West Tampa Tobacco Co. Red Lancero

To kick off the summer of 2024, West Tampa Tobacco Co. added a 7 x 40 lancero vitola to its three core lines: the Black, Red and White. It’s a size that’s a bit shorter and thicker than what might be considered a traditional lancero, which measures 7 9/16 x 38, but it’s certainly not an egregious misuse of the term.

Regardless of the blend, each cigar has an MSRP of $10.99 per cigar and comes in boxes of 20 cigars priced at $219.80. The lancero became the fourth size for all three lines, joining a 5 x 50 robusto, a 6 x 52 toro, and a 6 x 60 gordo that the company calls Gigante.

In terms of blend, the West Tampa Tobacco Co. Red uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, while the binder comes from Nicaragua’s Condega region and the fillers come from Condega and Estelí. It is the newest of the three core lines, debuting in May 2023.

“West Tampa Red gave me the opportunity to sit down with the factory and really focus on creating a blend that I enjoy,” said Rick Rodriguez, master blender and co-owner of West Tampa Tobacco Co., via a press release when the cigar was announced in February 2023. “Normally when I blend cigars, I don’t blend for what I like, I blend cigars for what my fans enjoy. Red will be a reflection of what I believe is the next piece to lay in the West Tampa puzzle, a full-bodied cigar that delivers the full flavor consumers have come to enjoy from West Tampa.”

The cigars are produced by Garmendia Cigars Co. in Estelí, Nicaragua.

• Cigar Reviewed: West Tampa Tobacco Co. Red Lancero
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Garmendia Cigars Co.
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Nicaragua (Condega)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega and Estelí)
• Length: 7 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 40
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $10.99 (Box of 20, $219.80)
• Release Date: June 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

I really like the way the colors of the band complement the color of the wrapper leaves; thanks to its rich, earthy colors, it looks like it could be inspired by—or the inspiration for—a fall outfit you’d see in a fashion magazine. The wrapper is a pretty uniform dark brown, with very small spots that get a bit darker, but not enough I would call it a mottled color. They look good visually with no issues along the seam lines or with how the heads are constructed. There isn’t much of an oily sheen, but I do pick up some oil on my fingers from two of the three cigars. The cigars are firm with just a touch of give, a consistent feeling both within each cigar and across the three cigars. The foot has a fairly nondescript aroma, drawing on dry tobacco and an assortment of cereal grains for the majority of what I smell. The cold draw is impressively smooth with a creamy flavor but not much beyond that.

The West Tampa Tobacco Co. Red Lancero starts with a mellow, medium-intensity note with some earth, creaminess and pepper as the main contributors, with retrohales almost identical except for the addition of some smokiness. One cigar has a touch of roasted peanut shells, a flavor I haven’t had in a while, either from a cigar or from the actual food. That same cigar has both a drier profile and a bit more of a mouth-drying effect. I find that the most complete experience of the West Tampa Tobacco Co. Red Lancero, I need to combine puffs with retrohales, as while I like what’s going on with the flavor, it’s a bit too mild on its own for me, a situation remedied by some adding black pepper tingle in the nose. The combination offers a much more developed and pleasing profile. Flavor is medium-minus without retrohales and medium with them, body is medium-minus and strength is mild. Construction is very good and problem-free thus far.

The second third starts with just a touch more earthiness in the profile, but I wouldn’t call it a profound change and certainly one that could be overlooked amidst a compelling conversation. But I do notice it is when I take my first retrohale, as there’s a bit more pepper through the nose and it seems to amplify that earthiness in the flavor. There are some really enjoyable retrohales around the midpoint, with a bright pepper and a soft earth that balance each other out. The combustion rate seems to accelerate through this section, almost as if the steadily intensifying earth is speeding things along. The flavor is medium-plus for most of this section, a bit more intense with a retrohale, while body is medium and strength is still mild. The draw, burn line and smoke production are all very good, though combustion can struggle at times, as two cigars need a relight while one doesn’t.

The final third sees the flavor intensify another tick or two, with dry earth taking the lead and pepper second, and for the first time thus far, no creaminess in the profile. For a flavor that has been very good, if somewhat subdued, the final third is starting to open things up. Touches of coffee beans have joined the profile, though while they contribute to the flavor, they also seem to dry out the profile further. A little more pepper joins the retrohale, while there is a faint taste of chocolate in the profile, almost like the aftertaste of a piece of a Hershey’s bar. The final puffs are the most robust and hearty, though given the dryness and the fairly abrupt change, it can catch my palate off-guard. Flavor finishes medium-full, body is medium and strength is medium-minus. Construction is much the same as it has been, with a very smooth draw, a very even burn line, good smoke production, and occasional combustion issues that necessitate a relight.

Final Notes

• The Mexican San Andrés wrapper used on the Red line is the same leaf used for the company’s first Attic Series release.
• Combustion issues were present in the second half of each cigar, but didn’t feel quite as frustrating as I’ve encountered with other cigars lately. I’m wondering if the thinner ring gauge helped with that, as it might have taken less time to release moisture from the lesser amount of tobacco.
• That said though, I have to give credit for how well the cigars were constructed. The firmness was consistent, the draws were all smooth, the burn lines were all even, and nothing stood out as even remotely problematic.
• The flavor profiles and progressions were also impressively consistent across the three cigars.
• I didn’t pick up any nicotine strength from the cigar, despite what felt like a bit of a push in the final puffs.

• The company lists these as a 7 x 40 lancero. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• While this is listed as a 40 ring gauge, I can’t say that it felt appreciably bigger than a 38 ring gauge. If anything, this might feel a bit better, as sometimes the traditional 38 ring gauge can feel a bit slender and fragile.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was two hours and 10 minutes on average.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Famous Smoke Shop, and LM Cigars carry the West Tampa Tobacco Co. Red Lancero.