At the 2015 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, D’Crossier Cigars introduced a both a new blend and a new vitola.

Dubbed the D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero, the 7 1/2 x 38 lancero shares a name with the brands previously released Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 line, that is where the similarities end. The new lancero features not only a different packaging and band, but also a different blend, incorporating an Ecuadorian habano 2000 wrapper, an undisclosed binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos as opposed to the Costa Rican sumatra binder and Costa Rica and Dominican filler on the original Flor de D’Crossier Selection 512.

A post on D’Crossier’s website explains about the origin of the lancero:

Santana-Diaz was inspired to create this cigar by the memory of his father’s earlier years studying for his master’s degree in economics. He vividly remembers the days when his father could be found sitting in the living room on his favorite green couch with nothing more than a giant university book and a cigar. His father’s cigar of choice was a Lancero Vitola, which was provided primarily to government officials in those days. The image of this Vitola remained fixed in the mind of Santana-Diaz, awaiting the time and place when he would reinvent it.

D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero Box 1 D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero Box 2 D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero Box 3

All of the Selection No. 512 Lanceros were rolled by a single roller in the company’s Pure Aroma Cigars S.A. factory in Costa Rica and were aged for 13 months before being released. The total annual production is limited to 20,000 cigars packaged in boxes of 20, with each cigars retailing for $13.

There are now seven different releases in the Selection No. 512 line.

Flor de D'Crossier Selection No. 512 Vitolas-2

  • Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Coloniales (5 1/8 x 44) — $6 (Jars of 20, $120) — Regular Production
  • Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 46) — $6.20 (Jars of 20, $124) — Regular Production
  • Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Hermosos #2 (5 7/8 x 48)— $6.40 (Jars of 20, $128) — Regular Production
  • Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Magnificos (5 7/8 x 52) — $7.20 (Jars of 15, $108) — Regular Production
  • Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Campana (6 x 54) — $7.20 (Jars of 15, $114) — Regular Production
  • Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Geniales (6 1/2 x 54) — $7.40 (Jars of 15, $120) — Regular Production
  • D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero (7 1/2 x 38) — $13 (Boxes of 20, $260) — 1,000 Boxes of 20 Cigars (20,000 Total Cigars)

D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero 1

  • Cigar Reviewed: D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero
  • Country of Origin: Costa Rica
  • Factory: Pure Aroma Cigars S.A.
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian habano 2000
  • Binder: n/a
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Size: 7 1/2 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 38
  • Vitola: Lancero
  • MSRP: $13 (Boxes of 20, $260)
  • Release Date: Aug. 4, 2015
  • Number of Cigars Released: 200 Boxes of 20 Cigars (4,000 Total Cigars)[ref]Annual production is set to be 20,000 cigars per year going forward.[/ref]
  • Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3

The D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero  is visually enticing, with a light brown wrapper that is silky smooth to the touch and great give when squeezed. There is some slight oil present, along with a few obvious veins running up and down the length. Aroma from the wrapper is a combination of sawdust, vanilla sweetness, almonds and oak, while the cold draw brings flavors of aged oak, baker’s spices, cinnamon, nuts and a touch of pepper on my tongue.

Starting of the first third, the D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero features some dominant flavors of creamy peanuts and oak, interspersed with notes of hay, leather, powdery cocoa, dark coffee and black licorice. There is some very nice black pepper on the retrohale that shows no signs of receding anytime soon, along with a very distinct honey sweetness that really combines well with the rest of the profile. Smoke production is enormous off of the foot, while both the burn and the draw are giving me no issues whatsoever so far. The overall strength is light so far, and barely reaches a point halfway between mild and medium by the time the first third draws to an end.

D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero 2

The honey sweetness from the first third begins to intensify around the start of the second third of the D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero, hitting its high point right around the halfway point. The dominant flavors remain a combination of creamy oak and roasted peanuts, but is joined by a dark chocolate note, as well as flavors of leather, gritty earth, espresso beans, vanilla and dry hay. There is still some very distinct black pepper on the retrohale, and the smoke production continues to roll off of the foot like a house on fire. Construction-wise, both the burn and draw continue to impress, and while the strength has increased, it is still just below the medium mark by the end of the second third.

D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero 3

Coming into the final third of the D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero, and the combination of creamy oak and roasted peanuts remain the dominant flavors on the palate, and while the honey sweetness is still a major part of the profile, it is noticeably reduced from its high in the second third. Other notes of hay, dark cocoa, coffee beans, buttery popcorn, cinnamon and slight herbal flit in and out, while the smoke production remains on course. The draw remains excellent through the final third, but I do have to correct the burn a couple of times to avoid it getting out of hand. The overall strength finally hits the medium mark by the time I put the nub down with less than an inch left.

D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero 4

Final Notes:

  • I really do love the fact that this lancero was rolled at 7 1/2 inches instead of the 7 inches that is more commonly seen. For edification, a traditional Cuban lancero, the El Laguito No.1, is also a 7 1/2 (192mm) x 38 vitola.
  • The number of cigars released for this cigar is a bit confusing: there have been 200 boxes of 20 released by the end of the year, but the lancero will be limited to 1,000 boxes of 20 in subsequent years.
  • The other vitolas in the Flor de D’Crossier Selection No. 512 line are sold in cardboard tubes that are sealed with a soda-can style lid. The Lancero is the only size so far that is packaged in traditional boxes.
  • Each of the cigars actually have holes cut in the cello that covers it.
  • The 512 in the name is meant to commemorate the address in Costa Rica where the D’Crossier line was first made back in 2008.
  • In May, D’Crossier signed a distribution agreement with Espinosa Premium Cigars.
  • You can see my coverage of the D’Crossier booth at the 2015 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show here.
  • The final smoking time for all three samples averaged one hour and 35 minutes.
  • The cigars smoked for this review were sent to halfwheel by D’Crossier Cigars.
  • If you would like to purchase any of the D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero cigars, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar have them in stock.
92 Overall Score

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the D’Crossier Golden Blend 10 Years and the Selection No. 512 Lancero is even better. The combination of ever-present, but never overwhelming black pepper, distinct honey sweetness on the retrohale along with creamy peanuts and oak on the palate makes this a winner. Complex, nuanced and above all excellently balanced,  the D’Crossier Selection No. 512 Lancero is easily one of the best cigars I have smoked this year, and one that I cannot wait to smoke again.

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Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.