Fonseca

Up for review today is the Fonseca Classic Lonsdale. Manuel Quesada’s Dominican version of the Cuban counterpart is illustrated in its more classic profile. This vitola in the original Fonesca lineup is blended to deliver a lush creamy smoke for those who enjoy a light bodied cigar. Draped in a Connecticut wrapper, the cigar gives the appearance of a more subtle smoke and would seem quite inviting to the novice cigar enthusiast. However the proof is in the smoking so let’s light it up!

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Fonseca Classic Lonsdale
• Wrapper: Connecticut
• Binder Dominican
• Filler: Dominican
• Size: 6.0″x 43 Lonsdale

Appearance & Construction

The Fonseca Lonsdale has a very pale almost anemic looking wrapper. It is smooth to the touch with slight veins and a few soft spots when pressed. The cigar is well constructed and the roll is effortless. The band is the traditional Fonseca “F” which is synonymous with the brand.  As with all of the Fonseca lines I have smoked, the appearance and care in the rolling makes this a premium cigar.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

After using a straight cut, the dry draw is loose and flavors of hay and tea are prevalent. As soon as I light the cigar, lots of tea came through with a good amount of smoke. The first few puffs transitioned from tea to leather with a short finish. Overall, the Fonseca Connecticut starts out as predicted in the light bodied range. A few puffs later, clotted cream envelopes the palate, though the quickness with which it dissipated is disappointing. Hay and leather blend together with a billowing of smoke as the cigar continues to develop, with the retrohale displaying hay and grass notes.

At about halfway through the Fonseca Connecticut, nuttiness with an emphasis on cashews comes on strong with a creamy finish. I find this flavor profile quite enjoyable, but it doesn’t last. The buildup of the cigar becomes a tad green and bitter which is never welcome to the taste buds. The cigars burn is straight with a whitish gray ash. While the cigar rounds out forest floor and tanned leather are front and center revitalizing my palate.

The final third of the Fonseca Connecticut sports a nice firm ash and ample amounts of smoke. I pick up lots of bing cherry upfront with pencil lead on the finish. Another retrohale which ramps up in intensity enhances the cherry notes. As the cigar comes to an end, the finish is of café au lait lingering on the palate. A mild, predictable smoke.

Conclusion

While I do enjoy a mild bodied cigar from time to time, I usually expect a little more flavor and complexity out of a great cigar. The Fonseca Connecticut Lonsdale delivers a consistent light bodied experience, but the flavors are less than harmonious and the green notes were unsettling. I’m always wary of such a pale wrapper as it makes me suspect on the amount of aging and proper fermentation techniques applied. Having said that the tea and leather notes where pleasant, and when the finish was creamy, it was quite enjoyable. I’d probably recommend this cigar out on the golf course as it’s not overwhelming or perhaps on the porch with some coffee or espresso.

Final Rating: 86

Reviewers note: this is a non-blind review

Other Fonseca cigars reviewed include:

• Fonseca Cubano Limitado
• Fonseca Vintage

As a man known for his blending skills and distinct lines, Manuel Quesada has put his mark of quality on the Fonesca brand. The incarnation of the Fonseca Cubano Limitado seeks to deliver a medium to full bodied smoke with balance and complexity. Manuel has a talent for producing many cigar lines yet at the same time giving each one a distinct flavor profile. In keeping yields and production low, the end result usually delivers a satisfying experience. Let’s find out if Cubano Limitado achieves a similar result.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Fonseca Cubano Limitado
• Wrapper: Habano
• Binder: Dominican
• Filler: Dominican
• Size: 5 x 50 robusto

Appearance & Construction

The Fonseca Cubano Limitado robusto comes wrapped in a gorgeous dark chocolate wrapper. It’s silky to the touch with minimal veins. Squeezing the cigar, I get a firm feeling that lets me know this smoke is packed full of tobacco. It’s expertly rolled and the quality visually is excellent. The cigar’s band has the traditional gold and red with the Fonesca “F,” along with a secondary band that is black and gold with the words “Cubano Limitado” and then “Fonseca” right underneath.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Using a straight cut, I take a dry draw on the Fonesca Limatado and the taste of cedar is present along with a bit of salinity from the wrapper. As I light the cigar and take the first few puffs, black pepper hits me straight away along with spice on the tongue. The saltiness from the wrapper returns with an leathery finish as the cigar becomes fully lit. A quick retrohale brings spices to the nostrils and a creamy finish on the palate.

