Today, we take a closer look at the Casa Magna Colorado Lancero LE (Limited Edition). The story of the Casa Magna Colorado is well known. It started as a collaboration between two legendary names in the world of cigar making – Manuel Quesada and Nestor Plasencia. Since then, the Casa Magna Colorado has garnered many accolades. Recently, the Quesadas moved production of Casa Magna Colorado to their Tabacos de Exportación (TABADEX) in the Dominican Republic. Late in 2023, the company announced a limited run of the 7 x 40 Lancero LE.

It is worth noting that several years earlier, another lancero size was released under Casa Magna Colorado. That previous iteration measured 8 1/4 x 40.

 

SPECIFICATIONS

The Casa Magna Colorado is a Nicaraguan puro highlighted by its Jalapa-grown Nicaraguan Cuban Shade-grown wrapper. The Lancero LE comes in seven-count boxes, and 1,000 boxes were produced in total.

• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Cuban Seed Shade Grown Jalapa
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacos de Exportación (TABADEX)
• Lancero LE: 7 x 40

PERFORMANCE

The Colorado Lancero LE opens with notes of cedar, coffee, natural tobacco, almond, and black pepper. Early on, the coffee and almond notes moved into the forefront. The almond was also prominent on the finish. The cedar, pepper, and natural tobacco settled into the background. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered black pepper and almond.

The second third of the Colorado Lancero LE saw the coffee notes morph into a black tea note (strange, I know). The natural tobacco flavor became an anise note. The black tea notes, almonds, and anise became the primary notes, and the retro-hale saw a decrease in the pepper. Later, in the second third, the pepper and cedar notes increased. The final third saw the black tea notes primary. The cedar and pepper were close secondary notes. By this time, the anise had morphed back into a natural tobacco flavor, and there were touches of almond. The cigar finished with a soft, cool nub.

The flavors delivered started out medium-bodied before heading into medium- to full-bodied territory in the second half. This was countered by medium strength from start to finish. Construction of the Colorado Lancero LE was excellent. The burn required little maintenance to keep a straight burn line and straight burn path. The draw had a touch of resistance, which is something I like.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

It’s been 16 years since the Casa Magna Colorado made its debut, and it’s a blend that continues to perform at a high-caliber level. In fact, I would put the Casa Magna Colorado in the upper tier of elite blends in the premium cigar industry. While I think the Robusto still is the belle of the ball when it comes to this line, the Lancero LE is right up there in terms of a great expression of this blend. It’s got the perfect storm of flavor, complexity, and excellent construction.

The $14.00 price point is a little high, but you will get your money’s worth. The Colorado Lancero LE is a cigar I could recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would easily buy and smoke again. The fact this comes in seven-count boxes makes a box purchase a no-brainer. This is one of the best cigars I have had in the past 12 months.  Coming in at 92 points, this cigar exceeds the Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence threshold.

Summary

Key Flavors: Tea, Coffee, Almond, Natural Tobacco, Anise, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium to High
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (First Half), Medium to Full (Second Half)
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Box Purchase
Score: 92

The Smoking Syndicate Review

Back in March 2023, Ben Lee and I did a Smoking Syndicate Video as part of our Quesada Corner segment, in which we smoked the Casa Magna Colorado Lancero LE.

REFERENCES

Previous Assessment: Casa Magna Colorado Robusto
News: Casa Magna Colorado Lancero Returns for Limited Run
Price: $14.00
Source: Quesada Cigars
Brand Reference: Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop

Video Credits: The Smoking Syndicate

Note: Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments using a lightweight, shorter format. They 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 or a blend we are looking at in a different size.