Way back in the beginning of time, Stogie Press time that is, I reviewed the Blanco Nine Robusto. That was back in 2014. It had to be one of the shortest reviews I ever did and certainly one of the first ever on Stogie Press. Now six plus years later, Stogie Press has matured in many ways as has Blanco Cigars. I am pleased to offer a review of the lancero variety of the Blanco Nine.
The Blanco Nine goes back well over a decade to when the company was known as Los Blancos and was operated by a young David Blanco along with his father and uncle. I asked David, in a recent Taking It To The Nub episode, how he came up with the name “Nine”. He explained simply, it was the ninth blend they tried.
Blanco Cigars are hand crafted at the Plasencia factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, but that was not always the case, especially with the early blends like the Blanco Nine, which were crafted at the Segovia factory back in the day.
The Blanco Nine has a blend described as:
- Wrapper – Nicaraguan Oscuro Corojo
- Binder – Nicaraguan Jalapa
- Filler – Nicaraguan Ligero
The Blanco Nine line is expressed in 7 vitolas and come packaged in 20-count hand crafted cedar boxes except the lancero which comes in 30-count, the Minutos which come in 5 packs, and the JT Limitada which comes in 10-count boxes.
- Double Corona (7 x 52) MSRP $10.40
- Lancero (7 x 38) MSRP $9.27
- Torpedo (6.5 x 52) MSRP $9.85
- Toro (6.25 x 52) MSRP $9.27
- Robusto (5 x 52) MSRP $8.70
- Minutos (4 x 38) MSRP $17.50/ pack of 5
- JT Limitada (6.25 x 58) MSRP $14.25
As noted, I sampled the Blanco Nine Lancero, which I received from Blanco Cigars for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
The Blanco Nine Lancero has a dark coffee bean brown wrapper with a deep reddish tinge to it. There is a light sheen along the smooth wrapper leaf and seems to be decently packed. The cigar is expertly finished with a well applied triple cap. Very nice for a lancero.
A single black and silver band adorns the Blanco Nine with he company’s logo proudly centered. The name “BLANCO” is printed across the top and the word “NINE” on the bottom.
Running the barrel along the nose I detected a mildy pungent fermented leaf aroma and moving to the foot I picked up an earthy note.
I sliced the cap straight along the shoulder of the barrel and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs that had a restriction much to my liking and offered peppery notes on the lips and tongue along with a hint of butter on the palate.
I used the soft flame of a cedar spill to warm the foot to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of sweet and pepper smoke. Follow along as I burn the Blanco Nine lancero to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Natural Sweetness and pepper notes to start the journey
- Cedar notes join the profile
- Light Grey ash forms on a thin wavy char line
- Sweetness increases
- Decent ash fell with a pointed but centered burn cone
- Cocoa aroma wafts off the foot and fills the air
- Touch of spice moves in
- Vanilla notes add to the pleasure
- Slight off burn develops near the end
- Added spice down to the final
- Medium to full in strength
- Total Smoking time was 1 hour and 40 minutes
Overall, the Blanco Nine Lancero was a pleasurable and enjoyable lancero with a balanced array of notes and aromas from foot to nub. It was a well constructed lancero with minimal burn issues, never needing a touch-up or a re-light during the journey. Thinking back to 2014 when I reviewed the robusto, I enjoyed that and enjoyed this. This one is a box worthy lancero and I rate it a 92.
Point Deductions: (-1) Wavy Char Line; (-1) Slight Off Burn; (-1) Pointed Burn Cone
Bonus Points: (+1) Buy a Box
