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Stogie Reviews: EO Cubao No. 3

8 Apr 2009

As some shy away from the trend for bigger and bigger ring gauges, the lancero seems to have made a resurgence. A perfect example of this is the Cubao No. 3, a slender stick that was created by Erik Espinosa and Eddie Ortega‘s EO Brands with Don Pepin Garcia. It was introduced at last year’s IPCPR Trade Show.

cubaolanceroThe appearance of this cigar is pure old school. It has a simple brown band with raised white letters and a rustic wrapper of nearly the same color. While there are no large veins, I encountered lots of tooth in the Ecuador Sumatra oscuro wrapper which surrounds Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos.

The lancero is one of the most difficult shapes to create, and this cigar shows some serious expertise on the part of the roller. Except for a slightly spongy feel near the foot, it is firm to the touch. The wrapper is twisted and crimped on the head to a create a sharp-looking pigtale.

The freshly cut tobacco reveals some pre-light spice and a firm draw that maintains throughout the seven inch by 38 ring gauge stick. On the nose there is a pleasant woody smell.

Upon lighting, I found a blast a spice that soon faded into the same balanced flavor we described when we smoked the robusto-sized Cuboa No. 4: “a variety of tastes including wheat, oak, and bread,” with the same dryness that George found when he reviewed the No. 6.  Additionally, there is a prominent black coffee flavor that comes and goes over the 75 minutes it took to smoke this stick.

The Cubao lancero is full-flavored with remarkable balance. There is plenty going on with this smoke, but while it does have a bit of spice, that kick doesn’t amount to Pepin’s typical knockout punch.

As previously noted, creating a lancero is particularly difficult, which makes combustion issues unfortunately too regular in this long vitola. While the gray ash was solid enough—holding for half an inch at a time—and the burn was precisely straight, the four cigars I sampled for this review all had a tendency to go out unexpectedly during the last two or three inches. This was particularly disappointing given how much I enjoyed the flavors.

But those construction issues were small compared to all that this smoke has to offer. I can’t stress enough how impressed I am with the balance; the cigar makes you forget how full-bodied it is.

Unlike the rest of the Cubao line, which comes in boxes of 20, the No. 3 comes in boxes of 30 which retail for around $170, or $7 per stick. Considering the complexity it delivers, it’s a fair price, even at a time when everyone is looking to save a few bucks.

I’ve yet to find a Cubao that didn’t impress me, and this lancero is no exception. Just like it’s shorter and thicker counterparts, the Cubao No. 3 earns a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

5 Responses to “Stogie Reviews: EO Cubao No. 3”

  1. tmoney Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 2:05 am #

    Patrick your review is spot on…I also picked up some chocolate notes when I had the #3. It has become one of my favorites. Thanks for the review.

  2. BradinBuffalo Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 2:36 am #

    Best size for the Cubao….Keep up the good work…

  3. CWS Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 5:01 am #

    The #4 is perfect – great all around cigar.

  4. George E. Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 6:56 am #

    I haven't tried the lancero, but it's now moved up to the top of my "to try" list. What a beautiful stick.

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