Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez
Size: 7″ x 40
Strength: Medium-Full to Full
Wrapper: Connecticut-grown Havana Seed No.142 Varietal
Binder: San Andrés (Mexico)
Filler: Estelí & Jalapa (Nicaragua), Jamastran (Honduras)
Box of 24 cigars – $12.75/cigar MSRP
My Tabernacle Havana Seed #142 Corona cigar review earlier this year noted how Nick Melillo created this selection’s special wrapper. Starting in 2014, Nick developed this wrapper varietal for his Foundation Cigar Co. by working with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
The result is a seed that, according to Nick, is “extremely rare and unlike any other tobacco in the world.” The Lancero was released in July, 2019, one year after the line’s debut. Moreover, the oily, hybrid Connecticut-grown wrapper, fermented for three years, remains the nerve center of the blend.
Soil is king when it comes to tobacco, and as Nick says, “In some circles, it is believed that Lanceros are the best way to truly taste the cigar’s terroir.” Nick believes the Lancero cigar is becoming more popular in the U.S., too, adding, “Lanceros are increasingly becoming the cigar size that cigarmakers smoke themselves.”
Due to its longer, thinner dimensions, the #142 Lancero has a higher wrapper to blend ratio. The Mexican San Andrés binder over three diverse Nicaraguan fillers and Honduran Jamastran were also chosen judiciously. Once it’s all cobbled together, the cigar offers a marvelously spicy and sweet character.
Besides the Lancero reviewed here, the Tabernacle Havana Seed #142 selection is also made in the following sizes:
As good as it gets. The wrapper is dark and oily with a light toothiness, and finished with a triple seam cap.
Spicy’s the word. Not peppery in the usual sense– simply spicy, and that’s important to point out. The draw has just the right amount of firmness, allowing the smoke to flow effortlessly from both ends. The initial flavors are earth, spice, and bittersweet chocolate, which maintain their position through the entire smoke. Nutty flavors and mocha java appear in the second act for a nice change-up.
As to the sweetness in this cigar, it’s more along the lines of 90% cacao chocolate. There’s a nuance of sugary sweetness in the final act, but it’s bumped out of the way by earth and white pepper in the final stage. The cigar is also consistent in body and strength, teetering between medium-plus and full.
The Havana Seed #142 wrapper is definitely in a class all its own. When rolled around a cigar with these dimensions, the flavors are up-front and bare-naked. Equally impressive was how well the three-nation core blend worked with this wrapper.
Earth, peppery spice, bittersweet chocolate, some nuttiness, mocha java, white pepper.
Yes. The flavors are few, but tightly knit, revealing few changes, but with lots of subtle tones along the way. Take it slow and you’ll get a lot more out of this cigar’s slimmer shape.
Jared suggested Rye, since the spiciness of the Rye will help open the spiciness in the cigar. I thought a fine Bourbon or dark Añejo Rum would add some sweetness to this cigar’s spicier character.
(For more cigar pairing ideas, see our cigar pairing guide.)
Cigar smokers with more experience, including those who crave Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Additionally, this exceptional wrapper offers some very distinctive flavor properties. Therefore, a more mature palate will be able to more easily grasp its subtle nuances.
Very much so – if only for the experience of tasting the Havana Seed #142 wrapper alone. Listed at under $13 a cigar (at press time), you’ll certainly get your money’s worth out of it.
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Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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