Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection Robusto (NCRW)

[Gatorben]

This is a 5x52 Nicaraguan puro, using only leaf from the Aganorsa farm.  Corojo wrapper with corojo and criollo filler, and this is one of Casa Fernandez’s attempts at utilizing medio tiempo leaf.

The cigar has a very sharp presentation, with most of the lower half of the cigar wrapped in gold foil and a white and gold double band.

Out of the cellophane, this cigar smells fantastic with a lot of different smell notes. Some earthiness, with a touch of citrus and a lot of sweet smells.

Flavorwise, it was a fairly straight shot for me without a lot of evolution.  Starts off a bit sweet, and on the fuller side of medium strength.  As the smoke develops, there’s some white pepper and a lot of oak.  The oak flavor remains the dominant note through nearly the entire cigar, and gives a dry mouth-feel.

While it seems like there were some interesting flavors trying to develop in the background, including notes of coffee and chocolate, the oak is running rampant on them.  If you told me this tobacco was aged in an oak chardonnay cask, I would probably believe you.

All in all, this is a solid cigar, but I wish the oak flavors would get tamed down a bit so some of the other flavors could develop more fully.  You get hints of nice flavor notes dancing around the background for nearly the entire cigar, but they get masked and lost beneath oak and the typical Nicaraguan earth.  I have only had this cigar for three or four weeks, and will be interested to see whether some time in the humidor can dial back the wood notes.  I’ll score it as worth a try but, based on this example, probably not worth a box purchase.

[El Presidente]

excellent review 

I have enjoyed a couple from this line although have not tried this one.