Sam Leccia Luchador El Guapo (Toro) Review

[Cardinal]

Cigar: Sam Leccia Luchador
Vitola: El Guapo toro 6" x 50
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Ecuador Habano
Filler: Pennsylvania, Honduras, Nicaragua
MSRP: ~$8.00

Initial Impression/Prelight
Of course I noticed the colorful Mexican wrestling mask-style band right away, then I had a look at the rest of the cigar. The wrapper on the Luchador was very dark brown with a lot of toothiness and very little oil. The cigar felt light in my hand but looked pretty well made, with slightly visible seams and almost no veins, and despite the weight I didn't find any soft spots.

I didn't pick up a huge aroma from the wrapper, just a little non-pepper spiciness and barnyard. I clipped the cap and thought the draw was a tad loose. I picked up some leathery flavor on the cold draw.

At the time of smoking, this cigar had been in my humidor for ~4 months @ 65%.



1st Third
I tasted fairly strong pepper and dark earthiness, which is kind of what I expected from this wrapper, but not exactly what I anticipated from the prelight aroma. I felt like I got both black pepper and a spicy red pepper, especially on the retrohale, and a touch of woodiness. Smoke production was solid, and burn was spot on. Med-full flavor and medium strength so far.



2nd Third
The second section gave me more pepper and earth, but added some dark coffee flavor too. Towards the middle of the cigar I started tasting an oaky flavor and some bell pepper sweetness. Smoke production inched up too, and the ligero strength became more noticeable.

(And sorry, kinda forgot my 2nd section photo)



Final Third
I found similar flavors in the last section in terms of strong earthiness and pepper. I picked up some cocoa at times here, and some leather and more woodiness which turned a little sharper. Towards the last inch or two I also got an unusual musty, almost mushroom taste. It was odd and I don't remember tasting it in a cigar before.



Overall Impression
I thought the Luchador was a decent smoke. I never had an issue with the burn, and it definitely put off plenty of smoke despite a looser draw than I like. The ligero came through for sure, and the cigar ended up up close to full strength. The flavors just weren't perfect for me personally. I'm more or less indifferent on San Andres leaf, and I definitely enjoy another cigar sporting the Nicaraguan Ometepe (the black Torano Vault), but this one didn't quite do it for me. The spicy red pepper was good, the bell pepper sweetness and woody bite weren't so good.

In the end I honestly had trouble putting my finger on why I didn't love it - maybe it had a touch too much pepper and earthiness for me (although I generally like pepper), and maybe the final third was what threw me off. The oaky flavor got a bit unpleasant, and that musty part was not my favorite flavor either. Normally I feel pretty strongly one way or the other on a cigar, and maybe this is a case of the hazards of only smoking 1 for a review. Big San Andres fans may enjoy it more than I did.

The verdict - I might it again someday as a single based on popular opinion that it's a good cigar, but I wouldn't spring for a 5-er.

[c.ortiz108]

I have one of these resting... and think I'll leave it there a little longer. Thanks for the review!

[Browns7213]

Thanks for the review Tim. I did not get a lot of pepper in the two that I've smoked and really like this stick and would like to explore more with this wrapper. I'll pick up a couple of the Torrano based on your recommendation.

[AlanS]

Thank you for sharing. I've not had one of these but have heard a lot about them. Enjoy

[c.ortiz108]

Thanks for the review Tim. I did not get a lot of pepper in the two that I've smoked and really like this stick and would like to explore more with this wrapper. I'll pick up a couple of the Torrano based on your recommendation.

I had a Room 101 with a San Andres wrapper recently and wasn't too impressed. Will post a review later.

[Cardinal]

Thanks for the review Tim. I did not get a lot of pepper in the two that I've smoked and really like this stick and would like to explore more with this wrapper. I'll pick up a couple of the Torrano based on your recommendation.

Just so you know, the Torano has a different wrapper but they both claim the Nicaraguan Ometepe filler which I think has a unique flavor. I'm going to start trying to recreate some of my old reviews, not so much for existing members but maybe for new folks as they begin to trickle in. Either way, I know I did that cigar as one of my first reviews and will see if I can find my notes.