La Riqueza No. 6 Lancero, take 2

After letting these dry out some in the humidor (fresh from the seller they would not stay lit, and were inconsistently bitter/sour in places), I tried another one. I must say these are fantastic. They burn with a very nice floral aroma which attracted my neighbors who all came to ask what I was smoking.

Nice darkbread flavor throughout and much less pepper the second time around.

They are, however, extremely fragile and will blow out their wrappers in anything higher than 70% humidity. Stored at 65 for a month or more, they are, in my opinion, near perfection. If you don’t have a proper humidor, I’d say don’t bother, as they are hard to otherwise store safely, but if you do… make these a definite must-buy.

La Riqueza no.6 Lancero

This one got the Leaf Enthusiast’s top pick of 2014, so I decided to give it a go.

Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Outwardly, it looks great. Nice little pigtail at the end. Well built. No flaking at the edges. It cut well without too much slop at the tip and it smells nice and earthy.

The first half was good. Sweet, rich and chocolatey, some yeasty brewery flavor in the first 1/3, with some vanilla mixed in for good measure, and an almost floral aroma. It paired excellently with a sweet side like Balvenie Caribbean Cask, and I believe it would work well with rum. The pepper level was just enough. Not overpowering, and a nice complement to the sweet and florals.

What I didn’t like, though, is that it went out halfway through, and after relight it was so sour, bitter, and overpoweringly spicy that it was no longer enjoyable at all. I had to snuff it and brush my teeth. Maybe I got a bad one, so before I completely demonize it I will give it another try at a future date.

At a price of $8.50-9.00 for such a little guy, it’s a shame this one ended the way it did.