Wrapper: Dominican Havana Vuelta Arriba
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 46 “Corona Gorda”
Body: Medium
Price: $7.50

Fonseca is known primarily for manufacturing mild smokes. With this stick, Fonseca hopes to change their image. The New Breed of cigar blenders has probably opened their eyes and they want to get into the game. Now, this is not what they have said; but rather, my interpretation of their intentions In fact, this is their press release for the cigar:
“February 25, 2013 — We are really excited about this project. We’ve been trying to figure how best to take advantage of the brand recognition of Fonseca without suffering from the perception that all Fonseca’s are mild. The Cubano Limitado is not a mild cigar but we changed the look and taste so much many people don’t realize it’s a Fonseca.

“What we developed captures the best of both worlds in terms of both the cigar and the presentation, something instantly recognizable as Fonseca but clearly distinguishable from any Fonseca currently produced. We are calling it the Fonseca Cubano Exclusivo.”

“The bands and packaging utilize the imagery and design of both the classic Fonseca and the Cubano Limitado, as well as pay homage to the Cuban roots of the brand. In terms of taste, the cigar falls into the low medium range with cedar and floral notes prominent. The goal is to offer greater intensity of flavor to those who find the classic Fonseca too mild while still providing the smoothness and balance that appeals to those already loyal to the brand.”

The sticks come in four sizes:
Robusto 5.5 x 52
Corona Gorda 6 x 46
Gordo 6.5 x 60
Belicoso 6 x 52

Other than the press release I don’t have any other info on this cigar so let’s get to it. The cigar has a very rustic look. Seams are a bit sloppy. Lots of veins, and even some wrinkles. The triple cap is pretty sloppy…with gaps.

The cigar’s construction is relatively solid…but not packed to the gills like some of the other cigars I’ve reviewed lately. It is very smooth to the touch and has only the slightest bit of oil sheen. Although, the cigar feels very delicate in the hand.
The pre-light smell is delicious. Sweet tobacco is very strong. After I clip the cap, I can smell cocoa and cinnamon and spice that makes my eyes water a bit.

So, now time to light up.

I would like to thank a good buddy for setting me up with a couple of these unreleased cigars: Steve Bonin. There is a good story about him later.

The first puffs are very sweet. Black pepper starts off small and gets bigger, quicker. The cinnamon detected in the aroma has become a flavor. Along with some buttery caramel. A piece of wrapper, near the foot, wants to come off but I will leave it alone as it should be consumed by fire soon. If that wasn’t a rock n roll sentence, I don’t know what is.

Smoke loves pouring from the foot. The char line is wavy and the pepper is moving to the front; becoming red pepper. And becoming stronger. My eyes are wet from the spiciness. I correct the burn line because the way it was going, it might have turned into a canoe shortly.

The early show of creaminess kind of sneaked up on me. Clearly, this is not your daddy’s Fonseca. Notes of cocoa and coffee appear. It seems that this stick will become a flavor bomb early in its burn.

The bane of my existence is dreary days like today where we expect rain. No sunshine glaring through the window. And the double cigar bands on the cigar are of the aluminum type with a sharp glare factor when I snap a photo. Bastardo weather!

I read one review and it seems to have a completely different take than I do. Mine has been aged for a couple of months. So the only thing I can figure is that the other reviewer smoked his green. The competition to be first is extremely silly. People choose their favorite reviewers and stick to them regardless of when they publish. And again, as I’ve bitched before on this issue, the early review does a disservice to the cigar smoker looking for the real skinny on a cigar. Reviewing a green cigar can cause a negative ripple effect.

Back to the review…The sweet caramel is ungodly delicious at this early point. The body strength is just barely medium.

The spice level is where I like it. Prominent, but not overwhelming.

This is most definitely the New Wave of Fonseca Cigars. And the 6 x 46 size is becoming my favorite size.

I end the first third totally sated. It was a monster in the making…in terms of expansive flavors. There is another sweet factor here. It’s fruity. Almost green grape-like with its sweetness and tartness. I tasted some green grapes at the grocery yesterday and the tartness made my eyes squint.

Even though these cigars have rested nicely, Steve thought I should give them more time, but they don’t need it. Steve was just being overly cautious. Steve has always been that way as I explain in the story below.

