Fonseca Habana Seleccion

Size: 7 x 50 - No. 1
Wrapper: Nicaraguan-grown, Habana Criollo ’98
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Seco & Ligero
Body: Full
Strength: Medium-Full
Humidor Time: 3 Months


This cigar came to me by accident from an online retailer, I must comment on the color of this cigar’s wrapper, it sports a lovely brown with a reddish hue. The wrapper is a Criollo 98 leaf, the cigar is soft with a fairly smooth wrapper with only a couple of noticeable veins, the largest one is seen in the photo near the palm of my hand. With the cap cut, the cigar does not have a loose draw, it is a bit firm. The wrapper is a toothy velvet on the lips. As I think about this cigar before lighting, I am again wondering why I am going to smoke a 7 inch cigar, hopefully it will be time well spent.

The first initial draw on the cigar after lighting, I was instantly greeted with a creamy rich smoke that was thick, yet light at the same time. I am impressed with the smoothness, it is obvious that Fonseca used quality tobacco for this cigar. I notice a salty sour tang the head of the cigar, the first flavors I am given is a woody coffee. Exhaling through the nose is easy with this one, I am picking up some wheat flavor with a varnish finish.

Into the body of the cigar, this is smooth, the ash is white and holds for half an inch, the burn on the other hand is having trouble burning straight. The aftertaste is a pleasant toasted flavor. The aroma is similar to pipe tobacco, it is appealing. I am tasting that wheat flavor with a roasted bean touch. Before long the burn has evened up with some careful rotating, it is close to being straight. As I continue on, the flavors become bold and robust, I am getting a taste of burnt coffee, this cigar is really out to trick the smoker. In the background of the smoke, a sweetness is pleasant, not sure if I really like the burnt flavors, but the sweetness keeps me hanging on and wanting more.

As I reach into the second half of the cigar, the burn has decided to creep up one of the more prominent veins (the one seen in the photo), so it is no longer even. The flavors are still robust, giving off a brunt coffee and wheat flavors with a sweetness in the background. I am also still getting a salty citrus touch on my lips from the wrapper. The cigar stays lit very well, I had to run up to get my laundry out of our shared laundry mat at our condominiums and when I returned, this thing was still burning.

This is a very consistent cigar, not at all boring, with each puff I get a heady robust taste and a sweet finish. As I near the end of the cigar I am pleased to have devoted the two hours needed to smoke it. The body is full and the cigar finished in the medium to full range. The wrapper cracked under the bottom band as I clumsily removed it, the top band came off fine without any problems. The crack did not expand or cause any problems in the burn.

My final thoughts. I was impressed with this cigar, it is my first Fonseca and I enjoyed it. I do not care much for a burnt flavor, but with a sweetness hidden within, this was a delightful smoke. I do recommend this to those looking for a robust cigar that is rich in smooth flavors. The strength of this cigar will creep up on you if you are not careful, smoke it slow and enjoy what it offers. One final note, this cigar will make your breathe smell like a dead cigar, not very nice at all.

Appearance 2- I Like It
Construction 2- Soft and squishy
Burn 1.5- Took a while to burn straight, then picked up a vein and burned uneven again
Ash 1.5- Drops too easily
Flavor 3.5 - Very interesting
Smoke Profile 2- Smooth Easy and Nice
Aroma 2 - Enjoyable, this is not overpowering, nice and mellow


=14.5 Points

J. Fuego - Gran Reserve Corojo No. 1

Size: 5 x 50 Robusto
Wrapper: Sun Grown Corojo ("Criollo")
Binder: Proprietary
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Costa Rican
Body: Medium-Full
Strength: Medium

This cigar was new to me at the local B&M I travel, when they set these out in the walk-in humidor I was not to impressed as they were put on an island table and not stocked on a shelf. The presentation was not there, but when the box is open I found myself looking at a brand I have not known about and what looked to be beautiful cigars.

