Why lanceros

[TheMurph]

Good morning. First off I have yet to have a lancero so I cannot comment on them at all. I do want to hear some input on why they are so popular. What makes a lancero so damn enjoyable for a lot of people?

[Emperor Zurg]

This sounds like a question for....
Sir Lancerolot !!!

[josh lucky 13]

For me it's a different smoke there is less filler so I can get more flavor out of the wrapper. It also smokes different I find myself having to smoke slower with a lancero because it is easy to get it burning too hot.

[Tombstone]

I always hear people claim you can taste the wrapper more. I don't know, I always feel like I am Cruella Devile smoking them. I smoked them before. I don't go out of my way to get smoke them but I will smoke them from time to time. I would say try some and see if they are for you.

[CentralTimeSmoke]

The general appeal of lanceros has a lot to do with the ratio between filler, binder and wrapper. Generally, most of the flavor of a cigar comes from the binder and wrapper--which are higher quality tobacco than what's used for the filler (the purpose of filler is to add strength with ligeros and iron out the blend to make it balanced). When you have a lancero or a corona, you're tasting more of the wrapper and binder because they're having to compete with a lot less filler tobacco. We all fall in love with certain types of wrappers and binders, so the idea that you could get a more concentrated smoking experience of these two elements is a very appealing quality. This is the same reason that big ring gauge cigars are shunned by many people--the added filler drowns out the best qualities of the cigar.

That's the general idea given by cigar smokers. I also think it has a lot to do with aesthetics. Lanceros are beautiful and elegant cigars. I mean, look at this thing:

7308

And I think anything unique is going to find a niche audience. That being said, they're really hard to roll and I've had many, many lanceros that have been unsmokable. That's why you should stick to the ones that are made by quality, boutique companies (i.e. not Rocky Patel).

But everyone's preference is different. I don't think lanceros are necessarily "better" or more flavorful than other cigars. In fact, I think the lack of filler can be a bad thing in some cases. My perfect size cigar is the corona gorda that is becoming more and more popular. They're usually 46.

[Sir Lancerolot]

OK, I'll step up.

1) Lanceros are said to best display the flavor profile of the wrapper because the wrapper-to-filler ratio is higher than other vitolas. So, a maduro might be maduro-ier, a Cameroon Cameroon-ier, etc. This effect may be somewhat offset by careful blending that aims to produce a consistent flavor profile across vitolas of the same marca. All in all I think it is probably true in a lot of cases, but not all.

2) Lanceros are challenging to smoke correctly. While some may see this as a downside, all the really cool guys like the challenge. There is a skill to smoking them fast enough to keep them burning and slow enough to keep them from overheating. You have to pay more attention to the cigar, which in turn means you notice more of the subtleties of flavor. And if you tend to smoke too fast, smoking lanceros will help you learn to slow down.

3) And the real reason most lancero lovers prefer that vitola? Lanceros just look so damn cool. They look like they belong on an old time riverboat, in the hand of a roguish outlaw gentleman.

My first lancero was a Los Blancos (now Blanco Cigars) 9. Still one of my favorites. My absolute favorite NC lancero is the 262 Paradigm. Rocky whipped up a run of Edge maduro lanceros that were really good, but I've only seen them once. Illusione Holy Lance is a great smoke, and available in several wrappers, which gives you the chance to see just what a wrapper brings to the flavor profile.

And of course there are some great lanceros that can't be named in this forum.

[Emperor Zurg]

...you should stick to the ones that are made by quality, boutique companies (i.e. not Rocky Patel)...

Lol! Tru dat.
I rarely have a Rocky Patunnel cigar that burns decent.