Vitola: Torch (Shaggy Foot)- 7” x 50 ring gauge
- $8.99
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
It is not often that I reach for anything in the JFR line by Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez). Why is that, you might ask? Simply put, I’ve never been all that impressed with the flavors, although the price tags are definite bargains. JFR stands for “Just For Retailers” and it was originally meant as a kind of “lower retail price” cigar that only brick-and-mortars could have to compete with the ridiculous discounts that online retailers gave. Honestly well sell a ton of the JFR lines at the shop where I work, but they are mostly the large ring gauge sticks like Titan and 770…and more recently the Lunatic sub-brand, which also seems to attract large ring smokers. There is a sort of “secret sub-sub-brand” in there, though…and it’s a hidden gem. The JFR Lunatic Torch.
This is what the new Aganorsa Leaf website has to say about the Lunatic Torch:
The Lunatic torch is a rare shaggy foot cigar. This vitola allows you to smoke the fillers only for the first inch before melding with the wrapper. A cigar for those who think different and enjoy understanding how the wrapper affects the taste. Smoke one when you have the time to sit back and appreciate the importance of blending the right tobaccos to create an optimal experience.
That’s not all there is to the Lunatic Torch story, but it’s all I can really say. Except that it’s made with Nicaraguan filler and binder leaves, along with an Aganorsa Corojo wrapper. It currently comes in one size, which is basically a Toro, plus an extra inch of unwrapped filler/binder “shag,” and in boxes of 30. This release has proven quite popular at Burns in the few weeks since we first got them. I have smoked about 3 or 4 of them before this review sample and I bought most of them at Burns (the others were given to me by company reps).
Prelight
The band is pretty cheap-looking on the Lunatic Torch, just simply saying “Lunatic” in a bit of a retro-futuristic font, slightly off-white background with red lettering and art. “JFR” is written in small type on the reverse side. The box completes the look, which actually looks almost like the cigar line belongs in Dion Giolito’s Illusione collection (those cigars are made in the same factory, though, so I guess that’s fitting).
The wrapper was a medium-brown with a slight reddish tint and a heady cedar aroma. The filler that jutted out of the bottom of the wrapper was rough, dark-brown, and smelled of a mix of rich earth and cedar. The prelight draw was very good and tasted of wood mostly, with touches of earth, white pepper and a light fruit sweetness.
Flavor
This cigar (any shaggy foot stick, really) allows you to try the filler and binder of the cigar without the wrapper influence. If you don’t try this cigar in particular, you really should try a shaggy that does this. In this instance, the cigar’s bunch has a fairly bitter and harsh initial light. There’s plenty of earth and a sharp cedar note, but the more bitter notes really overwhelm everything, with very little in the way of what you can call “balance” in the blend. To put it bluntly, it’s amazing how much different the wrapper makes this blend taste. Once the wrapper started to burn, notes of citrus and dried fruit added to the cedar and earth, providing a very pleasing mix. There was a slightly peppery note before, but after the wrapper ignited, the pepper exploded on both palate and nose. As I got further into the first third, I noted that the dried fruit sweetness got stronger, leaving the citrus notes behind.
As I got into the second third, the sweet fruit notes melded nicely with the cedar, salt, and earth. There was still a mild burn at the back of my palate and on the nose. The retrohale had also developed a prominent roasted peanut note.
The last third saw the flavor profile turn in a more earth-forward direction, with cedar coming in a close second and the sweeter notes coming in behind with some red pepper flake heat.
Construction
All the samples I’ve had of the Lunatic Torch were very well made, featuring a good draw, even-enough burn line, and solid ash up to an inch.
Value
This is a very good cigar and, at $9 a stick, an excellent value.
Conclusions
The JFR Lunatic Torch by Aganorsa Leaf is a very good cigar and, in my opinion, the very best entry in the JFR line by a long shot. It was medium-plus on body with a pleasing amount of complexity, showing off some of the very best that a Nicaraguan puro can be. I held myself back from buying a lot of the first box my shop received because I wanted customers to experience this blend…and the box still sold out quickly. Fortunately more are on the way. If your local retailer doesn’t have this blend, you should really ask them to get it.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
