Cigar Geeks - Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez) Signature Series Corona Gorda

Cigar Geeks Geek Critique

Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez) Signature Series Corona Gorda
Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Brlesq

88
Cigar Geeks Rating

Welcome to another Member sponsored Geek Critique. This one has been generously sponsored by our member Cfickter (Chuck). The cigar provided for this round is the http://www.cigargeeks.com/cigardb/default.asp?action=showcig&cigar_id=168642">Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection Corona Gorda. In 2018, Casa Fernández changed its name to AGANORSA Leaf, and the Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection became the first new brand under the company's new direction. The Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection captures the essence of Cuba's golden years. A medium-strength Nicaraguan puro, the Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection features a natural Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper with a Corojo binder, and a blended filler made of Corojo and Criollo 98 tobaccos, presented in gold foil to be the company's new showpiece cigar.

Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez) Signature Series Corona Gorda

Brand:: Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez)
Name:: Signature Series Corona Gorda
Length:: 6
Ring Gauge:: 44
Country of Origin:: Nicaragua
Filler:: Corojo
Criollo
Nicaragua
Binder:: Nicaragua
Wrapper:: Corojo
Nicaragua
Color:: Rosado
Strength:: Medium
Shape:: Corona Grande
Notes:: https://halfwheel.com/aganorsa-leaf-signature-series-debuting-at-ipcpr-2018/266561

This cigar was enjoyed with Water

Pre-Light: 10 Points of 10 Possible

The initial presentation is like a fancy candy bar: ribbed gold foil sleeve and fancy white-silver-gold band with black printing. The wrapper is light Colorado in color with a slight sheen to it, and a few small but insignificant veins. There is a nice firmness to the cigar with no soft spots, and the pre-light aroma had a slight whiff of tobacco. It has a nice pigtail style cap that was easy to cut. The cold draw had trace of sweetness to it.

Lighting and Burn: 13 Points of 15 Possible

The cigar was easy to light and the burn line was a bit wavy, but it never required a touch up. The ash was a bit flaky and would fall off at about each 1-inch increment. This one did not produce a lot of smoke, but the smoke appeared to have a blue color to it. No touchups were required.

Construction: 25 Points of 30 Possible

The cigar is solidly constructed with no soft spots. It sports a nice half-twist pigtail style triple cap. My biggest problem with the specimen that I smoked was its fragile wrapper which had a few small 1-inch areas randomly flake off during the smoking experience. This didn't cause any issues, but I felt like I was having to baby it to hold it together while I smoked it.

Flavor and Aroma: 40 Points of 45 Possible

The cigar opens with a blast of red pepper in the forefront, enough that it numbs my tongue for about 5 minutes. In the background is some creaminess and coffee notes, and something that reminds me of Nilla Wafers. The cigar is full flavored, medium in strength, and the smoke has a dry quality to it.

The red pepper has settled down a bit but still pronounced in the second third, some more creaminess develops (especially on the retrohales), and some earthiness and a slight sweetness is introduced, as well as a toasted bread quality. The strength has grown to medium full, and the body has backed down a bit from the full-flavored beast it was at the beginning.

By the final third the profile begins to change again, with any sweetness dissipating, the red pepper less intense, continued creaminess and earth notes, and now some citrus tanginess and charred wood entering the scene. Medium full in body and strength. As the cigar winds down, an interesting observation is that there is very little aftertaste on the tongue after each puff.

Summary

This was a quite enjoyable cigar with its complexity. The flaky wrapper issue was only a slight distraction and did not really cause any major problems. This is a cigar that I would recommend to experienced cigar smokers, but probably not a good initial cigar for a novice. Thanks to Chuck for his generosity in sponsoring this critique and providing the cigars.