Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size Today we look at the Flor de las Antillas Lancero by My Father Cigars released for the TAA in 2018. This is a cigar line we have previously assessed in the MAM-13 (Short Churchill) size back in January 2016.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun-Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: My Father Cigars SA
Lancero:  7 1/2 x 38

Back in 2013, My Father Cigars released a limited lancero version of its Flor de las Antillas line exclusively for Dallas, Texas-based retailer Up in Smoke. It was one year earlier when Flor de las Antillas hit the market. While Flor de las Antillas was a box-pressed line, the lancero was significant because it was the first rounded version. Last year, My Father Cigars decided to offer the Flor de las Antillas Lancero as a limited production run for the 2018 Exclusive Series for the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA). This became the sixth TAA cigar released by My Father Cigars. Today, we take a look at that lancero released for the TAA.

The TAA Exclusive Series consists of cigars made by leading manufacturers that are exclusively sold at TAA member retailers. The TAA is a small group of retailers. At press time the number of retailers is approximately 80. The TAA has defined itself as:

The Tobacconists’ Association of America, Ltd. is a trade organization established in 1968 by visionary retail tobacconists. By providing education, communication, research, advocacy, and member discount programs, The TAA works with our members and the industry they support to offer the tools and relationship building opportunities needed to maximize professionalism and success.

2018 was the 50th anniversary of the Tobacconist Association of America, so there was a large number of releases as a part of the 2018 TAA Exclusive Series.

• CAO Estelí by General Cigar Company
• Crowned Heads The Angel’s Anvil 2018
• EIROA First 20 Years Diadema by C.L.E. Cigar Company
• My Father Flor de Antillas Lancero
• Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva Presidente TAA Exclusive
• Fuente Fuente OpusX ForbiddenX
• Padrón Black No. 89 Maduro
• Padrón Black No. 89 Natural
• E.P. Carrillo TAA Exclusive
• La Palina Blue Label TAA Exclusive
• Gurkha Heritage Rosado Toro
• La Flor Dominicana TAA Golden “Oro” Anniversary
• Montecristo Artisan Series Batch 1  by Altadis USA
• Tatuaje TAA 50th

There are seven installments by My Father Cigars as TAA Exclusives. As mentioned, the Flor de las Antillas was the sixth installment.

• 2011: Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA Edition
• 2014: My Father TAA Exclusive 2014
• 2015: La Antiguedad TAA Exclusive 2015 by My Father Cigars
• 2016: El Centurion H.2K.CT Box Pressed Torpedo (TAA Exclusive) by My Father Cigars
• 2017: Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial TAA 2017
• 2018: Flor de las Antillas Lancero
• 2019: Don Pepin Garcia Original TAA Exclusive Limited Edition 2019

The blend for the Flor de Las Antillas cigar is 100% Nicaraguan tobacco highlighted by a Nicaraguan sun-grown wrapper. The lancero comes in a traditional 7 1/2 x 38 size. The cigars come packaged in 20-count boxes. The one difference between this cigar and the original one released for Up in Smoke is that the TAA version has a footer band indicating it is a TAA cigar.

The Flor de las Antillas Lancero delivers notes of sweet natural tobacco, caramel, black pepper, and some baker’s spice. Early on there was a nice mix of the flavors highlighted by the natural tobacco sweetness. Midway through the first third, the wood and natural tobacco notes become primary and the sweetness diminished greatly. By the second third, earth notes surfaced, joining the natural tobacco. By the midway point the earth notes took over and the caramel was out of the equation. This was followed by a slight increase of the pepper and baker’s spice, but it never overpowered the blend. The last third saw a slight increase in the natural tobacco flavor.

Keeping true to the Flor de las Antillas line, the Lancero delivered a medium strength, medium-bodied smoking experience from start to finish.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT