Balmoral Añejo XO Oscuro Lancero FT

📌 Brand: Balmoral
📌 Line: XO Oscuro (Limited Edition 2019)
📌 Size: Lancero (7" × 40)
📌 Weight: 11.9 g
📌 Age: 6 years
📌 Origin: Dominican Republic

Tasting Notes

• Dark Cocoa – Bitter-sweet opening note

• Mineral Earth – Chalky, slightly dry mid-palate

• Black Pepper – Sharp, uneven bursts

• Charred Wood – Appears as balance slips

First Impressions

The Oscuro wrapper is dark and matte with a firm feel typical of Balmoral’s Lancero work. Pre-light aromas bring cocoa, dry earth, and a mineral edge. Cold draw is acceptable but hints at tight spots along the bunch.

Smoking Experience

• First Third – Cocoa and pepper open strongly, but flavors feel slightly disjointed. Burn begins to wander and needs the first relight.

• Second Third – Earth and mineral notes dominate; sweetness fades. Profile feels unbalanced, with pepper spiking unexpectedly.

• Final Third – Charred wood creeps in, bitterness increases, and a second relight is required to keep it going. Finish lacks harmony.

Pairings

• Alcohol – Capovilla Distillato di Albicocche - Pure apricot eau-de-vie with piercing fruit clarity that cuts through bitterness and restores balance where the cigar struggles.

• Tea – Taiwan Shan Lin Xi High-Mountain Black Tea - Clean, honeyed sweetness with light florals to soften mineral dryness and pepper spikes.

Music Pairing

“Your Hand in Mine” – Explosions in the Sky
Slow build and tension echo the cigar’s uneven evolution.

Final Thoughts

The Balmoral XO Oscuro Lancero LE 2019 shows quality tobacco and moments of depth, but two relights and a lack of balance between sweetness, earth, and spice keep it from fully coming together. An interesting smoke that never quite finds its rhythm.

Final Score: 7/10
Why not a 10?
Two relights and an unbalanced flavor progression disrupted consistency and harmony.

Only cigars that deliver flawless draw, balance, flavour evolution, construction and satisfaction get a 10.