A fair bit into the cigar, the Fonseca Cubano Limitado develops a nice grey ash with a straight burn line that shows off its quality in the roll as well as the fine tobacco utilized. The saltiness is ever present on the palate, while earth and cashew cascades around the mouth. At midway, I’m greeted by a dusting of cocoa powder and a slight nuttiness on the mid palate. Overall thus far, the blend has stayed on the medium to full range without overwhelming the senses.

In the final third, the salt and earth combination transitions to cedar and hay. Body-wise, the cigar is now at solid medium, with toasted oak and cocoa resonating on the palate. The finish is bitter despite my smoking the cigar slowly. In the last few puffs, the salinity hangs on with bitterness lingering on the palate, providing a good opportunity to put the cigar down.

Conclusion

The Fonseca Limitado Robusto did indeed stay within the medium to full bodied range as what was intended by its creator. The salinity—which I usually enjoy in a cigar—overwhelmed the other flavors at times. The development of flavors from pepper, leather and spice to earthiness, nuts and cocoa was pleasant towards the midway point, but the last third hurt the cigar with the constant bitterness on the finish. While the balance from medium to full body was there, the final puffs of the Fonesca were not as pleasing.

Overall a pleasant smoke to start, but I would caution to smoke it as slow as possible in the hopes of not having the Fonesca burn hot, thus hurting the flavors.

Final Rating: 87

Reviewers note: this was a non-blind review

Not to be confused with its Cuban counterpart, Fonseca Cigars is also a Dominican company which produces smokes in the mild to medium bodied range. With the Fonseca Vintage, Manuel Quesada blended a cigar to produce a richer, medium bodied smoke utilizing an Ecuadorian wrapper and Dominican fillers. Manuel has produced some fine cigars of his own and has a skillful hand when it comes to producing flavorful smokes. So I was looking forward to making this my first cigar of the day in order to fully appreciate what it had to offer.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Fonseca Vintage Robusto
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian
• Binder: Dominican
• Filler: Dominican
• Size: 5 x 50 Robusto

Appearance and Construction

The Fonseca Vintage has a light, silky wrapper with no soft spots and is packed with a medium amount of tobacco inside. The classic band of gold and black with the signature “F” is present, followed by a black and gold secondary band with “Vintage” in cursive. The secondary band is the only discernible difference in the labeling as the Fonseca band itself is the same as the other lines in their portfolio. The cigar’s construction is completely smooth and seamless.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

After I apply a straight cut to the Fonseca Vintage, the draw is perfect. Lighting it up, leather immediately comes through along with toast and cinnamon. While I puff away, a nice amount of smoke emerges, bringing with it earth and an underlying dryness on the finish.  The Fonseca Vintage produces a beautiful white ash, though it’s not too firm. Some café au lait hits the mid palate and coats the mouth, which by this point is a pleasant change of pace. The finish is still a bit dry, but the upfront flavors are pleasant.

Around the midpoint of the Fonseca, I pick up malt and cereal notes, with tons of billowing smoke. Cocoa and cedar come through as well with a creamy finish. Additionally, there are woody flavors that intermingle with some salinity. Overall though, leather dominates at this point with some secondary tanginess.

In the final third of the Fonseca Vintage, the leather continues to be the dominant flavor along with some creaminess. The cigar does not deviate much in terms of flavors from the previous two thirds. But, the cedar does return with a touch of vanilla and leather once again enveloping the palate. A consistent medium bodied smoke.

Conclusion

The Fonseca Vintage is a great cigar for the smoker who enjoys light bodied smokes and would like to try a cigar with a solid medium flavor profile. Despite its lack of depth, it’s a nice smoke to help identify the balance between lighter and fuller bodied cigars.  I believe this is the style Manuel Quesada was looking to achieve and it’s a testament to his range as a blender. The leather, cedar and vanilla are wonderful flavors and you will get plenty with the Fonseca Vintage.

Final Rating: 88

Reviewers Note: this was a non-blind 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

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