Cigar Info
Jovan and Ugljesa Despot are second generation cigar industry brothers. The two Despot brothers follow in the footsteps of their father who came onto the cigar scene in Serbia in 2004. The idea of making cigars under their own name didn’t come to fruition until 2019 when they launched their own brand, Despot Cigars. The Despot Series J was the first line launched by Despot cigars and is the one we are reviewing today.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Despot cigars are hand-rolled long-filler tobacco cigars, rolled in Estelí, Nicaragua. Despot Series J comes in four classic vitolas: Corona, Lancero, Pyramid, and Robusto. Pricing ranges from $8.00-$12.00.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Lancero
Length: 7 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 38
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Ecuador Habano
Filler: Nicaragua, USA (Pennsylvania)
Factory: Undisclosed
Blender: Jovan and Ugljesa Despot
Number of reviewers: 5 – Chad M. (Chad Tchad) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Kevin A. (Kevin A.) Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Price: $11.35
Age: 2 Months
Release Date: April 2022
Contributed by: Despot Cigars
Initial Impressions – Despot Series J Lancero
Appearance: 92
“A relatively unassuming and simple-looking lancero. Nice looking cocoa-colored wrapper. It has a nice feel to it. Some oils present.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
Aroma: 91
“The foot of the cigar smells like a curing room in a cigar factory with a heavy barnyard and natural tobacco note. There is a slight amount of pepper coming from the foot as well. The body of the cigar has an afresh tobacco aroma. Pre-light draw, which to me is excellent for a lancero, has notes of natural tobacco, earth, and fresh ground coffee.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
First Third
Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Used a soft flame to toast the foot. The first several puffs were filled with lots of black pepper and cocoa. The black pepper settled down quite a bit and the real flavors started to come forward. These included dry cocoa, nutmeg, and some slight leather notes. The draw was a tad tight for my liking. But the flavors were definitely on point. One of the big reasons lanceros can be great. More focus on the wrapper and not the filler tobaccos. Very impressive first third.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“The cigar opens with a raisin toast note, it engulfed the whole palate. The retrohale is spicy with notes of Asian chili oil. As the third comes to an end the flavor on the palate rounds out and becomes more balanced. The smoke is oily on the tongue and has a medium length finish.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Second Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Earth and leather continue holding the background notes of the blend. A sweet cedar continues along with a hint of a citrus note. The pepper has mostly faded except for in the retrohale.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
“Moving into the middle part of the cigar, it gets a little bit harsh and starts to have some tongue bite. Earth, leather, and espresso are the notes present. The harshness could be coming from me puffing constantly on the cigar to keep it burning, but I do not think that is the case. The retrohale is unchanged from the first part of the cigar. Interestingly, the draw is actually getting a little tight, which is opposite how it should be and smoke output has waned.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
Final Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“The flavor continues and is very consistent through this smoke. Sweet caramel flavor with some stone fruit flavor. Retrohale is just light salty earth flavor.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
“The pepper flavor has transitioned to more red pepper and moved back into the forefront. Leather and cedar are still prominent along with the subtle citrus notes. A slight nuttiness has come in, in this final third as well making this a very complex but well-melded ending.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Overall Impressions – Despot Series J Lancero
Draw: 93
“A very nice open draw, especially for a lancero, with good smoke production.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Burn: 89
“The burn line was wavy but never a problem. It never needed a touch-up. For such a small ring gauge it smoked nice and cool from start to finish.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Construction: 92
“A very well constructed lancero that wasn’t overpacked with filler tobaccos. It really allowed the wrapper to shine.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 89
“Pretty good smoke a sweeter smoke flavor of caramel and fruit. Some mild black pepper spice.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
“I spicy bold cigar from start to finish. There were moments of finesse but they were fleeting. An in-your-face profile makes this lancero a must-smoke for fans of fuller-body cigars. It may not be an everyday smoke for me but it made for an enjoyable smoking experience.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“This was a winner from beginning to end. An abundance of flavors ranging from chocolate and cocoa to nutmeg and leather. Strength was medium throughout but not mild. I would definitely smoke this cigar again. And I would recommend this to anyone wanting to rethink lanceros. Extraordinary smoke.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)
“I have a love-hate relationship with Lanceros. If they perform, I love them. If they don’t and I have to fight them, I am not a fan. This one landed in the middle of that zone. While the flavor profile was not a standout, aside from some tongue bite in the middle that I am leaning toward I caused, the experience was somewhat enjoyable. It definitely has my curiosity piqued to see what cigar this is. I did smoke it until it started to burn my lips LOL” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)
“This was a solid and complex lancero. Nice background flavors of leather and cedar, a white pepper opening that transitions into red pepper near the end, and some interesting notes of citrus and nuts. The burn was decent for a lancero with just a couple of touch-ups needed and a great draw. I’d grab a handful of these sticks to smoke again, especially at a good price point.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 68
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Chad M. | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 88 |
| Estevan Z. | 95 | 92 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 93 | 92 | 92 | 90 |
| Kevin J. | 95 | 95 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 100 | 97 | 97 |
| Kevin A. | 88 | 88 | 90 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 85 |
| Lauren S. | 92 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 90 | 95 | 95 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.