The last few years have seen a lot of cigar companies release “Year of the…” cigars to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Most of these releases follow the Chinese Zodiac (Year of the Dragon, Rat, Ox, etc.), but a few, like Punch’s Chinese food-themed cigars, break from the rest. That is what Lure Cigars and Valacari Cigars have done with their collaborative release, Nereus.
Nereus is named after a creature from Greek mythology that has the head of a horse and the body of a fish…a seahorse. Fitting, since 2026 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese Zodiac. It’s also clever because it merges Valacari’s and Lure’s marketing strategies. The Nereus is a 5-1/2″ x 60 box-pressed Gordito and is a Nicaraguan puro. It is important to note that Lure Cigars is a sponsor of the Simply Stogies Podcast and SimplyStogies.com.
OVERVIEW
VITOLA:Â Â Gordito (Box Pressed)
SIZE:Â Â 5-1/2″ x 60
ORIGIN:Â Â Nicaragua
FACTORY:Â Â La Tabacaria
WRAPPER:Â Â Nicaraguan Esteli Sun Grown Habano
BINDER:Â Â Nicaraguan Esteli
FILLER:Â Â Nicaraguan Condega/Esteli (both aged five years)
STRENGTH:Â Â Medium-Full
SOURCE:Â Â Â
Small Batch Cigar
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:Â Â
Studio/Lounge
WHEN:Â Â
June 06 @5pm
DRINKS:Â Â
Bottled Water
WEATHER:Â Â
Indoors
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:Â Â
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Â Limited Edition
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE Â Feb ’26
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size:Â Â Â Bundles of 10
Production Totals:Â 2,500 total cigars
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o  Gordito (5-1/2″ x 60)
BAND DESIGN
The band of the Nereus is burgundy with gold accents. It makes for a striking contrast against the dark Nicaraguan wrapper. It features the mythical Nereus on the front of the band. It is a simple, yet elegant presentation.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
AROMA
The Nicaraguan wrapper has notes of bread, hay, damp earth, and a hint of spice. The foot has heavy notes of damp earth, pepper, sweet tobacco, and barnyard. Pepper really comes through on two of them, while the third has just a touch.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw reveals notes of bread, fig, herbaceousness, white pepper, and a musty earthiness. The draw is a bit on the tight side before lighting.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: S.T. Dupont x Fender Cutter/Stand
Fire: S.T. Dupont x Fender Ligne 2 Lacquered Lighter
The initial light has notes of sweet cream, wood, earth, nuts, pepper, and baking spices. Big notes of black pepper dominate the retrohale. There is a subtle sweetness that lingers on my palate. Red pepper flake dances on my tongue and claws gently at the back of my throat.
SMOKE
The Nereus’ smoke is creamy and satisfying. It coats my palate and has a very pleasant mouthfeel. The Nereus produces a copious amount of smoke with each draw.
FIRST THIRD
>> Wood, Salted Nuts, Honey, Black Pepper
The first third sees the Nereus’ intensity from the initial light drop. Creamy notes of earth, wood, salted nuts, pepper, and spice are easily picked out. There is a herbaceousness to the Nereus’ first third, too. A sweet note that I can’t quite place lurks in the background. Black pepper rules the retrohale. Cedar lingers on my palate, with maybe a touch of cayenne. The burn line is a bit wavy on all three, but nothing concerning. Wood, earth, and spice dominate…but there is nuance to be found: cream, bread, herbaceousness, and a subtle sweetness all form the backdrop of the first third. The ash is compact, with a few larger flakes beginning to show. A touch of honey and coffee start to come through, as the red pepper begins to claw a bit more aggressively at the back of my throat. Coffee, nuts, wood, and pepper now. The sweetness is gone, and I’m left with earthy notes. There are baking spices and the herbaceousness still coming through.
SECOND THIRD
>> Avocado Oil, Baking Spices, Pepper, Citrus
FINAL THIRD
>> Coffee, Caramel, Leather, Citrus
The final third transitions to richer flavors of earth, coffee, caramel, charred wood, baking spices, and nuts. It really amps up the deep, rich earthy notes. There is a sweetness that returns in the form of caramel. Red pepper, wood, and baking spices linger on my palate. The Nereus has a very long finish. The burn is decidedly uneven…again. The ash continues to have more flakes than I would like, with the vast majority ending up on my shirt or in my lap. Black pepper returns to the retrohale. Notes of citrus and butter come and go, as does the cream note from the first third. The smoke remains creamy and plentiful. Salted roasted nuts and leather add their voices to the choir of complex flavors. A fruit note begins to come through with a very savory note right behind it. Big notes of coffee, wood, pepper, baking spices, and leather are how the Nereus ends.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The Nereus hints at how bold the flavors will become with the initial light. Notes of earth, wood, and cream begin the inevitable march toward a bold finish, transforming pepper and spice into citrus and smooth butter notes in the middle third. The final act melds the best of the first two thirds as the Nereus crescendos to a bold finish of wood, coffee, salt, and butter.
BURN EXPERIENCE
This is where the Nereus underperforms, in my opinion. The burn is never really razor-sharp, and the ash is more than a little flaky throughout the entire smoking experience. While the Nereus always self-corrects the burn, the ash isn’t as compact as I would have hoped.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.78Â / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.47Â / 0.50 …Â Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Lighting Process
6.70Â / 7.70 …Â Smoking Experience
0.50Â / 0.50 …Â Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Bold flavors that start with nuance and build to complex full flavors
- The Nereus' flavor profile is very well-balanced
- The ash is overly flakey from the initial light
- Wonky burn throughout each cigar
YEAR OF THE SEA HORSE.
The Nereus is a great example of what a larger ring gauge can offer when done right. There is never a lack of flavor. While the first third has a lot of nuance, the middle and final thirds beat the drum of “Flavor, flavor, flavor.” It morphs from creamy to earthy to woody while adding notes of citrus, nuts, and fruity sweetness. The flavor profile is never boring and will keep even the most grizzled aficionado’s attention from light to finish. Lure and Valacari’s first foray into Lunar New Year releases hits the mark and is something you should pick up if you’re lucky enough to find one in the wild.
