Cigar Reveal #147

Luciano
THE DREAMER

Of course we are always on the lookout to buy the best cigars in the world, but anytime we can find a really great cigar made by really great people, we tell 'em to just take our money. Such is the case with Luciano The Dreamer, and such is the case with Luciano Meirelles. I first heard about Luciano from fellow-great-guy, Charles Robinson of Atsiniki cigars. Atsiniki cigars are made at Tabacalera Pichardo, the factory Luciano partially owns and where his cigars are also made. That Atsiniki cigar became our 2019 blind tasted cigar of the year, and around the same time Luciano and his partner, Eradio Pichardo, secured a distribution deal with Crowned Heads, and also began making many of their cigars, including Mil Dias, Juarez, and CHC Serie E. 

Along producing great cigars and Tabacalera Pichardo, Luciano has also worked to improve the lives of his employees. 

"Our work could not be merely about profit and products but about the lives we could change with our cigars—both in our factory and in the Estelí community and throughout the world," he said in an interview with Cigar Aficionado. "During the last few months, we have implemented some changes, one of which is the weekly distribution of some food items to our workers on top of their hourly wages. Our team is giving each worker rice, beans, eggs, chicken and other basic items in order to assure our employees are taken care of. As we capacitate our employees and empower them, there’s so much good that rises to the surface."

The Dreamer is a wonderfully rich and complex smoke and in the lancero size (until this year, the lancero was the only size in production) Cigar Aficionado placed it at the #12 Cigar of 2021. For a cigar of this size and quality, it's very reasonably priced at $13 per cigar. 

The Dreamer was inspired by the book, “The Artisan Soul” by Erwin McManus who describes all humans as creative each of which have the essence of an artist. In the book he calls upon us to let that creativity shine and craft our lives as a work of art. 

“I wanted to produce a cigar that would represent the human imagination. We are very proud of this blend. The Dreamer is something special for the true cigar lover,” said Luciano.





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The Dreamer
Anatomy

  • Nicaragua and Peru

  • Nicaragua

  • Ecuadorian Sumatra

The Dreamer
Flavor Notes

First Third

Almonds

Butter

Cedar

Almonds

Butter

Cedar

Second Third

Maple Syrup

Almonds

Cocoa

Maple Syrup

Almonds

Cocoa

Final Third

Cedar

Red Pepper

Cocoa

Cedar

Red Pepper

Cocoa

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Reviews + Notes

Stogie Press

(Lancero size) Overall, the ACE Prime Luciano The Dreamer was a smooth and pleasant blend that had a fine array of flavors and aromas all delivered through a well constructed lancero vitola. Like most lanceros, it did go out a few times and required to be re-lit but overall this is one I would still recommend a box buy. I rate this a 94.

Cigar Aficionado

The long, slim cigars are tough to make, and when made right they are exceptional, with a great amount of the flavor delivered by the wrapper. Such is the case for Luciano The Dreamer, the signature smoke of Ace Prime owner Luciano Meirelles. The cigar was born as a limited-edition in 2020, but its reception led Meirelles to change strategy and make it a regular release in 2021. Its combination of tobaccos from Ecuador Havana wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and filler, with just a touch of Peruvian leaf, give it sublime flavors of chocolate-covered almonds, café au lait and just a bit of spice.

The Styled Stogie

Nicely wrapped cigar with a milk chocolate colored wrapper. Earth, vinegar, and cocoa powder on the body. The foot is all dry cocoa powder. White pepper and cedar is coming from the cold draw. Nice and fresh earth, sweet tobacco, and white pepper all straight away after the light-up. Rich spice fills the palate and lingers on the back of the tongue. Starting to become more of a chili. Just like red chili flakes on sourdough avocado toast, which brings me to a charred sourdough note. Next, I get roasted and salted Brazilnuts. Almost a peanut but not quite. The spices from before start to come back a little further in. As I get into the second third, the spice stays but it’s not in the front anymore. Instead, I’m getting mixed herbs. Palate texture gets creamy as well. A very rich introduction to the next chapter. The palate texture now changes from cream to bread, specifically an Italian white bread. These notes continue on through the rest of the second third and bleed into the final third here. It’s still rich with that nice spice still present. A little further in, I start to get some oak. With that, there’s a sweetness that I can’t quite place. It’s sort of like a custard. The custard and oak is an interesting combination. It’s very pleasant and also has a bit of cinnamon as well. Very intriguing finish. 

This one was fairly dynamic and had some entertaining changes. It only lost a few points on complexity and construction. It burned well, but seemed to be slightly under packed as it began to be more fragile and not as firm throughout the smoke time. 

A wonderful pairing would be a carbonara with a side of bread & olive oil. I’d do a sparkling water with it to finish off and brighten up the palate a bit. 

Score: 89