In the realm of premium tobacco, quality demonstrations and comparisons are an everyday topic, but few dare to push their skills to the limit, as is the case with Dominium Cigars, through their Lancero Imperial.
The Lancero format is closely linked to the elegance and distinction of the golden age of the Cuban cigar, remaining the signature vitola of great traditional brands, as well as an unequivocal indicator of a factory’s craftsmanship and manufacturing capability.
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“You cannot hide behind a Lancero, because the cigar is what will decide the factory’s quality and will demonstrate the capability of its bunchers and rollers.”
Based on this fact, the Lancero Imperial was born as a challenge for Humo Selecto’s Master Blender, Wilber Ponce, who was asked for a demonstration of skill in crafting cigars one hundred percent by hand. “I asked him to make me a thin cigar of about nine inches, and what he delivered was so wonderful that I decided to keep it for Dominium,” relates Iván Gancedo, co-founder of the brand.
Finally, and in accordance with the suggestion of his partner and co-founder, Donaldo González, the Lancero Imperial went into production in an 8.5-inch, 38 ring gauge; a size established by the factory’s mold capacity and not by Wilber’s superior ability.
The blend of this cigar is defined by an Habano Ecuador wrapper, which wraps a Sumatra Indonesia binder and one hundred percent Nicaragua fillers: superior quality tobaccos that necessitated a Super-Limited Edition. Production reaches a maximum of one thousand numbered boxes annually for the whole world, with 10 pieces each.
The retail price will be around 45 dollars per unit, so “either you are our friend and you smoke it with us, or you know someone who sells it and you pay the price… there is no other way,” states Donaldo.
Since its creation –in the late sixties– the Lancero has positioned itself as the antithesis of larger formats like Toro or Magnum, and it represents painstaking artisanal work. For this reason, it is synonymous with elegance and refinement, which stands out in markets like the European one, known for being highly demanding and having a great smoking tradition.
The technical challenge of its manufacturing is such that, of the 45 pairs working for Humo Selecto –a factory located in Jalapa, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua– only one is dedicated to the Dominium Lancero Imperial. These artisans focus entirely on the construction of a cigar with a perfect draw and burn, for a pleasurable smoke.
For Iván Gancedo, the emergence of this cigar is due to the magic of the Master Blender’s hands. “As the brand owner, I explained the desired sensations to him, and he did the work of a great chef to achieve a smoke full of creaminess and a rounded flavor that allows for full enjoyment and reminds us of the golden age of the Cuban cigar.”
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