The Luchador El Guapo is Sam Leccia's third production release, and the official release date clues you in on the theme of the cigar which was May 5th.  There was a promise made by Mr. Leccia and that was that this cigar would go from sweet to spicy in 60 seconds.  It has a San Andres wrapper with an Ecuadorian Habano binder.  It also had Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Pennsylvania fillers.  It has a very cool Luchador mask on band with all the vibrant Mexican colors. The wrapper is beautiful on color has a gold shine to it.  The wrapper has a very toothy appearance, and there are no worrisome seams or bumps.

 

The prelight aroma has a leathery hay smell to it.  At first puff, I immediately get hit with GRASSY, EARTHY, and PEPPER. It's up in your face fast.  The white pepper is dominant on the retro.  The earthy flavor is dominant on your palate.  It's burning a little uneven but no touchups required.  It has great smoke output with a solid draw.  It has a beautiful gray volcanic looking ash.  As the 1/3 progresses, the pepper has subsided and now I'm experiencing a chocolate earthy combo.  There is a quinine zing present as well.  What a surprise!!  It reminds me of tonic water.  It's at the med-full flavor/body stage.

 

At the midpoint, the flavors I pick up are chocolate and earth dominating your palate with that quinine zing.  The pepper has subsided, bit it's starting to pick up on intensity.  Them it happens BAM!!! That spicy flavor he promised comes faster than Usein Bolt. Whoa!!  It's intense to say the least.  It's full flavored/body, and the ash is still holding on.  The burn is still uneven but the smoke output is still a winner.  The pepper is making its way back up front with the chocolate earthy quinine taste going to the back.  It’s by no way harsh or overpowering just intense.  The retro went from sweet to pepper real fast.  The quinine taste stool there but not as noticeable.  The flavors are all harmonizing well. I guess the earthy chocolate calmed down the pepper.  It is now a full flavored/body cigar.  In the final 1/3, the chocolate earthy taste leads with the pepper in the back.  The retro still had that awesome quinine flavor tingling my throat.  It's a beautiful thing to see such a bold cigar be this well balanced.  The ash finally just gave me a lap dance for free.  The burn hasn't improved and the draw is effortless now. That quinine taste is still there on the retro but weakening. This cigar finishes strong with all the flavors harmonizing in the full flavored/body stage.