La Luna Cigar King Selection Lancero

[Mad Dawg]

I first stumbled across the La Luna brand years ago, when my cigar passion was just beginning to blossom. The Maduro Fuerte line was an early favorite, and I became something of a "La Lunatic," so naturally I was kind of saddened when the brand seemed to fall off the face of the planet.

A few months ago, I was intrigued to learn that Cigar King (Scottsdale, AZ) was marketing a La Luna Selection line. Blended exclusively for Cigar King by Gael de Courtivron, founder of the original La Luna brand, the line consists of six sizes. The lancero (being a favorite size of mine) caught my eye, so I ordered a fiver to try out. I smoked one right off the truck, but found it to be a little too wet for my tastes. I put the rest away to rest and dry out. Well, today I decided to revisit them.

The sample I pulled was flawlessly constructed, smooth and silky in its nearly vein-free Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper; firm and uniform in bunch, and topped off by a flawless triple cap with a pigtail. The understated double bands are Columbian blue, harking back to the very early La Luna blends.

Pre-light draw was just a touch on the firm side, which I definitely prefer to being too loose. The initial flavors were faintly floral, and a definite medium body immediately asserted itself.

Toasty tobacco flavors suggestive of Nicaraguan and Honduran origin were at the forefront throughout, with nuanced hints of cedar, leather, earth and perhaps a touch of vanilla coming and going as the smoke progressed. The burn was absolutely perfect; laser-straight from start to finish with never a touch-up required.

A slight tannic edginess was always at the background of the flavors, never reaching the point of bitterness, but rather a suggestion that these cigars have a good potential to improve with age. The finish is clean and pleasant.

In all, these are (to my tastes) greatly improved by a few months of rest and by drying down to 65% RH.

I can't really say how these compare to the original La Luna blue bands because it's been years since I had one of those that was fresh, but it was certainly a very pleasant cigar from start to finish. Recommended!