The wrappers were oily and brown with a red hue. Pricing was not too bad either, I did pay a bit more for it at a B&M, I enjoy a hunt and pick inside a stocked humidor, the aroma is always enticing.

The cigar was firm, with a nice squish to it, when squeezed it would rebound easily with out cracking, perfect storage temps and humidity, is there anything better? Well enjoying this cigar sure is. With a mild taste on the cap and a great draw of air after cutting this cigar lit up easily.

This cigar exploded in smoke and in flavor from the first draw! It was so intense I was set back by it. The amount of smoke was impressive and the flavors really threw my for a loop. There was so much going on instantly that I could not pick out a single flavor right away. I am just at the start and surprised, at that point a toasty charred like flavor came into the scene with power, it was not a bad charred touch, more like toasting a marshmellow, it is not right until it just starts to brown. This cigar is robust with with a bit of sweetness throughout.

Into the body a mild cocoa arose with a strong coffee. The smoke was really nice, it carried a buttery texture to it, smooth and easy to enjoy. There was a tangy impression on the tongue, not spice but more of a pepper taste. The aroma was good

The ash was gray, flaky and only held for about half an inch. I ash out around the time, but when ash does not hold and likes to flake away, it gets me a bit irritated to wonder if my jeans are going to have new holes in them or not.

Into the last third of the cigar this is when it really opened up. The flavors came alive creating a great flavor experience. These need devotion to smoke, with all the flavors and changes, one would miss out if they use this as a "yard gar".

For a young out of the box cigar, this little beauty has a whole lot of potential. I am keeping the others I purchased in my humidor for a year and will then lite them up to see how much improvement these have. It seems that these will really do great with time.

Appearance 2- I Liked It
Construction 2- Good
Burn 1.5- Even, No Touch up Needed
Ash 0-Flaky and loose, my lap is on fire
Flavor 3- Great smoke, lots of flavor, a staple in the humidor
Smoke Profile 1- Smokeable, maybe a harsh spot or two, but not distracting
Aroma 2- Nice and not overpowering, Aromatic, enjoyable fragrance

11.5 Points

Thanks for reading,

Now Go Get Some!!

Joya De Nicaragua - Antano 1970

Size: 6 x 54 Belicoso
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo
Filler: Nicaraguan Habana
Binder: Nicaraguan Habana
Body: Full
Strength: Full

This is a sight to hold, the JDN-Antano 1970 has to be one of the most beautiful cigars out there. As a tribute to Joya De Nicaragua's fame of the 1970s this cigar wants people to remember that this top brands was once the most famous to come out of Nicaragua, almost losing it's fame to war and the lose of the factory. With the call for stronger cigars, JDN has released this beauty. This dark Criollo wrapper cigar boast quality in the looks alone. The veins are over barring and distracting the looks of this stick, the cigar was packed firm with no soft spots. I smoked this cigar at my local cigar lounge during the Boston and Colorado World Series.

The brown wrapper produces a flavorless taste on the tongue before lighting and the contents of the cigar is spicey cocoa. When I took a pre-light draw I was given a loose draw that I expected to be too much for a full body and full strength cigar. I had a bit of a struggle to light this cigar, it took a bit of work to get a nice even burn going around the foot, once lit this stick was non stop to the end. With most cigars I come to expect the first couple of draws to produce a bit of spice and a tad of harshness. What I was greeted with was an instantly smooth cocoa flavored smoke. No harshness, no spice, just creamy and thick.

Into the body of the cigar, the Antano 1970 has a light gray ash that is a bit flaky, but holds firm to the cigar. The burn line was even through the whole smoke, never losing track of it's goal to stay straight. The smoke was interesting, with a loose draw one does not know if they would be presented with too much smoke or not enough, this particular cigar never gave me too much, but at times it was a bit thin. When the smoke was thick it was so flavorful that I wanted more, with the thin smoke it gave me a chance to relax and think about the cigar and contemplate about the flavors it was producing, giving me a chance to pick out the flavors this cigar offered.

