I will be scanning this thread more closely to find some gems in the lancero size. I'm brand spankin' new here, so I'll let you know I have made a move from robusto to corona recently. At least I am smoking more corona/lancero sized vitolas than ever before. As a result, I am looking for excellent, inexpensive ones. The problem is there aren't that many I've found. Yet! Dissecting this thread may change that. Not positive if anyone has mentioned my personal favorite yet, so here it is. Abdel AJ Fernandez's hidden gem, La Herencia Cubana Core Lancero. I bought quite a few of them from CI, when I saw them in the MMAO section of that website. They weren't cheap, by my standards, at just over $3.00/stick, but they were cheap by comparison to the asking price of the rest of the sizes in that line. $10.00 to $12.00 is full freight, which I simply can't afford. Thankfully, I have found quite a few good deals online for this blend. I consider it a top 10er & have lavished it with gaudy 94 & 95 ratings, while gushing over the multi-region ligero laden long fillers, habano viso binder & remarkable habano Ecuador sun-grown ligero wrapper. Full bodied, full flavored & brought to you in a way that is distinctively AJ. That is to say, it is nearly perfect in every respect, except price. I believe the secret to why I adore this blend as much as I do, besides the obvious quality of tobaccos employed, is the fact that all those exotic Nicaraguan & Honduran ligeros are married to a smooth, comforting friend, Pennsylvania Broadleaf. It's the 1st time I had seen that leaf utilized in the body of the cigar. And it works like a charm. Delicious. If you, like me, are a dedicated fullhead, I think you will find Core to be uber complex, ultra strong, but never, ever harsh or cloying. Truthfully, I can name only a few similar concoctions. Prensado comes to mind. The blends are miles apart, but share the common characteristic of delivering a sucker punch to the gut in strength, but in a manner that is so smooth, that you don't even know what hit ya. Until you stand up too quickly or suck one down to the nub on an empty stomach. I discourage doing either one, but encourage everyone looking for a powerhouse lancero to give Core a try. If you can find them. They disappeared from CI, suggesting a limited production run or special size that never appeared in a box. Like my 2nd favorite small ring gauge spleef, Diesel corona. Either way, I have been on CI like stink on doodie, to call AJ personally to request some more. Or even better, to put the lancero into normal production.
