Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
Binder: Dual Nicaraguan Criollo ’98 (Jalapa & Estelí)
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo
Size: 5.25 x 52 Robusto
Strength: Full
Price: $11.50
This cigar was part of my Top Cigars of 2023,
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
The Aganorsa brand does some extraordinary things with the tobacco they farm. Generally, the price points for their cigars are very reasonable considering the high quality of the product.
I use my new PerfecPunch to open the cap. I’ve gone through a million punches in my lifetime. And all were crap. The crazy thing I learned by using Dr. Rod’s creation is that instead of bullying the punch into the cap…the incredible sharpness of the punch blade allows you to counterintuitively screw the cigar into the blade while holding the punch It slides into the blade like butter. I know it sounds like I’m being a weasel shill but if you’ve read me long enough, you know I don’t go around spewing bullshit about horseshit products or fuck wad cigars. This punch is a game changer. And the years it took for Rod to get his manufacturer to get everything right, I was right there with him going through the frustrations of getting less than perfect prototypes. Rod, besides being a world-famous dentist for his scientific research, is also a mechanical engineer.
Aromas from the wrapper are gentle and quiet…café au lait, milk chocolate, mild Mexican spices, butterscotch, cedar, and a spectrum of creaminess.
The stick has the right amount of heft. Construction is excellent. The draw is on the money for this old man’s preferences.
The first puffs are great. Big fat notes of chocolate and nougat. Creaminess crawls up my uvula until it reaches my vagina and performs surgery to tighten the lassie up.
The cigar strength begins at full tilt. Ha. I smoked one yesterday morning as I chose not to review. I still can’t find my toupee. And that time remains a blank spot in my atrophying brain.
Complexity brings its baton down hard. The conductor waves his arms like a crazy man and flavors from all parts of the forest rush to my palate like a transgender ferret playing basketball.
First sip of water and the dam breaks…milk chocolate goes dark, caramel goes bat shit crazy, creaminess is vanilla ice cream, black pepper meets poblano pepper, slow smoked brisket, and pretzel logic.
The Aganorsa tobacco is just primo. Half an inch in and only 15 minutes of burn time.
The char line can manscape an elephant shrew.
Straight up. This is a superb blend that applies salve on your palate. Doesn’t matter if you are a sophisticated smoker or not…the flavors are not hidden. If you are upright and can breathe, you’ll taste the glory of this cigar. Of course, a newbie will die the death of a thousand razors when the strength really kicks in at the second half of the cigar.
The burn is super slow. This will be at least a 90-minute tune-up.
Complexity is climbing the stairs of the flavor wheel. The sheer richness of this blend is stunning. And I’ve only just begun. When Karen Carpenter died in 1983, Hall of Fame drummer Hal Blaine went into seclusion for a week. He was the drummer on all their recordings. Karen and Hal had a mutual love for each other. I tried to call Hal and I’d get an immediate outgoing message saying that he was in mourning and no messages could be left. I felt empathy for the man. He was a sweet guy.
Nuts. I taste nuts. A combo of creamy marzipan and honey glazed walnuts. Stinging my tongue with the added poblano pepper.
I’d better stop rambling as the cigar is going nowhere. 1-3/8” burned, 40 minutes. Be back soon.
Later that day…
Donovan. ‘Mellow Yellow.’ 1967. Honest to God. Every single person in the U.S. tried smoking banana peel. No one got high, just headaches. I was one of them. Did you know that Zep bassist John Paul Jones was the bassist on the record?
The halfway point arrives at one hour.
Strength is a man killer. But, my dandies, the blend is smooth as an ICE agent on break.
Creamy, caramel, café au lait, dark chocolate, black and poblano peppers, Cinnamon buns, cedar, malt, nuts galore, a slight tartness that is a mixture of lemon and lime, smoked brisket, brioche, and ginormous Aganorsa tobacco richness.
Strength is full tilt, but my vision is intact. Smooth.
I bought another fiver. Aganorsa picked out only a select number of online stores that are allowed to sell this cigar. I cannot begin to imagine what another 6 months of humi time will present. This is why I bought more. They will rest uninhibited and in a coma for a long time. My patience will be tested.
But feel free to smoke a stick a month in to get a hint of what a great blend it is due to the passion of the Aganorsa folks.
With every half inch smoked, the blend elevates itself into a dynamic experience that will not disappoint any smoker.
The final smoke time is over 2 hours.
A beautiful way to start my day…even though the Canadian wildfire smoke has made it impossible to open the windows.
You can purchase this cigar from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.
RATING: 98
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Ooh…I’m going to give these a try; but in Natural I think. All things being equal…I’ll take a Nat wrapper to a Mad. Plus, they have a 6×44 Lonsdale in Natural!
$40 for a 5r, with my VIP at Atlantic. I can’t thank you enough for that, btw! I remember exactly what you said (if not the words verbatim, the sentiment anyway). It was along the lines of “they’d have your ass for letting the cat out of the bag…but you could save 10x the membership price, if you used it right”. Facts!
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Not to hurt your residual income stream, but $35 for a punch cutter is more than I wanna pay to poke a hole in a cigar. I get these cheapo Raging Bull punches from Cbid for a buck or 2 & they work fine if the cap is moist. Like a workout that is becoming rare, its better to get it wet before you screw it in. I give ’em to guys with a cigar & they all keep it on their keychain. Im sure your triple punch is worth the cost, but hey I am a cheapo & each to his own. PS The draw poker is worth its weight in Gold! Great product!
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