Vitola: Robusto- 5.25” x 50 ring gauge
- $7.99
- Purchased from Burns Tobacconist
Background
In the last 2 or 3 years, the Aganorsa Leaf brand has made great strides in total domination of the cigar world…or at least in making people aware of the fact that they exist and that they make some fantastic Nicaraguan cigars, mostly for not a lot of money. When the company officially changed from “Casa Fernandez” to “Aganorsa Leaf’ they had the two original Aganorsa-branded releases—Maduro and Corojo—that continued on with updated packaging and no other changes. They were eventually joined by an Aganorsa Leaf Connecticut that has been selling like wildfire in the shop where I used to work, and more recently a Habano version, which is the subject of today’s review.
While the Maduro and Corojo were box-pressed, the Habano is more like the Connecticut, in that it is left as a traditional round cigar. They have used home-grown Aganorsa Nicaraguan leaf for filler and binder, along with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. Their website calls it “the quintessential Nicaraguan cigar: spicy, bold, and rich. A perfect cigar to pair with your favorite brown spirit after a heavy meal.”
Today I’m pairing it with water (because that’s how I review) after a wrap from Subway and some steamed broccoli and cauliflower (because no one tells me what to do! Just kidding…I’m still on this diet and trying to lose another 12 to 15 pounds as of this writing). Aganorsa Leaf Habano comes in 4 sizes and wears a very approachable price tag. I bought several samples at Burns Tobacconist in Chattanooga; this review sample is at least the 3rd time I’ve smoked this blend. If your local shop doesn’t carry Aganorsa Leaf, ask them what their problem is and why they don’t like good cigar…and if they can’t answer that question adequately, you can buy them from Small Batch Cigar, a Leaf Enthusiast sponsor.
Prelight
The packaging of the AL Habano is pretty close to the other releases in the series. A main band that has “Aganorsa” in the center with “Fabrica de Tabacos” and “Casa Fernandez” above and below it, a secondary band with the name of the blend, and a ribbon around the foot. I’ve said before, I like everything in the same line to look like they belong together, but also have specificity easily discernible at a glance. They are doing this well.
The wrapper leaf was a dark-medium brown color, mostly smooth with a touch of oiliness and an aroma that mixed barnyard, sweet hay, cedar, and touches of chocolate. The foot had a stronger chocolate note, more pronounced cedar, and earth.
I clipped the end and got a good cold draw that had notes of hay and cedar mostly, with earth and sweetness as a backdrop.
Flavor
Once I fired up the Aganorsa Leaf Habano, I got a medium-to-full-bodied smoke with plenty of cedar and earth notes, secondary notes of earth, and a bit of a chocolate sweetness and pepper spice on the finish. The retrohale was very spicy, although it also featured some roasted peanuts and woodiness.
As I got into the second third, I noticed that the cedar notes increased and there was even more pepper on the palate to go along with what I was getting on the nose. The sweetness almost disappeared with just a ghost of it left over.
The final third of the Aganorsa Leaf Habano had plenty of pepper still, along with subtle chocolate sweetness increasing a bit amid more notes of cedar and earth.
Construction
I saw a very even burn line, a solid ash, and perfect draw.
Value
Great price for a very good cigar, so excellent value.
Conclusions
The Aganorsa Leaf Habano is a very good addition to a lineup that is full of winners, high praise when this is probably my least favorite of the four wearing the badge. It had earth and a nice sweetness from time to time, while being full of cedar and pepper notes the whole way.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
