TX Duo Review - Aladino Vintage Selection Lancero

[Çnote]

@Capn_Jackson really appreciates a Lancero. We're declaring September Lancero month, with some Ninfas and a Double Corona thrown in for luck. I think this is Jackson's new favorite for a day to day lancero, something easy to stock.

Wrapper and cold draw show a bit of barnyard and toasted tobacco. 1st puffs are minerally earth, with traces of Quiche Lorraine. It immediately gets fiddly and I'm concentrating on sipping and setting it down every puff.

Creamy cedar, sour citron. Picks up a blast of campfire oak, surprisingly satisfying for the profile, I generally roll a little sweeter.

Getting to 2nd3rd, glossy classic tobacco with wisps of spice and cedar. Mouth coating rich if a little generic. Itch scratching.

Peach pie at the 1/2 way point 👉 👈 It's finally to the length where I'm not afraid the leverage of picking it up will break it. Progresses into blonde caramel, toasted peanuts and hazelnuts. I see what Jackson likes about this.

Fantastic construction. No touchups, barely a wave on the burn line and that’s probably from the light breeze on the patio.

Getting into last inches picks up sour and bitter, but that's 100% my tiny cut. A little edge work and it opens up into spicy light cream with earth and oak until the last 1/2 inch is bitter with tar.

Overall very satisfying, if not with lazerbeams of flavor. A generous 89-90. 

[Capn_Jackson]

Aladino Vintage Selection Elegante (Lancero)

Hooray for skinnies!

Honduran filler, not sure but probably Corojo. Evidently a Corojo binder too, but this particular line of Aladino has a Honduran Habano wrapper, not utilized in their other lines. They say the original Vintage Rothchild cigars were rolled in 2015 and 2016, and that there might’ve been additional aging of the leaf before rolling. I’m intrigued.

Not sure when the lanceros were rolled. The Lancero and Toro were introduced a year after the Rothschild, in May 2021. Presumably still aged as long, hence the name, but who knows.

Cold draw: berries, tart cream, wood.

The opening has excellent notes of pecan and toast, some kind of dried fruit or berry, can’t tell yet. Creamy texture, and also some great caramel crème flavor. Really liking the beginning of this. Moving on, slightly over-toasted marzipan. There is also a funky cheese note, and a whisps of mushroom. Honestly, this has some very small reminiscence to LGC Medaille d’Or, the king of skinnies. It’s not quite that level, but shares some DNA. Just a touch more cocoa sweetness than I typically get in an MdO. Very creamy texture. The ash seems to have a mind of its own, which I’m used to with this size. 

2nd third continues down the funk train with nutty cheeses and mushroom. Such a creamy texture, and loads of smoke output. This is turning out to be one of the better NC Lanceros I have smoked. Actually, it’s turning out to be one of the best lanceros I have smoked, regardless of origin. Still not ranking up there with my MdO’s, but much more than just a stand-in, nonetheless.

Around the middle I get a bit of leather, some coriander and spiced orange cake. Maybe a hint of pepper, which dies away quickly. Many of the flavor notes in that first half have been subtle, could be easily overpowered if drinking anything strong or bitter with it. Perhaps even coffee, though this might couple really well with a flat white. No nicotine kick to speak of, somewhere under medium in the strength category. I often hear people say they won’t smoke Lanceros and skinnies, because they have to “nurse” them to get the depth of flavor. In this case, it’s well worth the finicky temperament.

In the last act, some mild pepper makes its way into the mix again, for just a touch of heat on top of the savory notes already playing on my palate and in the nose. Also a little bit more caramel crème, with a dash of hazelnuts. Just the right touch of anise joins the mix, too. This is rounding out to be a great smoking experience, and I won’t hesitate to add more of these to my pile. Great stuff here!

92 from me.

[griller]

Great reviews, thanks for sharing. I'm a big fan of this particular NC & can confirm that they age very well, too.