Pre-light Experience

The rectangle pressed Black Label Trading Company Super Deluxe Lancero has a uniformed dark brown wrapper with well pressed veins and fine tooth. The seams are smooth and hardly visible while the head is finished off with a triple cap that is lifting in a fair number of areas. The band is black, white and silver and is hard to tell which is the front and back as one side has the company name and artwork and the other side has the line and company name. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of damp earth, dark chocolate and barbecue smokiness while the foot brings a mix of wood and prune sweetness. The pre-light draw brings cedar, earth and a subtle powdery baking spice.

Pre-light Experience

Extremely pressed, and firm throughout, the Black Label Trading Company Super Deluxe Lancero is finished with a dark maduro wrapper that sports few veins. It is fine in texture and there is just a small amount of fine grit to the leather like quality. The foot has an aroma of rich earth, espresso, black pepper and tobacco, while the wrapper is showing notes of leather and earth.

Pre-light Experience

The first thing I observed was that the Black Label Trading Company Super Deluxe Lancero had an aggressive square box press. Additionally, the UPC is applied on the upper part of the cellophane allowing you to open the cello without tearing it. The cigar has a dark chocolate wrapper, with aromas of sweet cedar and herbal notes buried underneath. There is a bourbon barrel influenced sweetness coming from the foot.

Pre-light Experience

The Black Label Trading Company Super Deluxe Lancero has a robust and hearty maduro wrapper shade with great traces of tooth. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head well wrapped. Aromas from the wrapper give rich cedar. Aromas from the foot tell red pepper and cedar shavings. Cold draw gives dry soil and red pepper.

First Third

The cigar begins with a mix of wood, earth and mustiness. At three quarters of an inch in, the earth has a slight lead over the wood and mustiness. At an inch in, a faint black pepper joins the profile. The retrohale is musty earth with light black pepper. At an inch and a half in, all of the components are even. As the third comes to a close, the black pepper has eased up into the background but has a long finish. The strength in this third was right at medium.

First Third

The first third opens up by delivering flavors of black pepper, chocolate cake and rich earth. There is a touch of cinnamon present as well, and the finish is of oak and dark chocolate. In terms of strength and body, the cigar is smoking at a medium level.

First Third

Powdered cocoa, baking spices and cedar kick off the first third. More intense baking spices, graham cracker and a toasted character are present through the retrohale. As the cigar progresses, baking spices start to linger on the post draw, and bring with it pepper at the back of my throat. The baking spice intensity falls back to medium by the 15 – 20 minute mark.

First Third

The first third’s flavor profile is dark and rustic. Red pepper, cocoa and cinnamon is the heartbeat of the cigar. Retrohaling draws out the red pepper and cinnamon notes some more. The finish has a mixture of long and lingering cocoa, dried red peppers and soil. Strength is medium plus, body medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the musty wood has a slight lead over the earth while the black pepper remains in the background. At an inch in, the earth takes a slight lead over the musty wood. The retrohale is now musty earth. As the third comes to a close, the earth increases it’s lead slightly. The strength remains at medium.

Second Third

The second third delivers a flavor profile that is showing qualities of mocha, coffee, cream and wood. There are some earth and chocolate cake notes, and the finish is that of black pepper. In terms of strength and body, the cigar is smoking around a medium level.

Second Third

The second third engages with creamy baking spices, accented with wood that lingers into the post draw. Some mild mid profile chocolate comes through as it settles in. Post draw leather comes through approaching the halfway point. Citrus joins the leather shortly after. Minerality and earth combine in the post draw through the bottom half of the second third.

Second Third

The second third is still dark and rustic. The flavors themselves change in intensity. It’s more spice oriented such that the dried red peppers and cinnamon take over. This combination creates an even longer finish than before. The downside of this is the lack of cocoa. Strength and body is unchanged at medium plus and medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the earth maintains its slight lead over the musty wood with light black pepper in the background. The retrohale remains musty earth. At an inch in, the black pepper has departed. As the cigar wraps up, the earth maintains it slight lead over the musty wood. Strength remained at medium.

Final Third

The final third delivers a flavor profile of dark, rich earth and black pepper. I am getting some black coffee notes and with that is leather and dark chocolate. Like before, it is smoking around a medium level in strength and body.

Final Third

An underlying astringency carries the profile into the final third, followed by creamy earth and cedar. That earth lingers through the post draw. As the last third settles in, creamy cedar is carrying the profile.

Final Third

The final third has no changes. Still a rustic profile with dried red peppers and cinnamon. At times the profile picks up a hint of harshness in bitter oak, but it’s not consistent enough to really call it a part of the profile. Strength and body finishes medium plus and medium.

Burn

The burn line was slightly wavy at times, but there was a re-light necessary in the first third and two in the second third. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.

Burn

The Lancero delivered a very good burn from start to finish.

Burn

The burn started out relatively straight, with the ash holding up up to 1-1/2 inches. The cigar went out at the halfway mark, requiring a re-light.

Burn

Burn performance was overall very good. Only minor thing is an uneven burn, resulting in a couple quick touch-ups.

Draw

The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The cigar had a good start with a nice balance of the wood, earth, mustiness and black pepper. As the earth took it’s slight lead in the second third, the profile became pretty linear and mundane the rest of the way. There wasn’t all that much to this Black Label Trading Company Super Deluxe Lancero as the profile was pretty basic and linear. Not sure if that has to do with the ring gauge or just the blend as a whole, but I might be interested in trying one of the larger ring gauge offerings to see if it presents a different offering. As it sits, I don’t really see myself coming back to this Lancero.

Draw

Great draw on the cigar. Well constructed.

Overall

The Black Label Trading Company Super Deluxe Lancero was a well constructed Lancero and smoked wonderfully. With that, it produced a good flavor profile. It was not overly complex, or showing lots of depth and transitioning, but it was a solid flavor profile nonetheless. It seemed to smoke softer than a lot of other Black Label releases, which I liked, but I think it would be approachable to many smokers. Looking back on some Black Label releases I have had, this is one that leads the pack.

Draw

The draw started out with some resistance, roughly 1 to 1-1/2 notches, but it opened to 1/2 a notch some time later, putting it right in the ideal zone.

Overall

The Black Label Trading Company Super Deluxe Lancero was an enjoyable medley of cocoa, baking spices, graham cracker, creaminess, wood and leather that kept me engaged for the entire smoking experience. The pepper and toasted quality might catch some off guard, but the intensity didn’t stick around for very long. Burn was good, with one re-light required, and the draw was excellent. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 9 minutes. I would reach for another Super Deluxe Lancero. Like most of the cigars coming out of Black Label Trading Company, the profile suited my palate.

Draw

The draw was perfect, striking the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

A robust, dark, rustic profile, just like how Black Label likes to dish it out. The flavors were rich and hearty in dry red pepper and cinnamon for most of the cigar. The best part of it was when cocoa was mixed in within the first third. Not the best of Black Label and certainly not the least. I’d say if you like the typical stronger and heartier profile of Black Label, the Black Label Trading Company Super Deluxe Lancero is it.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.80

Cost/Point

$1.98

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.85

Cost/Point

$1.97

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.62

Cost/Point

$1.74

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$1.92

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Black Label Trading Company Super Deluxe Lancero