is not in the equation. Every puff intensifies the blender’s intent. A smooth, and increasingly flavorful, cigar that spreads its wings minute after minute.
I have a long way to go but if this blend continues on its path of righteousness, it will be a stunner and absolutely worth the $20+/- price point. This is by far the best Sinistro I’ve smoked…I’ve reviewed four Sinistros going back to 2019 and loved them. But I’ve also smoked some that were just OK and didn’t warrant a review. This blend is a showoff.
Unflavored beef jerky appears with a touch of sweetness and that satisfying dried meat taste.
Strength has been a solid medium. The cigar is rated as a full tilt experience. I don my crash helmet for when I get the spins in the second half. My mother was over bearing and made me wear one every time I went outside until I graduated high school.
Watched “The 40-Year Old Virgin” yesterday and I laughed at the scene where Steve Carell is on his bike and his front tire hit a grate and he went elbows over knees on to the ground. Don’t see that type of grate any longer…but I did that once in middle school on my 10 speed. Lucky that I was young and bendy. Today? I’d need all my joints replaced.
The construction is on the money. It is a slow roll smoke that I expect to be a 90 minute bike ride. The char line is razor sharp.
I’ve smoked 2” in 25 minutes.
Black pepper shows up…giving the blend a kick in the arse.
So far, this is an exquisite blend. I’d love to snag a fiver of the Toros.
My gut tells me this is a cigar that doesn’t need much humi time. It was built to hit the ground running.
Strength hits medium/full. My vision is becoming narrower.
A smooth fun time is had by all. I sometimes speak of myself in the plural.
I did a Facetime with longtime friend, Detective Moshe Gonazlez-Gonzales last week. He asked me to take my shirt off. I did so. The screen went black. But I could hear him making sounds like a 15-year-old dry humping his first girlfriend. Fortunately, it only lasted 45 seconds…and then we continued to discuss the war in Ukraine.
This snausage is packed to the gullets. A very slow smoke. It allows the flavor profile, the complexity, the depth, and the transitions to develop in sync with an elephant fetus.
Oddly, the finish is milder than a 73-year old’s wet dream.
The strength is gentle. Yeah, I’m losing vision in both eyes but it is gradual instead of suddenly being hit with a ball peen hammer by Jeffrey Dahmer.
Speaking of which…in the 70’s, I went to an adult bookstore that had small booths where you put your quarters in and watched porno movies on a small screen. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I saw whitish stains everywhere…well…especially on the TV screen…it was ‘feets don’t fail me now’ time. I burst out of that booth like a reverse black hole. I raced home and showered twice. Thank God for Porn Hub.
The cigar stays with all my aforementioned flavor points. Nothing is added. Notes are canonized, which is fine. The only changes are the increased depth and complexity.
It has taken me an hour to get to the halfway point. (I hear screams of “Oh shit!” by my readers who dread more prose). I’ll take a break from writing and allow you to just scroll down to the score I gave this cigar. And then you can go on with your day battling Gen Z’ers to the death over incorrect pronouns.
The first major sweet spot drops. Intensity is upped to capo di tutti i capi. It’s not personal…it’s business.
Despite its strength, this might be a great cigar for newbies to experience. The strong blend is gradual in its attack and therefore survivable.
So many expensive cigars in the marketplace the last couple of years. Most ain’t worth the price of admission. The NV Edition is the exception. A slow roll. Intense and gorgeously attentive. This is what every $20-something cigar should taste like.
Copeland’s dad, Miles Jr, had me do a few envelope drops when Curved Air toured Europe. It was exciting. I was 25 and stupid. Several years later, a good friend who served in Vietnam as a Marine Sergeant, was recruited by the CIA. He got us contractor gigs to do things. The dough was huge and it paid for our Hollywood recording sessions. After the third time, I bailed. I didn’t have the mental tools to deal with that shit. Fortunately, nothing bad happened. I was lucky. Ahh…sweet and ignorant youth.
I believe the strength has hit full tilt. Glad I’m wearing a helmet. As strong as it is now, I have no fear of death from the spins. This cigar is delicious and I refuse to put it down because I’m a wuss.
This release is super limited but if you look around online, there are a few shops still selling this cigar. I’d jump on a fiver. I’m surprised it hasn’t sold out by now. I’m sure that $100+ for five sticks is the reason.
The NV Edition is an example of passionate blending. I’m happy that I had the chance to review it.
RATING: 95
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
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