Recluse Amadeus Habano Lancero Cigar Review

Yesterday, I got to sit down with Scott Weeks of Recluse Cigars who is in town with his father Nick Weeks for a Father/Son dinner hosted by Two Guys Smoke Shop. Also attending will be Scott Weeks’ partner JR Dominguez and his father Jose Dominguez. All four will be on The Cigar Authority this weekend and it is rumored that doughnuts will be the desert at the dinner, but I may of just made that up.

During the sit down we got to discuss the new Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserve Lancero that will be released on July 5th. According to Scott Weeks, the size was originally made for a franchise shop owner in Florida. However, Weeks & Dominguez liked the cigar so much they decided to release it to all their accounts.

Like the rest of the portfolio the cigars are made at Leyandas Cubanas which is the factory that makes the ongoing production of Firecracker for the aforementioned Two Guys.

This is a Pre-Release Cigar Review based on a sample given to The Cigar Authority.

Cigar Review: Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserve
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Leyendas Cubanas
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Mexico (San Andres)
Filler: Dominican Republic, USA (Pennsylvania Broadleaf)
Length: 7″
Ring Gauge: 38
Vitola: Lancero
Strength: Medium

The Look: While the Recluse Amadeus Habano Reserve is box pressed on the sizes currently in production, the Lancero format is not. The band of the cigar is red and silver and features the Recluse Spider logo on the primary band with the name Amadeus on the secondary band. The foot is covered in a textured silver ribbon to protect against damages. As the for the stick itself, the Ecuador Habano wrapper is flawlessly rolled with a pig-tailed cap. For a lancero it is pretty hefty in weight with no voids along the shaft.

The Notes: The cold draw of the Recluse Lancero has a sweet cherry like component to it that is more potent than the large ring gauges. The aroma off the foot is non existant; but I keep going back to the cold draw which reminds me of a Ludens wild cherry cough drop.

Using a single torch lighter to toast and ignite the foot of the cigar the initial notes  are sweet, bordering on strawberries and caramel. There is a subtle nut in the background, and as the cigar comes to a close in the first third some earthy components enter the mix.

In the second third of the Recluse Lancero, the earthy tones move front and center with a subtle wood on the finish and in the background. Through the nose there is a leather like bouquet with a hint of sweetness.

Moving on to the last third the cherry sweetness of the cold draw makes it way to the palate along with dominant notes of cedar and nuts paving the way. Through the nose some leather remains on the retrohale as well as the aroma.

The Burn: At one time Lancero cigars were my favorite, but I kind of grew out of them. There were to many with burn issues (staying lit) or draw issues. I can look back and remember the cigar that killed my passion for the vitola and that was the CAO LX2, but anyway I digress. The Recluse Lancero was a cigar with a perfect draw, however I did need to relight it once but I was interrupted with a lengthy phone call. So while a traditional vitola may have stayed lit, I will attribute it to user error. The ash held in 1-inch increments with no flake and the combustion line was straight and true.

The Finish: I’ll be honest, I do not know how I feel about this cigar. I absolutely love the original release sizes and smoke them often. It was my personal choice for cigar of the year last year, as well as The Cigar Authority team. Being in a round format it changes the notes of the smoke and the thin ring gauge makes the Pennsylvania Broadleaf more prevalent. It’s good, don’t get me wrong but give me the box pressed version. I wonder if I could convince the boys at Recluse to make me a bundle of these that are box pressed for my wedding… One could dream.

Score: 89
Price: $8.95

You can buy the original release at Two Guys Smoke Shop.