With the thickness of the smoke changing I was able to pick up the creamy cocoa and coffee flavors this cigar gave me with touches of cinnamon in the creamy flavor profile. The smoke was never too thin that I was annoyed, it kept me interested during the whole smoke. If it was not for the thin times in the smoke I probably would have smoked this one too fast. Which one should be careful with as this cigar can easily turn on the smoker and knock them off their feet. At times I thought I may have to give in to its strength, but luckily I ate a hardy meal and took my time. I was left with a mild buzz that let me know it can take me out if it wanted too.

This is a perfect after dinner cigar. There is a lot of flavor and strength behind it. I enjoyed this cigar so much I went ahead and purchased more before leaving my local cigar lounge. I am not a huge fan of Nicaraguan puros, I am working my way through Don Pepin Garcia's cigars, but Nicaraguan puros are not stand out favorites of mine. This Antano 1970 on the other hand is in my top favorite cigars. Enjoy this one folks, you will love putting the flame to these cigars!

CAO Criollo-Conquistador

Size: 6 1/8 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium

This cigar from CAO comes in with a different kind of wrapper, known a criollo which some consider to be corojo. I am not sure if this is just a corojo wrapper with a new name to get the attention of smokers. As attention is what sells CAO cigars. Look at all the fancy boxes CAO comes in from Vision to Sopranos, Italia to Brazilia. They market to please the eyes, but can they stand up to taste? CAO has followers that either love or hate their cigars. For me, I am too indifferent and enjoy a good cigar no matter the price. I look for consistency and flavor, mild or full, if it is a good cigar than I will enjoy it and take notice. I have experienced plugs, bad burns, flaky ash, bad taste, and just about any other bad cigar problems in CAO. On the other hand I have had great cigars from CAO that are just right in flavors, burn, and consistency. The Criollo is not a cigar to miss out on.

From the start, the Criollo starts with a firm stick, has a nice bouncy squishy feel with no soft spots or hard spots. The aromas lingering off of the cigar before lighting were cocoa maduro like scents. After an easy clip of the cap, the cigar had a loose draw and a dry cocoa taste. I could swear I was getting ready to light up a maduro cigar.

From the very start I was hit with a spicey coffee/espresso flavors. The cigar bellowed out smoke that added a touch of creamy cedar to the taste. Starting into the body of the cigar the espresso flavors strengthened with a mild sweetness.

The burn was uneven at the start, but I was never upset with how bad this stick burned. The ash was white and held on well to the cigar.

Into the body I was given a few flavors I did not expect. The espresso stayed strong and I was hit with the taste of smoke from fireworks. I was rushed back into time and I was reminded of all the July 4th fireworks I lit off with family and friends. I remembered the taste of smoke because we were lighting off so many fireworks there was a cloud of smoke lingering in the streets like a fog. Breathing in the smoke and tasting the smoke from these fireworks. Odd I know, but I distinctly tasted that flavor in the smoke briefly during my enjoyment of this cigar.

Reaching the final third of the cigar I was presented a mild pepper spice, it was not overpowering the creamy espresso sweetness this cigar abundantly gave. The cigar produced one more new flavor before I finished, the taste of pretzels, that is right, pretzels. Maybe it is because I recently had some pretzels earlier in the week, but tasted these flavors more than once in the smoke.

This is a cigar that should not be smoked fast. I have read many reviews about burn problems, but that could be due to needing a lower humidity. I let this cigar sit in a 60% humidity humidor. If the criollo is a corojo wrapper, than that explains why a lower humidity is needed to produce a better burn. I would classify this as a coffee cigar. The flavors would compliment your favorite Cup-of-Joe and add a good start to your day. I kept thinking about what kind of coffee I would enjoy with this cigar, maybe a strong Sumatra.

Go for this cigar and enjoy, it is one worth burning.