Las Calaveras LC EL 2021 Belicoso Review

Overview

Las Calaveras has long occupied a unique space in the premium cigar landscape: a brand born from a collaboration between Steve Saka and the team at Raíces Cubanas in Danlí, Honduras, it has never sought to mimic the Nicaragua-heavy profiles that dominate the market. Instead, it stakes its reputation on Honduran terroir, and the Las Calaveras LC EL 2021 Belicoso—the Edición Limitada release for that year—is among the most eloquent expressions of that philosophy. The cigar is a 6 x 52 belicoso cloaked in a Honduran Corojo wrapper of Colorado shade, a medium-dark chestnut leaf with a natural sheen and silky texture that hints at the refinement within. Beneath it lies a Honduran binder, and the filler is a carefully aged blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan long-fillers, all assembled at the Raíces Cubanas factory under the direction of Cesar Lucía Jr., a name synonymous with precision and tradition. This is not a cigar that shouts; it builds its case slowly, with a structure that rewards the attentive smoker.

From the first cold draw, the character is established: dried cherry and cedar give way to a first third of creamy espresso, toasted oak, and dark cocoa, anchored by a subtle earthiness that speaks to the Honduran soil. A mild white pepper tingle on the retrohale announces a complexity that only deepens as the cigar progresses. In the second third, leather and dried fig emerge alongside the cocoa backbone, while the creaminess softens and a sweet-spiced cedar note—nearly cinnamon in character—weaves through the smoke. The strength climbs to medium-full, but never becomes overbearing; the balance is a hallmark of the blend. The final third delivers a dense, rich finish: dark roasted coffee, charred oak, and a lingering dark chocolate bitterness, with earthy mineral notes that ground the experience and a pepper on the retrohale that intensifies without overwhelming. The construction is exemplary—the draw offers ideal resistance, the burn line remains remarkably even, and the ash holds firm in light-grey increments past an inch. This is a 90-minute smoke that commands attention, not a cigar to be rushed or smoked distractedly.

What elevates the LC EL 2021 above many limited releases is its deliberate aging. The tobaccos were aged before rolling, and the annual Edición Limitada series is produced in restricted box numbers, making this a true limited edition that demands respect from collectors and connoisseurs alike. At a price point of $18–$22 per cigar, it sits in the premium tier, but it delivers a depth and complexity that often eludes cigars at twice the price. The Honduras-forward blend gives it a distinct regional identity, separating it from the sea of Nicaragua-dominant premiums. For the aficionado who values terroir, patience, and the quiet authority of a well-constructed cigar, the Las Calaveras LC EL 2021 Belicoso is not merely a smoke—it is a statement.