In part two of our lancero comparison series, we’ll explore the similarities and differences between two cigars of a very highly sought-after make. Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje brand has invigorated the cigar world with its range of extremely high quality full-flavored cigars. Master blender Don Pepin Garcia has achieved what some would consider unparalleled success in duplicating the Classic Cuban flavor profile for Tatuaje. Truly a dynamic-duo, Johnson and Garcia have created one of the best lines of cigars available today.

  Our present experiment pits the Tatuaje Regios, a 5.5 x 50 robusto, against the Especiales. At 7.5 x 38, the Especiales is an elegant and classic lancero- a perfect foil for the Regios. Both cigars, of course, are of the same Nicaraguan pedigree. A Nicaraguan filler, binder, and Corojo ‘99 wrapper make these beauties perfect puros, and rather strong ones at that. How exactly will the lancero stack up against the robusto? For a sneak peak at what to expect, we’ve been provided with the Tatuaje Relative Cigar Strength Chart courtesy of Andrew at Vitolas.net.

  Note that the Especiales is the mildest of this particular series, although still a full-bodied cigar; while the Regios packs approximately one third the ballbusting power of the legendary Cojonu 2006. An important theme of our Lancero Comparison Series is our attempt to determine whether the characteristic differences between the “conventional” sizes and lanceros are categorically do to the lancero’s relative lack of filler. Will this study in Lancero-logy yield the deciding results? Find out here.

  The so-called “Lancero Craze” has captured the attention of much of the cigar-loving public. A recent feature concerning the Lancero size in a major publication had me wondering: is it true? Does the thinner ring gauge actually result in a prominence of the wrapper leaf’s flavor? That is to say, for a thinner cigar is the ratio of wrapper to filler really greater? My generally (some say viciously) skeptical nature mandated a closer, more scientific look at this phenomenon.

  Enlisting the help of all-around number crunching guru, man of science, author, and creator of debtsmart.com Scott Bilker, BSEE, I sought to determine once and for all the answer to this persistent question…through the work of others. Scott answers as follows.

1. Let’s assume that a cigar is a perfect cylinder.
2. Surface Area: SA = 2 * pi * r * h (excluding the surface area of the circular ends since one end is lit and the other is cut), where r is the radius and h is the height.
3. Volume: V = pi * r^2 * h (pi r squared h).
4. Question: People say that the thinner the cigar is, the more outside surface area (wrapper) there is in comparison to inside volume (filler).Math translation: Does the ratio of surface area to volume of a cylinder increase or decrease if the radius decreases?
5. Ratio: SA / V = 2 * pi * r * h / pi * r^2 * h this reduces to…
6. Ratio: SA / V = 2 / r
7. As r approaches 0, 2/r approaches infinity.
8. Therefore, it is true that the thinner the cigar, the more wrapper there is in comparison to the volume.

  Hell, I’m convinced. Now I won’t have to suffer through countless hours of hands on research. Of course, I would say such an outrageous thing only in jest. Scott’s geometrically intriguing answer has only piqued my curiosity. In part one of an ongoing series, we’ll compare a Lancero of a particular blend to a more conventional size of the same. First up, the Oliva Serie V. This cigar is one of the best “new” cigars of recent years. A truly complex, flavorful, bold, beautifully constructed masterpeice of a cigar. The “poor man’s Opus”, really. The spiciness and power of the Serie V are rivaled by no comparably priced cigar. The excellence of this cigar is nearly undisputed; but let’s see how the Lancero stacks up against a more familiar size. At 5×54, the Serie V Double Robusto should give us firm footing from which to view the Lancero phenomenon in the clear light of day.