I noted last year that it was “raining lanceros” with brand owners filling out their portfolios with line extensions including the lancero vitola. George Rico, owner of Gran Habano Cigars also joined the party as he released a 50-count sampler box of his famed Corojo No. 5 Maduro Limitado 2011. As part of La Colección de Elegancia Corojo No. 5 Maduro, he added 3 new vitolas, one of which is the lancero.
The Gran Habano Corojo No. 5 Maduro is known by cigar enthusiasts as the strongest blend in the company’s portfolio. The bold blend is described as:
- Wrapper – Nicaraguan Maduro
- Binder – Habano
- Filler – Nicaraguan and Costa Rican
I am not sure if this is 7.5 x 38 vitola is available other than in the collection but I have reached out to Gran Habano to find out. I will update this post accordingly.
Pre-Light Examination
The Gran Habano Corojo No. 5 Maduro lancero is a finely constructed cigar that has a dark brown, oily and marbled wrapper which has a light tooth (grit) to the touch. There are just a few noticeable veins running along the barrel and the cigar is neatly finished with a traditional lancero twist cap.
The Corojo No. 5 Maduro lancero is adorned with two bands. The primary band is red with gold lettering that declares the cigar as the “Corojo No. 5 Gran Habano Maduro“. The Secondary band is just below and uses a gold and black motif and identifies this as the “Maduro No.5 Limitado 2011“
The aromas on this cigar are simply captivating with sweet curing barn notes on the barrel along with cocoa and vanilla bean secreting off the foot.
When it comes to a traditional twist cap on a lancero there are two ways I would select from to open it up. I might nip the cap off, in old school fashion, or use a straight slice to give it a clean cut. For this review I opted for the straight cut. I just like the smooth feel on the tongue. I proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs and was impressed with the pleasant restriction and notes of earth and black pepper notes. As puffed a little more i started to note a peanut note hiding in the mix.
With the pre-light examination complete and having me intrigued to smoke this, it was time to get it ignited. I chose to use a cedar spill to warm the foot, as I do not suggest a torch to ignite a lancero. The soft flame of the spill does the trick and it was time to see how the Corojo No. 5 Maduro lancero stacks up in the Stogie Press lancero battle.
Cigar Review Notes
- Sea salt and spice starts the journey with a very smooth retro-hale
- Medium to dark grey ash develops resting on a thick char line
- A fragrant fruit aroma wafts off the foot
- Ash fell after a bit more than an inch with a flat but centered burn cone
- Creamy notes enter
- Light spice is the predominant note but notes of coffee and nut lay nicely on the palate
- Peppery spice enters on the retro-hale in the second quarter as the strength starts to increase
- There is a slight off burn in the second quarter
- Citrus fruit with a dark chocolate finish enter
- Aroma moves to more of an an earthy note
- Sweetness enters just south of secondary band
- Spice increases in the final quarter
- Finishes at full strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 50 minutes
Overall, the Gran Habano Corojo No. 5 Maduro lancero put on quite a performance with a complex array of flavor notes that kept me interested from foot to nub. The strength on this creeps up on you and finishes at a solid full in the final quarter. From a construction perspective it never went out, never got squishy, and did not require a re-light but it did have a slight off burn in the second quarter. I rate this a 93 and would suggest, if you are a lancero lover, picking up a fiver to add to your rotation.
Point Deductions: (-1) Off Burn; (-1); Flat Burn Cone; (-1) Medium Grey Ash
