EH Lancero

In late February, Edgar Hoill Cigars announced that there would be a limited release of a 7 x 38 lancero vitola in the EH blend that would debut at the D.C. Cigar Tweetup held in Washington, D.C. on March 14 and 15. While exact details were scarce at the time, last months the company announced it would ship 600 boxes of EH Lanceros nationally priced at $10 per cigar.

(Image via EH Cigars)

In addition, each cigar would feature not only a pigtail cap, but also a covered foot, the first time either of those features has been used in the EH line. 

With the addition of the Lancero, there are now four different vitolas in the EH blend. They are:

• EH Vida (4 1/2 x 38 x54 x 22)  — $7.96 (Boxes of 10, $79.60) — Regular Production
• EH Cultera (4 1/2 x 38 x 54) — $8.96 (Boxes of 10, $89.60) — Regular Production
• EH Pasion (6 1/2 x 52 x 38) — $9.96 (Boxes of 10, $99.60) — Regular Production
• EH Lancero (7 x 38) — $10.00 (Boxes of 25, $250.00) — 600 Boxes of 25 (15,000 Total Cigars)

• Cigar Reviewed: EH Lancero
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: n/a
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 7 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 38
• Vitola: Lancero
• MSRP: $10.00 (Boxes of 25, $250.00)
• Release Date: May 22, 2014
• Number of Cigars Released: 600 Boxes of 25 (15,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3 

Wrapped in a splotchy milk chocolate brown wrapper, the EH Lancero puts off strong barnyard and hay, along with slight pepper. There is no oil noticeable on the wrapper, and it is fairly smooth to the touch. A small pigtail adorns the cap, and there is a covered foot as well. It is just a little spongy when squeezed and the predraw is a combination of sweet tobacco, coffee and black pepper.

The EH Lancero starts off with dense flavors of leather, dark chocolate, bitter espresso, vegetation and oak. There is very little sweetness in the first 15 puffs or so, but an aggressive black pepper is noticeable on the retrohale. A nice slight spice is evident on the tongue, but it does not stick around long and is gone by the end of the first third. I am picking up some very fleeting marshmallow sweetness that comes and goes though out as well. Construction-wise, the draw is wonderful with just the right amount of resistance while the burn is excellent, but there is below average amount of smoke. The strength rises slowly, and ends at a point about halfway between mild and medium by the end of the first third.

The marshmallow sweetness increases considerably around the start of the second third, along with a noticeably decrease in the black pepper that is present on the retrohale, although it is still strong enough to impact the profile. Other flavors flit in and out: dark chocolate, bitter espresso, walnuts, oak, creamy leather and an interesting tea leaf flavor that is quite strong at the halfway point. The spice that was present from the first third is long gone, and unfortunately, the smoke production has not increased. The burn and draw continue to be excellent, but the strength has gone almost nowhere, and ends the second third short of the medium mark.

The dry tea leaf flavor has almost disappeared by the beginning of the final third, and the sweetness has decreased as well, replaced by a slight but interesting floral note combined with the oak flavor from the first two thirds. Other flavors include coffee, nuts, earth and a bit of barnyard, but none of those are overly strong at any point. The black pepper on the retrohale seems to have gotten slightly stronger, but the amount of smoke production remains a disappointment. Strength-wise, the EH Lancero barely hits the medium mark, but the construction in the final third remains excellent, and I am easily able to smoke the nub down to less than an inch before putting it down. 

Final Notes

• Charlie Minato just reviewed the Asylum 13 99 Problems. It’s another lancero distributed by CLE/Fabricas Unidas that debuted at the 2014 D.C. Cigar Tweetup.
• Compared to most of his other releases, the band on the EH Lancero is quite understated and works well with the lancero vitola.
• The lancero vitola has quite a few firsts in the EH line: the first non-perfecto size, the first one to come in boxes of 25, the first vitola to come with a pigtail and covered foot, and the first without a separate name.
• Along with the above, I do wonder why there is not a separate name attached to the lancero, as with the other three cigars in the line.
• The construction of the three samples I smoked was excellent: a draw with a great resistance and a burn that rarely needed to be touched up.
• The 2014 DC Cigar Tweetup also included releases of the 2014 incarnation of the CroMagnon Formorian, the Miami Cigar Co. KILO, a new blend from Dante named Vita Nova and a robusto vitola in the Asylum 13 Ogre line.
• The cigars smoke for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time for all three samples averaged one hour and 35 minutes.