A unicorn cigar — and a lancero, which makes it rarer still.
The Ezra Zion Chimichanga is a 7 x 40 lancero wrapped in a luscious 12-year-aged Sumatra Maduro leaf. Every tobacco in it has been aged between six and twelve years, and the thin ring gauge does what a lancero is supposed to do: it pushes the wrapper forward and lets that decade-plus of aging carry the whole cigar.
The filler blend is a closely guarded secret. Ezra Zion will confirm one component and one only — Mexican San Andrés. The rest they are not telling anyone.
Blend Information
- Vitola: Lancero — 7 x 40
- Wrapper: Sumatra Maduro, aged 12 years
- Filler: Undisclosed, includes Mexican San Andrés
- Body: Full
- Strength: Medium to full
- Aging: All tobaccos aged between 6 and 12 years
Tasting Profile
First Third
- Caramel
- Roasted coffee beans
- Cinnamon stick
- Powdered sugar
- Black peppercorn
- Heavy whipping cream
- Red oak
- Raw leather
Second Third
- Milk chocolate
- Cacao nibs
- Espresso con panna
- Nutmeg
- Licorice
- Cashews
- Deep aged tobacco sweetness
Final Third
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Maplewood
- Toasted almonds
- Tanned leather
- Black tea
- Cake frosting
The flavors keep layering over one another rather than trading places — which is exactly what the extended aging buys you. Fair warning from the blender: watch your lips, because you will want to smoke this one down to the nub of the nub.
Why a Lancero
At 40 ring, there is far less filler relative to wrapper than in a robusto or a toro. That ratio is why lanceros are the format blenders reach for when the wrapper is the star — and with twelve years on this Sumatra Maduro, it is very much the star. It also means a slower, cooler burn and a longer sit than the length alone suggests.
Pairing Notes
Espresso or a cortado early. Aged rum, bourbon, or a stout after dinner — the chocolate and caramel notes have plenty to hold onto.
Available at Tinder Box as a single or a 5-pack.
