I have to start out this review by mentioning that I have enjoyed every cigar that Sam Leccia has had a hand in. I liked the Nub, both as a concept and as a cigar. I also thought the Cain series was excellent.
This time around, Sam has his own company called Leccia Tobacco and Luchador is one of his new blends. I have a handful of his Black and White lines for a future review. This Luchador was a single that I picked up while browsing one of my local tobacconists.
The first thing that catches your eye on this cigar is the band. Using a background of an ornate Mexican flag, the leather mask of the Mexican wrestler or “Luchador” is prominently front and center.
While most people would automatically think of Mexican wrestlers on TV, the cigar’s band immediately reminded me of an old Angel TV episode titled “The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco”.
Quite a few cigar shops across the country had some fun with this cigar, doing events on Cinco de Mayo.
Anyhow, back to the review.
The Luchador’s blend is comprised of a San Andres wrapper which surrounds an Equadorian Habano binder. The filler tobacco is a blend of Pennsylvania Ligero, Honduras Ligero and Nicaraguan tobacco from the Ometepe region.
The cigar is available in four vitolas: El Hombre – (5×54), El Castigo – (6×60), El Guapo – (6×50) and Loco Perfecto – (6×58).
Looking at the cigar, it has a well formed cap with a small pigtail. The San Andreas wrapper is a dark brown color. There are some veins present and you can see visible seams. A rich tobacco aroma emanates from the wrapper while an earthy scent comes off the foot of the cigar.
The cigar is firm to the touch and once clipped, has an easy pre-light draw.
After I torch the cigar and take a few puffs, the first third develops a sharp spice sensation with rich tobacco notes and a long finish. The Luchador produces a great amount of satisfying smoke and has a firm tight ash.
The second third brings even stronger tobacco flavors with notes of espresso. The long, lingering finish has a little bit of a bite on my palate.
Finally, the last third of the cigar brings some interesting changes. Most notable was a very spicy tingling on my palate. Surprisingly, the tobacco notes smoothed out along with a diminishing of the spicy sensations during the exhale.
Once again Sam Leccia has come up with a great cigar. I would classify it as full bodies and medium to full strength. It has some complexity that keeps you engaged during the entire smoking experience. I enjoyed this cigar and would happily recommend Luchador to fellow cigar smokers.