Aladino Vintage Selection Elegante (Lancero) Cigar Review

Aladino is one of the hottest brands on the planet, and in 2019 Aladino released the Aladino Vintage Selection Rothschild which includes Corojo binder and fillers are grown at the company’s farm, Finca Corojo in Danli, Honduras. The cigar was met with such incredible fanfare that this limited edition has been expanded into a limited production line with two new sizes, a 6 x 50 Toro and a 7 x 38 Elegante Lancero. According to the company, the cigars are a throwback to the golden era of Cuban cigars which were made with the same components that make up the blend of the Aladino Vintage Selection. Today we take a look at the Elegante size which is a 7 x 38 lancero.

Cigar Review: Aladino Vintage Selection
Wrapper: Habano
Binder: Honduras 100% Authentic Corojo
Fillers: Honduras 100% Authentic Corojo
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 38
Size: Elegante (Lancero)

The Look: While the Rothschild is packaged in 50 count boxes, the Elegante comes packaged in a 20 count box which is the same box count as the Toro. Inside, the cigars sit in two rows of ten. The Habano wrapper is toothy and well rolled with a somewhat porous foot. The cigar features a single band that has a dual band appearance with the Aladino logo and Vintage Selection beneath it. In the hand the cigar had no voids of tobacco although it did feel a little light for a Lancero.

The Notes: The cold draw of the Aladino Vintage Selection Elegante is full of notes of cedar, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon while the foot of the cigar serves up a subtle cedar and cream. For a lancero the cigar offers up a ton of flavor even before we light it up. A lancero is a cigar that should be lit with a single torch lighter, it reduces the chance of burning the wrapper so we opt to use the Vertigo Falcon. Once the cigar is lit the cigar takes on a warm cream note like in a café con leche.

Moving into the first third the warm cream slides into the background with hints of cinnamon, peanut skins with a very subtle hint of vanilla on the front end. The retrohale of the cigar sees the cedar notes intensify with the addition of a subtle espresso and black pepper. The amount of depth and complexity on the first third is massive.

Moving into the second third the cream notes remain as an afterthought with continued cedar and peanut skins. The backend of the smoke release sees cinnamon coat the palate with touch of barley. The finish is long with hints of yeast and an abundance of cedar especially on the retrohale.

Smoking the final third, the cigar seems more barley notes develop and the cigar has the taste of a pretzel which at times is dominant. Cedar notes dominate the rest of the time with a subtle cream note as well. Through the nose the cigar serves up some pepper notes and a touch of salt.

The Finish: The Lancero size is a cigar that just doesn’t sell for a multitude of reasons. The first being perceived value because it looks like you aren’t getting a lot of cigar for the money. The second being appearance because the size of the cigar just doesn’t look appealing or feel right to the cigar smoker. Lastly, there hasn’t been a lot of good lancero cigars consistently to hit the market. They have tight draws, or don’t stay lit and there is nothing more frustrating to a cigar smoker when one or both of those happen. However, the Aladino Vintage Selection should be considered the benchmark for *all* Lancero cigars. It might just be the Lancero that changes David Garofalo’s mind on the size, although that is highly unlikely. The only knock I have is I wish it was bigger, which might be the fourth reason people stay away from the size. This is a must have box of cigars.

Score: 97
Price: $8.19 / $143.99