Stogie Reviews: J. Fuego Origen Lancero

If you’ve met Jesus Fuego, I’m sure you’ll agree that he is a likable, animated cigar personality with a sincere passion for high-quality tobacco. My first encounter with him was at the IPCPR Trade Show in New Orleans last summer.

More recently, we chatted at the Cigar Expo in June. That’s where he told me about the forthcoming full release of his Origen line, which is set to launch next week at the 2010 IPCPR Trade Show. Over the last two years, three limited edition Origen vitolas have been leaked to the market, starting with 500 boxes of the inaugural size, the Toro. Fuego said he chose this strategy to thank those retailers who have supported his brand from the beginning.

The Origen recipe is composed of 100% Cuban-seed corojo tobaccos with a Costa Rican binder and a two-country filler blend from Honduras and Nicaragua. The wrapper, a Brazilian corojo leaf, is “the darker sister of the wrapper of the 777 Corojo,” Fuego told me. It is intended to produce a “much richer blend.”

Now he is ready to share this blend on a larger scale with a complete lineup of sizes, including a Lancero (7.5 x 38). This slender smoke retails for approximately $6-7 apiece. It has a toothy, almost leathery exterior with modest veins and ample oils. Reddish in color and firm in the hand, it carries a sweet, earthy fragrance.

Establishing an even light is as easy as striking a match. From the outset, the medium-bodied flavor is of coffee beans, nuts, and dry wood with some sweet caramel on the finish. Balanced and savory. The draw is a tad tight but on par with what you’d expect from a typical lancero.

Moving into the midway point, the profile becomes creamier and sweeter while losing some bite. The overall taste remains decidedly medium-bodied, however, especially since the dry wood and coffee flavors maintain their prominence. As the draw opens nicely to reveal more of a smooth, chalky texture, I am surprised at the level of spice—seems to me like there would be more zing from an all-corojo creation.

But I won’t count that against the Origen Lancero; it has a unique flavor that stands all on its own. Complementing the taste are superior physical characteristics, not the least of which are a perfectly straight burn and a well-built white ash.

So this new line from Jesus Fuego earns high marks in my book. While I don’t think it’s going to blow cigar veterans away, it is consistently enjoyable from light to nub. Based on the three samples I smoked for this review, the Origen Lancero is worthy of four stogies out of five.

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–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys