Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona Review

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Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona Review

Up for review today is the Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona. It’s a unique cigar, firstly because it comes from a collaboration between two great families in tobacco: the Quesada’s and the Plasencia’s. Second, this is the first Fonseca brand cigar ever to be made outside of the Dominican Republic.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona
  • Size: Petite Corona (5″ x 42)
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo 98
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua

Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona Review 2

Appearance and Construction

The Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona is an attractive cigar, with a strong, square box press and a well designed band. The wrapper is dark chocolate brown, very smooth and exceptionally oily.

The cigar seems well constructed, with a sightly springiness when squeezed that is consistent the length of the cigar.

The pre light draw is somewhat restrictive and delivers notes of spice, sweet tobacco, and wood.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

The Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona opens with concentrated flavors of dry wood, savory spiciness (almost barbecue like), some interesting floral notes, coffee and bitter chocolate. The texture is mostly smooth, with a little roughness around the edges. The retrohale is moderately spicy and carries some pepper with it as well. I’d place the opening at a solid medium body, full strength. The smoke production on this cigar is about average, and the draw is comfortable.

By half an inch in, those rough edges on the texture have smoothed out, and the bitter chocolate has moved from bitter to sweet and smooth. The ash is thick, seamless and white which is quite satisfying and holds on solidly until I roll it off an inch in.

As the second third nears, the profile shifts away from dominant sweetness to a balance between sweet and salty (almost a Fritos kind of saltiness). It’s an interesting profile to be sure, but not a preferred mix of flavors. Around this time the smoke production drops down to below average.

At halfway, dominant flavors shift to cashews, pepper, and bitter dark chocolate. The burn and ash remains sharp.

In the final third, the smoke production finally increases and it’s here that I think this cigar finds a nice balance in the profile. The pepper dials back nicely and coexists well alongside notes of oak, cashews, floral, espresso, and sweeter chocolate. The spice on the retrohale is a bit stronger than before, playing nicely off of the gentler profile.

Conclusion

Although I enjoyed the Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona, it will not be a size that I revisit. The flavor combinations are enjoyable, but to me this size doesn’t find balance enough to justify recommending it. For the money though, at about $5 a cigar, this really is a quality smoke. But I’d still recommend starting with the robusto or toro size to see if this line is right for you.

Final Score: 85

Aging Room Pelo de Oro Review

3 0 4.7k

Aging Room Pelo de Oro Review

Up for review today is the Aging Room Pelo de Oro. Besides its gorgeous branding, the Pelo de Oro is notable for its filler tobacco. Pelo de Oro (which translated means “golden hair” in spanish) is a difficult to grow leaf, with high susceptibility to disease and low yields.

At the time of purchase, I didn’t know that Rafael Nodal produced the cigar with AJ Fernandez. If I had known, I would have purchased this cigar and reviewed it much sooner after its release in 2016, because Fernandez + Nodal is a dynamite combination.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Aging Room Pelo de Oro
  • Wrapper: Cuban seed Nicaraguan
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Pelo de Oro (Nicaraguan)
  • Size: 5 1/2 x 55 (Scherzo)

Appearance & Construction

Lots of aroma off of the foot, a good sign. Some pepper, cedar, leather, and earth. The wrapper is a dark, marbled brown, with a few water spots and holes in the leaf (fairly surprising to find these imperfections). When squeezed, the cigar has very little give, and is this way consistently down the cigar. The pre light draw has optimal restrictiveness and gives aromas of sweet hay, earth, and coffee.

The branding itself of the cigar is great, definitely my favorite among any of Aging Rooms cigars. Both bands, though different, have classic and complementary looks. This really is how I think every Aging Room should be presented, but that will be up to Rafael going forward.

Aging Room Pelo de Oro Review 2

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Pelo de Oro opens with rich, albeit dry, medium to full bodied smoke, and it’s hard to tell immediately what flavors are present. I pick up lots of spiciness, some black pepper on the retrohale, and additional notes of toasted bread, mild and dark chocolate, burnt espresso, a tin flavor, and hints of vanilla on the finish.

At an inch in, the white ash is solid and quite impressive, with little splitting or fraying. The tin flavor has thankfully dissipated as well. The cigar produces a decent amount of smoke though I’d prefer a bit more.

Moving into the second third, the chocolate note gains dominance, along with an apricot note that is unique and complements the chocolate well. Smoke production has also increased nicely. At about halfway, the burn deviates a bit but quickly corrects itself. The strength also dials down a bit, bringing a sweeter profile to the fore, with cinnamon toast, nuts, cocoa, and a bit of molasses.

In the final third, the strength decreases again, though less than in the second third. Overall the profile is moderately sweet, with great complexity and harmony of flavors. The black pepper that was initially so dominant I think has found its rightful place as a supporting character.

Conclusion

I was pleasantly surprised by the Pelo de Oro. The balance between chocolate, apricot, nuts, cocoa and molasses was really special. From a construction standpoint, the cigar is nearly flawless, with the exception of trouble with smoke production at times. At around $15, Pelo de Oro isn’t cheap, but it’s a cigar I’ll be having again soon and recommend.

Final Score: 91

El Gueguense The Wise Man Maduro Toro Huaco Review

3 3.4k

el gueguense maduro cigar reviewFoundation Cigar Co.’s Nicholas Melillo announced this handsome stick last summer, basing its name off the subject of El Gueguense, a centuries-old Nicaraguan folk tale about, that’s right, you guessed it, a wise man:

In the seventeenth century, somewhere in the streets of a small colonial Nicaraguan city governed by the Spanish authorities and inhabited by indigenous and mestizo people, a comedy play of high cultural value was born. Expressed in the play was a rejection of the Spanish domination in a mocking, ingenious, and creative way. Over time this theatrical piece transformed into a national symbol for its protesting character that identified the Nicaraguan people. Three centuries later the UNESCO declared this work “Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”.

This historical play, by a unanimous author, is “El Güegüense o Macho Ratón”, the first literary Nicaraguan work, pertaining to the Nahuatl culture. 

Building upon the foundation of its predecessor cigars, Melillo sought to take the next logical step by expanding out of the Esteli Region of Nicaragua into other regions of the country, as well as to Mexico (home of the increasingly famous and fertile San Andres Valley).

Product Specs

  • Cigar Reviewed: Review: El Geuguense The Wise Man Maduro
  • Vitola: Toro Huaco (6 x 56)
  • Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Wrapper
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Jalapa, Esteli & Condega regions, Nicaragua

Aesthetics, Construction & Feel

The Wise Man bears a most striking appearance. The wrapper is dark, positively rugged-looking and finely assembled, to the point where if you removed the wrapper, you might mistake it for a Padron 1926 Anniversario. The wrapper is also satisfyingly fuzzy to the touch, and exudes a cold odor that hints of nothing but, I kid you not, pure, unadulterated tobacco (another first for yours truly). The body is unique as well; hard as a rock, but without being brittle. The cap is the epitome of the body’s robustness; perfectly wrapped, and no loose ends to found after being cut.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

First Third

It’s 9:50pm, and the Wise Man gets right down to business by emitting a sweet crackling sound the moment the match’s flame begins toasting the foot. Given the body’s all-around hardness, the draw is surprisingly loose, clearing the way for a heavy and rich spice that immediately and smoothly settles into the palette. The retrohale is equally spicy in nature. Yet, like the draw, its flavors are able to shine through without searing the tongue or nostrils. The background is characterized by delicious combination of nutmeg and cinnamon sugar, offering a crucial counterweight to the spice in the foreground.

Second Third

The second third sees the burn begin to canoe slightly, but the Wise Man’s lush, white/grey ash holds firm while consistently emitting enormous smoke clouds with every puff. The flavor profile gets more and more interesting, on both fronts. The background emits what can only be described as refreshing peppermint element. This new note, along with the nutmeg and cinnamon, partially melds with the foreground, resulting in a new flavor that tastes like a Dark & Stormy. All this in spite of the fact that the flavor is partially compromised by a persisting under-matured tobacco and a slightly tightening draw.

Final Third: Point of Convergence

As the ash finally falls off the foot for the very first time, the flavor profile continues its variation streak with a background note of bitter fruit, which eventually merges with the spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and peppermint to complete the mix. Unfortunately, the flavor begins to strangely disappear entirely near the end, though thankfully not completely. The draw begins to loosen up again, and the burn holds steady, keeping itself relatively even throughout the last third. The smoke finally, and conveniently, comes to an end at 11pm on the dot.

The Final Verdict

It’s been a long time since I reviewed a cigar with a flavor profile this complex. The combination of notes and the way they interacted and melded with each other was like a breath of fresh air. The fact that the draw and burn were as relatively consistent as they were made the experience all the more enriching. The gradual disappearance of the flavor profile on the final third wasn’t the most desirable outcome, but the Wise Man is still a powerhouse of a cigar that deserves a place in Cigar Aficionado’s top cigars of 2017.

Final Grade: 92

Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ardbeg Uigeadail Review

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ardbeg uigeadail review

Up for review today is Ardbeg Uigeadail. It’s a bottle of scotch that in some sense needs no introduction. It has, after all, been introduced by many whisky experts so many times before, including by Jim Murray, who in 2015 named it the World Whiskey of the Year. That designation alone (setting aside the whisky’s many other accolades), makes it a difficult dram to introduce.

“Uigeadail” (pronounced ‘Oog-a-dal’) derives from the Scotch Gaelic for ‘Dark and Mysterious Place.’ The whisky inside the bottle delivers such complexity of flavor I’m temped to say that I was left in a bit of a dark and mysterious place while writing this review. But after a number of separate sittings, I think I’m ready to put metaphorical pen to paper.

Product Specifics

  • Whisky Reviewed: Ardbeg Uigeadail
  • Distiller: Ardbeg Distillery (Isle of Islay, Argyll, Scottland)
  • Mash Bill: 100% malted barley
  • ABV: 54.2% (108.4 proof)
  • Casks: first and second-fill ex bourbon oak casks and sherry butts
  • Age: No Age Statement (NAS)
  • Price: $75

ardbeg uigeadail drink

Appearance

The bottle carrying Uigeadail mirrors its name: dark green, shadowy, and brooding. The whisky itself is the color of a light, thinly spread honey.

Nose

Deeply complex. The aroma off of the glass is balanced between meaty aromas of smoke, salt, and old leather, sweet notes of stone fruits (plumbs) and floral, all rounded out with oak.

Palate

Uigeadail enters smooth and sweet, with butter and caramel. Within about four seconds, the flavor expands across the palate and quickly brightens. The caramel note vanishes, replaced with drier notes of tobacco, black pepper, and peat.

Finish

Long, roughly twenty seconds. Leather, heavy charred wood/charcoal, brown sugar, and bread.

Conclusion

Ardbeg Uigeadail is legendary for good reason. It’s a superbly complex, expertly balanced dram that made me second guess my tasting notes more than once. Is it my favorite Ardbeg? It’s hard to say. Uigeadail hits the gas pretty hard on flavor and manages to stay firmly in balance. But I do wonder if releases like Corryvreckan manage to pack just a bit more flavor and remain as balanced as Uigeadail.

All of that, however, is a bit irrelevant. Uigeadail sips like a $300 bottle of scotch. $75? $90? $100? A no brainer. Give it a try.

Disclaimer: Though by no means my first ever (or second or third ever) bottle of Ardbeg, this bottle was gifted for review by Ardbeg.

Final Score: 93

Fonesca Nicaragua Toro Review

4 0 3.3k

Fonseca Nicaragua Toro Review

I haven’t smoked many non-Cuban Fonseca cigars. The ones I’ve had over the years from the Dominican Republic seemed either one dimensional or disjointed in flavors, while the Cuban Fonseca always offered a good value with a mild to medium body along with wood and herbal tones. When I heard the Quesada’s were crafting a Fonseca in a Nicaraguan version I was curious to give it a try and see what they could put forth using this countries tobacco. I hope you enjoy the review.

Blend Specifics

  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: Toro (6 x 50)

Fonseca Nicaragua Toro Review Closeup

Appearance & Construction

The Fonseca Nicaragua dons a dark wrapper with a nice sheen and barely noticeable veins.  The roll aside from a soft spot toward the foot is rather firm in hand and is well constructed. The band is graffiti inspired with a scripted “Fonseca” in white font and a background of brown leaf supported by red and gold lines. Under the Fonseca name is a small understated “Nicaragua” nodding to its origin.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Fonesca Nicaragua starts off with woody/toasty notes and an appealing smokiness.  The draw is excellent and pulls just the right amount of resistance. There is a lot of smoke coming from this cigar and the retrohale provides flavors of spice and toast. As the smoke continues, the cigar progresses into a medium to full bodied range.

At halfway through, there is an interplay of sweet and savory with a touch of smokiness, and the finish gives off a bit of spice that lingers on the palate. The ash falls off a bit, but the burn line is spot on and the cigar stayed lit. Toward the last third of this cigar, the spice amped up. An almost black pepper on the retrohale came through with bigger flavors of smoky woodiness.

As the cigar came to a close, the Fonseca continued to deliver spice and smoke with a lengthy, toasty mouthfeel.

Conclusion

I had zero expectations with this cigar as I’ve smoked the Cuban and Dominican versions and they are completely different. The Fonesca Nicaragua delivered a profile of wood, toast, spice and smokiness that was pleasant. The Quesada’s make some fine cigars for themselves and others and the Fonesca Nicaragua is a good cigar. However, I do not feel they’ve made a real statement as a brand.  The Quesada’s have access to some choice tobacco and if they put more into this brand I feel they could draw more attention to it. The Fonesca Nicaragua is not like its Cuban namesake nor should it be, but I’d like to see more pronounced flavors in the profile in order for it to really stand out and make me want to buy more.

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