In 1998, Eduardo Fernandez went to Nicaragua with a dream: to grow the finest tobacco in the world that captured the very essence of the Cuban cigars of old. In order to do this he worked with some great tobacco people and they quickly realized they could recreate the style and aroma of Cuban tobacco with the resources available to them in Nicaragua. The tobacco that they cultivated was named Aganorsa Leaf.
As a vertically integrated company, Aganorsa Leaf oversees the entire production process—from seed to ash—ensuring every cigar consistently produces maximum pleasure. Today we head into the weekend with Aganorsa Leaf Connecticut. If the band looks familiar to you, its because the cigar and company was once branded Casa Fernandez before the name change in April.
Cigar Review: Aganorsa Leaf Connecticut
Wrapper: Ecuador Connectiuct
Binder: Nicaragua (Aganorsa)
Filler: Nicaragua (Aganorsa)
Length: 6″
Ring Guage: 52
Size: Toro
The Look: The Aganorsa Leaf Connecticut is laid out in two rows of ten cigars. The Connecticut wrapped cigar is more tan in color than blonde which is the growing trend especially with cigars from Nicaragua. The cigar features the old style Casa Fenandez band but the word Miami has been replaced by Aganorsa. A secondary band states Aganorsa Leaf Connecticut and the presentation is rounded out with a peach colored ribbon .The cigar which is lightly box pressed is firm in the hand with no soft spots and a well packed foot.
The Notes: Once the cap is clipped the cold draw has a subtle ginger like quality to it with hints of plum. The aroma from the foot serves up earthy notes of grass, wheat and a touch of cedar. After toasting the foot of the cigar the first draw offer up a touch of wheat.
Moving into the first third of the wheat notes are joined by subtle nuances of cedar and chocolate with the latter coming and going periodically through the first third of the cigar. The retrohale sees a lot going on with notes of hearty wood, buttery richness and a touch of saltiness with a relatively short finish.
The second third sees the introduction of a licorice component over continued noted of chocolate and cedar. The chocolate is especially noticeable on the retrohale of the cigar with some more licorice and a buttery smooth richness.
As the cigar comes to a close the butter richness makes its way on to the palate with some subtle notes of cashews and black pepper. The retrohale continues to showcase notes of chocolate with some nuances of cinnamon and pepper.
The Finish: The majority of the marketplace smokes Connecticut shade cigars which tend to be mild. Lately some Connecticut cigars have been coming out of Nicaragua that see the cigars transcend in to the medium strength range with a full flavor profile. This is the case with the Aganorsa Leaf Connecticut which offers just enough strength to keep me happy, while not to much where it would put off a mild cigar smoker. The Aganorsa Leaf is delicious which a wide range of flavors and subtle nuances that will bring me back on a regular basis.
Score: 93
Price: $7.69 / $134.99
Aganorsa Leaf Conneciticut Foot
Aganorsa Leaf Conneciticut Burn
