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Background: I've smoked NCs on and off for decades. I think approx. 85% of those I have tried weren't very good. With a few exceptions, even the ones that are good, aren't that good (I'm looking at you Padron!). So when Rob & team started flouting their NC cigars that could compare and compete with CCs, I concluded right away that they were full of sh*t. After all, Rob is a salesman (a good one), and salesmen will tell you anything to get you out the door with their product. "Step right up! We've got this one ligament for all your ailments! We've got a car that will drive itself! We've got NC cigars that are better than anything you've had! Steeeeeyp right up!" As a result of all of that, I had been planning to skip these releases altogether. However @HoyoFan arranged a split of a bundle of the petite corona and so I ended up with a 5-pack. Pre-light: No band. Evenly packed. Deep chocolate color. Smells of slight barnyard with a big chocolate note and a definite mustiness reminiscent of aged tobacco. The cold draw has no issues. First Third: Cigar opens under-medium. The chocolate note is at the front and is delicious. A secondary note of fresh ground coffee -- not the drink itself, but the smell you get after grinding beans. A great combination! The retrohale is mostly smooth and enhances the experience. A tiny bit of pepper at the very end of the retro. Underneath the coffee and chocolate notes is a core flavor that I couldn't place while I was smoking. Later when I was reading more about the cigar, I saw the phrase "burnt edge of a cookie." That is exactly it! It was like smoking well-done cookies. Amazing, I've never experienced anything like that in a cigar. Second Third: Fantastic smoke output. It is so satisfying when the smoke pours out this heavily. At this point the chocolate has faded and the core flavor is that of cappuccino cream (actual coffee, the drink, flavor this time) with just a hint of those cookies. There is also some amount of fruit notes popping up in the background. I can't place what fruit this might be. Final Third: The cigar is a solid medium at this point. The creaminess has faded. The coffee flavor persists and a deep caramel flavor joins. At the 3/4 inch point it got hot and I put it down. Burn and draw were perfect for the entire duration. Overall Thoughts & Rating: This is a fantastic cigar. It is catapulted to the top 5% of NCs that I have smoked (that's my rating based on a single cigar). It reminded me a lot of a AB Tempus Corona Natural at its core (a cigar that I enjoy), but with heaps of extra flavor and grace piled on. Kudos to the entire team and tasting panel on this. I officially apologize for assuming you were all full of sh*t. After smoking this cigar, I am left scratching my head and a little angry. If it has always been possible to produce cigars with this much flavor and class from NC tobacco, WHY HASN'T ANYONE ELSE BEEN DOING IT OVER THE PAST 60 YEARS!?!?!? 😡

Pre-amble. This review is solely my opinion based on a purchase of a Nudie N1 Lancero (Colorado). It is NOT endorsed, nor has it been requested by anyone associated with the Desnudo line. I review this solely as a cigar enthusiast. Yes. I am a mod on FOH but that has nothing to do with this review. I've followed this offering with some interest. Now that I have some in my hands, I figured a few reviews might be fun. I have the Colorado and Maduro versions. I'll aim to review the Maduro version in a week or so. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this review. Please note: Whenever you see a "//" that is a visual cue that another draw has been taken or I've jotted down a thought at the time. Review: Nudie N1 Lancero Colorado Length 7.5inches RG:38 Date: Jun 2 2022 Time: 7:50PM EST Pairing:water Pre-light notes Light, milk chocolate Colorado wrapper. Good sponginess throughout. Triple capped pigtail. Small green spot blemish on it. Nice thin veins on the wrapper. Quality roll, smooth with a slight toothiness to it. Aroma at cold Similar to farm rolls. Barnyard. Foot has a bit of NC aroma to it. Initial draw is firm 1st Third Earthy // good smoke amount // good draw // chalky mouth feel // slightly NC taste to it. Good burn and ash // flavor still earthy, not too much going on // rich woodsy draw // dry finish // very slight hint of cocoa // has a bit of Montecristo in it , MPE by my accounts // dark bread notes like pumpernickel // bit of a sharp finish on most draws, like biting a cinnamon toothpick, but not that sharp // bitter chocolate notes // tap off crooked ash // cigar body is medium, has a malty demeanor to it // tangy // great burn, smooth draw // overall flavour profile remains static, still early though // bit of black pepper on the finish now // sharp, cedar, pepper