The halfway point is getting close as I just passed the second third. The flavors are all over the place and the cigar is not complex yet. Don’t get me wrong, the flavors are wonderful but they sing to their own piper. No new flavors have shown up and methinks that the creaminess, pepper, cocoa, coffee, sweet tobacco, caramel, and fruitiness will be it. Of course, that’s quite a bit of a flavor profile. The cigar tastes very light; not in a bad way, but rather, sort of airy. The ash never makes it past the half inch mark.

The halfway point disappears and the last third begins with some complexity. Flavors are muted but never go away. The spiciness ratchets down a bit. The cigar has become nicely balanced with a long finish. The body is still barely medium. This is a great cigar for a newbie or someone who doesn’t like the full body sticks in vogue.

The last third is all about finesse. The spiciness moves back to front and center. And the sweet tobacco flavor follows right behind. The body moves to classic medium and I’m getting a nicotine buzz.

The double bands are removed without a hitch. The last couple of inches are terrific. Lip smacking good, indeed.

This was a really smart thing for Fonseca to do. This blend fits right in with the current New Breed cigar blenders. It is current and delicious…and a flavor bomb.

And now for something completely different:

We called him the Bone Machine. It really doesn’t need much explanation.

While I was in the Todd Hart Band in Mesa, AZ, The Bone was a good friend and did our sound for us. Now Todd was a very good looking man. He stayed in shape and carried himself like a rock star. Which he almost maintained a few years earlier by becoming the singer in the infamous English blues band, “Savoy Brown.” Savoy has been around since the late 1960’s. And still play out today.

Todd had a killer voice. So we went out as a power blues trio. Just Todd on guitar, me on bass, and a big dink on drums.

Todd had a nice sound system and The Bone took care of it while we played. He got very good at accenting certain parts of songs with effects. He got to know us like the back of his hand. We were that predictable, even during our woodshedding.

One night, we played for the Hell’s Angels in a very nice club they took over. And believe me, they know how to take over a club…sending the yuppies scurrying.

For some reason, Hell’s Angel girlfriends have compunction to take their tops off during songs. Management of the club warned them over and over but let’s face it; No one in their right mind is going to try and kick out this biker club from anywhere.

The Bone was able to talk the men into allowing their girlfriends on stage with us. So, at times, we had as many as five topless girls on stage. Try and play bass while that is happening. The Bone had a way with people. Even the Angels.

Often, an Angel would want to get on stage to sing or play the drums, etc. The Bone had a way of getting them off without being shot. I should add that this was Arizona and even though carrying openly was cool, it wasn’t cool where they served alcohol. But the Angels didn’t care and every single one of them was packing openly.

I had a concealed carry license and carried my .45 cal subcompact Glock 30 in my waistband in my back. I wore a Blues Brothers type black coat to conceal it.

The Bone knew how to remove a weapon packing Angel gently off the stage without causing a ruckus. That’s why he got paid as a fourth man in the band. Equal pay. Back in those days, club work paid well. We used to make $500-$600 a gig. Not bad. Now, clubs are cheap and pay, maybe, $50 a man.

This one night, The Bone couldn’t get an Angel off the stage and in an instant, became physical. Steve was very fit. And he boxed. So when the Angel took a swipe at him, The Bone merely got out of the way of his fist and put him on the ground. Fearing we would be stormed by angry Angels, the opposite happened….a huge, building shaking laughter went up and the 100 Angels, or so, cheered The Bone.

During the following break, Steve got pats on the back from all the Angels and their girlfriends. And some of the loose girls, without an escort, came on to him. Not the band, mind you, but The Bone.

Steve had a knack for pulling chicks at a gig. And still run our sound. It was uncanny. Hence, the name: The Bone.

The band was the official Hell’s Angels band of Arizona. Don’t ask. And every gig after that, they would chant his name at weird points during the show. They bought him drinks, chicks sat on his lap, and our sound went to shit.

There was nothing we could do about it.

The Bone is a good man and to this day, has been a good friend. I want to thank him again for the two unreleased Fonsecas he sent me. Along with two other cigars that I shall review this week.

The photo shows the Todd Hart Band in Tempe, Az. I am on the far right with a ball cap playing my electric Dobro upright…like a bass guitar.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS