Aging Room Solera Sungrown Fantistico Cigar Review

The story of Aging Room Solera sets it apart from cigars on the market as the aging process used for the tobacco in the Solera blend comes to use from the Sherry and Brandy methods used in Andalucia, Spain.

In 2004, Rafael Nodal visited Spain with his wife in 2004 where he learned about the Solera aging system. The method of aging is a fractional blending process where the finished product is a mixture of ages. By aging together tobaccos from different years, a marriage of flavors occurs long before the cigars are made.

While the cigar has been sold since 2005 as an exclusive brand at their Cigar Lounge in Miami Lakes, FL the cigar is now available for all retailers nationwide.

Cigar Review: Aging Room Solera Sungrown
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Length: 5.6″
Ring Gauge: 54
Vitola: Fantastico (Toro)

The Look: Packaged naked (sans cello) in 21 count boxes of black and yellow reminiscent of a taxi or bee, The Aging Room Solera won’t sting the wallet. The cigars feature a two band system with the traditional band denoting Aging Room and the secondary large band denoting Solera. The cigars are heavy in weight, exquisitely rolled and feature a well packed foot. There is a nice amount of oils present as well making this a very attractive cigar.

The Notes: The Aging Room Solera has a plethora of notes going on during the cold draw which is useful to prepare your palate for the smoking experience. There are notes of maple syrup, honey and a hint of wheat. Enjoyable and subtle, the cold draw notes are joined by the same notes on the aroma off the wrapper and foot.

Once the cigar is lit with my new Lotus Mercury lighter, I am treated to a subtle sweetness which is reminiscent of honey. As we smoke through the first third some hints of nuts and lemon zest compliment the sweetness. On the retrohale there are some spices and earth that continue on to the finish of the Solera Sungrown.

In the second third of the cigar some of the spices from the retrohale make their way to the palate. Some of those spices appear in the form of paprika and cayenne pepper which are also joined by nuts and earth.

 

As the Solera from Boutique Blends comes to a close the notes of nuts are dominant with hints of wheat and earth. The subtle spice works its way back to the retrohale with a moderate to long finish.

The Finish: The Solera is one of the cigars I was looking forward to from this years IPCPR releases along with the forthcoming Aging Room Pelo de Oro. Often at times the anticipation of a release can be built up in one’s mind so high that one can be easily disappointed. This was not the case and the Sungrown Solera was so good, I purchased a box after smoking a couple of them.

Score: 93
Price: $7.69 / $141.99