Shades of Oscuro Natural

[Mark Twain]

I’ve put together a small sample of LFD Lancero cigars. One is a regular release and the other two are Oscuro Natural. The one on the left in an ON which was purchased in November of ’06, the one in the center has a regular wrapper, and the one on the right arrived the other day and is a new batch of ON.

I find the contrast in wrapper color on the ON cigars to be fascinating. The cigars that came in the new release box are all consistent and match one another. The contrast between the ON release from November and this new batch is striking in the depth of color produced in the initial release. I can’t wait to do a review of each and see what the major differences are in taste and possibly complexity. :thumbs: I might wait a bit, because I think this new ON release might need to rest awhile.

 

[smellysell]

Making me jealous that mine haven't showed up yet. They do look tasty!

 

[grateful1]

Great pic....and the cigars look good too!

I've found a number of instances where the same blend, with different dates, has a wrapper of a different shade.
Most have smoked true to the expect profile. The ones that were off profile...well, I just smoked those too!

 

[Ginseng]

Wow. What an amazing difference. As long as the smoking characteristics are identical, there shouldn't be a problem. Still, that's quite a contrast.

I wonder if Moki would be able to comment on how critical the processed wrapper shade is to the taste profile based on his knowledge of the ON process.

Wilkey

 

[grateful1]

An interesting 2005 article on:<H1 id=post-51><H1 id=post-51>Is it Maduro, Double Maduro, or Oscuro?</H1></H1>

 

[Ginseng]

Thanks for the link, Gary. But my recollection is that Litto was touting this as a totally new and different process unlike the traditional progression from maduro to oscuro.

Wilkey

 

[grateful1]

Thanks for the link, Gary. But my recollection is that Litto was touting this as a totally new and different process unlike the traditional progression from maduro to oscuro.

Wilkey

I believe you are correct....I'll see what else I might grab!
A little more info: linky


Moki....paging Mr. Moki!

 

[moki]

PM sent

 

[BobbyRitz]

Interesting indeed. The box of ON lanceros that I bought a few months ago from Billy looks much like the one on the right.

I'm interested in Moki's answer as well.

Rob

 

[ThankYouForNotSmoking]

Here are some (bad) pictures I took comparing my Lanceros Natural from Dec '06 to the box of Lanceros Oscuro Natural received just yesterday from Jack Schwartz. My ON appear to be a shade darker than MT's newer ONs but not as dark as his older batch.

I'm going to chalk this up to natural variation, is that the drift of things?

LFD Lanceros Natural vs. Oscuro Natural

 

[Marcos]

I have no idea about this ON process but I swear that one of my Ligero L300 Cabinets (only one left) has become darker since sitting in my humi for a little over a year. I wish I had taken a picture to show the difference. Those lanceros look sweet!

 

[moki]

Okay, so briefly, the process that LFD uses starts with a natural wrapper, thus the "Oscuro natural" designation. Due to the nature of the process, and the fact that we're dealing with organic materials, some wrappers will be more affected by it than others.

After the wrappers have gone through the process and rolled onto the cigars, like any other cigars, they are color sorted on a per-box basis. Thus I'm not surprised that the entire box has a similar coloration to them.

I'm intentionally being vague about the process, because it was mentioned to me in confidence, and while it is probably "out there" already, I'd rather not be the one to publicly state it.

Suffice it to say that the process is a natural one that does not involve chemicals, heating, coloring, or other inappropriate practices.

 

[Ginseng]

Okay, so briefly, the process that LFD uses starts with a natural wrapper, thus the "Oscuro natural" designation...
Suffice it to say that the process is a natural one that does not involve chemicals, heating, coloring, or other inappropriate practices.

From a chemistry perspective, that leaves biological or enzymatic action. I am aware of research on the use of specific bacterial "broths" during the fermentation phase. My money would be on a bacterial mode of change.

Wilkey

 

[grateful1]

Okay, so briefly, the process that LFD uses starts with a natural wrapper, thus the "Oscuro natural" designation...
Suffice it to say that the process is a natural one that does not involve chemicals, heating, coloring, or other inappropriate practices.

From a chemistry perspective, that leaves biological or enzymatic action. I am aware of research on the use of specific bacterial "broths" during the fermentation phase. My money would be on a bacterial mode of change.

Wilkey

I thought it was from the sweat of virgin girls!

 

[ThankYouForNotSmoking]

Okay, so briefly, the process that LFD uses starts with a natural wrapper, thus the "Oscuro natural" designation...
Suffice it to say that the process is a natural one that does not involve chemicals, heating, coloring, or other inappropriate practices.

From a chemistry perspective, that leaves biological or enzymatic action. I am aware of research on the use of specific bacterial "broths" during the fermentation phase. My money would be on a bacterial mode of change.

Wilkey

I thought it was from the sweat of virgin girls!

Don't worry, still is. They just haven't showered in a few weeks.

 

[Rob_k]

the batch i received yesterday were typical "dark" oscuro color. dark or light, i enjoy this smoke very much.

 

[moki]

Okay, so briefly, the process that LFD uses starts with a natural wrapper, thus the "Oscuro natural" designation...
Suffice it to say that the process is a natural one that does not involve chemicals, heating, coloring, or other inappropriate practices.

From a chemistry perspective, that leaves biological or enzymatic action. I am aware of research on the use of specific bacterial "broths" during the fermentation phase. My money would be on a bacterial mode of change.

Wilkey

I suppose there might be some heat involved with the process, but they are not "cooking" the wrappers as some unscrupulous vendors have done. Heat certainly isn't the primary mechanism.