An amalgamation of various solo and duo reviews of the Leccia White in multiple vitolas.

Punch: Our earliest review of a Leccia White are notes I made on the 552 robusto vitola back in February of 2014. 

Draw: In November of that year, we performed a duo review of the same vitola, which reflected more of a notes-style versus our more voluminous prose.

P: Uh, yeah. And then I started making notes on a 650 (toro) just a few days ago. Again, not quite for presentation, but to record the smoke. This baby had some age on it; it had been in the Big Sticks closeout humidor for more than two years. I remembered it being “not bad” back in 2014 so thought I’d give it another try at 30% off.

D: And, so I thought it would be fun to combine them here, noting differences in vitola, and see what happens!

Prelight

P: Back in 2014, I tasted sweet clove on the cold draw after a large punching.

D: And he deserved it! Smoothly wrapped and rolled, with detail given to lining up any veins. I tasted sweet alfalfa, with something floral – lavender is always a nice thing, but I don’t think that’s the actual bouquet – on the cold draw. The draw was on the loose side.

Start

P: Creamy pepper.

D: You always say that. No really, that’s in all your notes about the 552. I found white pepper right off the bat.

P: For the toro, I noted a mild-medium intensity and mild complexity.

D: Yeah! Touted as a five-country blend, and assembled in Nicaragua, the Leccia White is available in four vitolas: double toro, toro, robusto, and the Little Guy at 4x46. You can read more about the Leccia White on its home page, such as suggested pairings like Dr. Pepper!

First Third

D: White pepper throughout. But it’s a nice spice. There’s still a nice floral note. I concluded my notes here with, “Very consistent. A mildly spicy, floral smoke”.

P: Yeah. On the toro, I said, “first thing that comes to mind is burnt rubber. Oh boy…”.

Second Third

P: To be fair to the toro, I commented that, by the half-way mark it has mellowed a bit and a nice cedar is dominating. For the 552, I observed that the sweetness is gone, with pepper dominating. Then, oddly enough, I picked up some blueberry — like in the Leccia Cedro we never reviewed!

D: Yeah. Same here.

Last Third

P: By now, it has lost some of the earlier charm; it no longer has the subtly sweet blueberry, and is slightly harsh. Still rather consistent but has kinda faded… it has gone to wood and leather.

D: Really, more of the same for me. I’m becoming numb to the pepper, so the blueberry floral – okay, I’m really not getting the blueberry – is taking more limelight in the last third. On one stick, the burn had been a little ragged under where the band was: band was glued pretty tight.

Summary

P: Fine. Not a real wower. Good construction and burn. I did note at my initial tasting in February of 2014, that it’s, “a favorite of the year”. I guess my take from 2019 is spot on: not bad.

D: Yeah. Hot at the end; had to put it down. Because it was hot. Flavor is very consistent. One relight. Not bad, but not quite what I’m looking for. The first third was the most interesting. I didn’t take notes on the strength, but the Leccia White webpage puts it right in the middle.

P: Yeah.