Blind Cigar Review: Leccia | Luchador El Hombre

Cigar Info

The Luchador is the third release from Sam Leccia since his departure from Oliva. We have reviewed his previous two releases Black and White, and the Black actually made our 2013 Top 25 List. The Luchador is an exotic 5 country cigar blend handcrafted in Nicaragua consisting of very unique tobaccos. A San Andres Wrapper leaf surrounds the habano binder leaf grown in Ecuador. The filler uses viso from Esteli, Nicaragua with ligero From Pennsylvania-USA and Jamastran, Honduras. Centering the blend is a distinctive tobacco from Ometepe, Nicaragua. Ometepe is an island formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua in the Republic of Nicaragua. Its name derives from the Nahuatl words ome (two) and tepetl (mountain), meaning two mountains. It is the largest volcanic island inside a fresh water lake in the world. The Luchador blend uses 3 tobaccos grown in Volcanic soil: the Ometepe, Habano and San Andres. The soil in these regions is so rich that little to no fertilization is necessary. The blend is described as medium to full, providing a complex array of flavors from sweet to spicy with the strength building throughout the smoking experience.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Pennsylvania Ligero, Honduras Ligero, Nicaragua
Factory: American Caribbean Tobacco S.A.
Blender: Sam Leccia
Number of reviewers: 5—–Sandeep (Djangos) Craig (WyldKnyght) Dave (mdwest) Paul (pmr1010) Derek (StogieNinja)
Price: $8.00
Age: 2 Months
Release Date: May 2014 Contributed by: Leccia Tobacco

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 89

“Lovely. A beautiful dark Maduro with a little nipple cap. A toothy wrapper, with character. Rustic, but elegant all the same.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Aroma: 94

“Great notes of leather and tobacco as well as some nutty character present. The dry draw is more earthy with notes of hay and grass.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The initial third starts with pepper that gravitates to the back of the throat, however, this quickly dissipates and gives way to a more earthy character. There is definite hay and dry grass with a slight nuttiness to the finish. There is also some leather in the background. Not many sweeter flavors are present in this third. The burn and draw are excellent that there is a lot of creamy white smoke. The ash is flaky and holds for an inch before falling off.” –Sandeep (Djangos) “To start, lots of wood flavor, some leather and lots of pepper. Most of the flavors mellowed off, and the pepper was prominent until the 1 1/2″ mark then mellowed out as well.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)

Second Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Strength starts to ramp up by the mid point of the stick and we are now somewhere on the high side of medium, approaching full. The flavor profile has changed a little and now some leather notes are starting to intermingle with the wood notes that are still in the forefront. The smoke is very smooth with no element of harshness at all.” –Dave (mdwest) “As the cigar progresses, there’s a gentle pepper that appears that’s very welcome. This is a richly satisfying cigar, but not because of its strength. It’s quite solidly medium in body. There’s a flavor that’s almost exactly like Silk chocolate soy milk, which is weird to type, but good.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Final Third

Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Some of the complexity slowed down near the end of this smoke and I was kind of bummed because it had built up a little more than I expected it to and then decreased again. The cashew flavors I got a few times never came back and the black cherry flavors went away near the very end too. The chocolate and burnt coffee flavors stayed until the very end and never got bitter. The leather flavor that I find very appealing in cigars stayed throughout the entire smoke.” –Paul (pmr1010) “The pepper continues to build, a welcome development. Combined with the silky chocolate and espresso, it’s an incredibly enjoyable experience.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 96

“Amazing draw from start to finish.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)

Burn: 95

“From start to finish there were very few irregularities in the burn line. The only times that the burn was just a little uneven it was solely because of the veins in the wrapper and these issues were not many. I never touched it up and never noticed anything worrying during the time I enjoyed this cigar” –Paul (pmr1010)

Construction: 93

“Very well made and firm to touch the entire length of the cigar. No soft spots are present. There are two well applied caps present. No major blemishes or issues.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Overall Experience: 89

“Overall, the cigar did not deliver in the flavor and complexity departments. I definitely enjoy a more complex ciga,r but nonetheless an easy and pleasant smoke. Not in my profile.” –Sandeep (Djangos)

“Although pretty one dimensional, except the flavors at the start, anyone looking for a nice leather flavor, this stick is for you.” –Craig (WyldKnyght)

“Overall, a very good experience. I would gladly smoke this stick again.” –Dave (mdwest)

“This was a well thought out and blended cigar. My only tiny complaints were that the flavors receded a little towards the end and that the smoke was very dry. Depending on the price of it, this could be a great everyday smoke or every evening smoke after a hearty meal.” –Paul (pmr1010)

“Enjoyable. As I’ve been smoking over these past few years, I’ve slowly begun to lose a taste for heavy maduros, but I like this one, in part because it’s not too heavy. It’s not particularly complex, but it features everything a maduro ought to. It’s like if AJ Fernandez quit blending budget sticks and moved on to the good stuff. Highly recommended for fans of his work who want to try something just a little bit better.” –Derek (StogieNinja) –

Smoking Time (in minutes): 70

Edit

Reviewer	Appearance	Aroma	1/3	2/3	3/3	Draw	Burn	Constr.	Overall
Sandeep	95	93	90	88	88	97	97	93	88
Craig	90	93	90	90	85	97	97	93	88
Dave	85	95	90	90	90	90	95	85	90
Paul	88	95	90	90	90	93	95	93	92
Derek	95	90	90	95	90	97	95	95	90

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.
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Blind Cigar Review: Leccia | Luchador El Hombre