notes // 1st third ends with an uptick in body 2nd Third Continues to be malty, almost the equivalent of drinking a Stout // definitely a lot of cedar notes on the finish // still a great burn and solid b/w ash // manage to drop the ash // cedar notes have me thinking more pine than cedar // a bit of pepper lingers on every draw // still very much malty, which I do enjoy // I’m not a big NC smoker, but this one really take me back to when I started with NC’s in terms of finish, this is not a smooth as a CC, though it does have some finesse // I do get a bit of Partagas 898 at this point // bitter chocolate // earthy draw // very sharp , woody hit, overwhelms the palate a bit // need some water // next draw is a bit calmer, softer // smoke output is impressive for a Lancero // water // bitter chocolate // cedary notes // still chalky mouthfeel (as opposed to oily if anyone is wondering what I’m getting at) // sharp woodiness // woody, still great draw and lots of smoke // touchup on the burn // cedar again // I will say, this a quality roll. Very nice construction // 2nd third ends Final Third A bit of ammonia opens the final third, might try a retroburn if it persists, sign of youth perhaps? // water // woody, no ammonia this time // cocoa, bit of ammonia at the tail end // tap off ash // do a retroburn not too much gas // smoother flavour of chocolate // chalky, woodsy notes // cedar // I feel the cigar is waning a bit at this point // cedar turned to pine on this draw // water // chalky, woodsy draw // hints of chocolate // bitter chocolate // pepper finish seems to have stopped in this third // water // pine with a nice cocoa finish // strong earthy notes, pepper on the finish // maltiness has dissipated at this point // water // woody and chalky // burn is perfect again since that touchup // cocoa and a big puff of smoke nearly blinds me // dirty, earthiness // water // a bite of cedar on this draw // tap off ash // a retroburn burns off more gas than the fist attempt // lots of smoke and more sharp cedar notes // chalky, woodsy aftertaste // earthy, chalky // feeling a slight nicotine buzz // cocoa, sharp cedar finish // earthy notes, charry finish // retroburn followed by strong cedar notes // cocoa // woody, lots of smoke // water // woody // ash off, cigar cherry is going strong, no touch up needed // sharp cedar // very strong charry draw // cigar is showing its’ strength in this final stretch // tangy cedar notes // woody notes again // strong earthy draw // strong earth followed by pine // water // charry // strong earth // very strong draw, can feel it // final draw strong as well. // OOF Fin 9:16PM EST Conclusions I went in with no expectations and to be objective. Visually, the cigar looks fantastic. Any cigar with Hamlet behind it, IMO is a must try. I was surprised by the amount of smoke output on this Lancero. Most smaller RG cigars don’t put out a lot of smoke. I pretty much “sipped” the cigar and it still let off a lot of smoke. I did find myself enjoying the cigar. At the halfway point, the tobacco’s strength either kicked in suddenly or was building up slowly. Either way, I started to feel this cigar. I am reminded of my start in this hobby, when I first started smoking NC’s. This cigar reminded me of an Opus X Corona Gorda I smoked back in 2009/10. That cigar knocked me off my feet and gave me that “swimming brain” feeling. The only difference between the N1and that Opus X is that from foot to head, the Opus was a monster. The N1 only exhibited that strength past the halfway point. I don’t recall the Opus having as much flavor range compared to the N1. From my estimation, this is a pretty young cigar. I believe I ordered a 50/50 bundle of Colorado and Maduro N1’s in Jan 2022 and received them in March 2022. They’ve had time to rest in the humidor. And perhaps it is that youth that makes the cigar strong. Or, this could be an outlier whose blend was a bit on the strong side. Only additional sampling can answer that question. As for this particular cigar, it was full bodied and strong. In my experience, that lends well to aging. The youngest and strongest Cubans I’ve smoked have been absolutely delightful over the years after that initial “power” of youth has started to wane. I hope the N1 smooths out like they did. I wouldn’t mistake this for a Cuban, but it is far more approachable than most NC’s I’ve had. In future, I’d pair this with a white wine(probably Chardonnay) or white port to balance the body/strength of the cigar. Overall, in it’s present state, this is a very good cigar. It does not offer the most dynamic flavor range, but it is more engaging than most NC’s I’ve smoked. I will try another in 6-12 months to see how it’s progressing. And probably try the Maduro N1 shortly as well to benchmark it young. Score: 87.