Vitola: Robusto- 5.25” x 52 ring gauge
- ~$11.50
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Earlier this year, Terence Reilly (Vice President of Aganorsa Leaf…word is still out on if he has a counterpart by the name of Philip) began teasing a new release from the company. “Something very special” was the basic message being conveyed, by the name if nothing else: Rare Leaf. I got to try a pre-release in February and was a little let down after the hype…but I chose to wait until they hit store shelves before making a real decision on how I felt about them. I was rewarded a couple months later when they did show up at Burns in Chattanooga. I bought a few…and then I’ve bought a few more…and it turns out I really like this blend…but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Rare Leaf is dominated by “Cuban-seed Criollo 98” selected from special lots on the company’s best farms. Filler, binder, and wrapper are all Nicaraguan. This is a limited production cigar, but because it’s being allocated only to “Aganorsa Select Retail Partners” they are able to have a small supply all year long. The company’s website lists three sizes, but I’ve only seen the Robusto in person and online.
If your local B&M doesn’t have access to these, you can find them (sometimes) at our sponsoring site, Small Batch Cigar. I’ve smoked at least 5 or 6 of these before this review sample. I bought them all at Burns Tobacconist.
Prelight
After the fairly basic and unappealing box and band for Supreme Leaf, it’s heartening to see a comeback to at least a design that is classic and universal. The dark brown box won’t win any packaging awards, but at least it’s not purple or orange. The band is primarily dark red with some cream color and gold foil. Like I said, it’s more of a classic cigar band vibe…and that’s a really good thing at this point.
The wrapper leaf was a medium brown with a touch of red to it. It smelled mostly of cedar, with a little earth and natural tobacco mix in the background. The foot was a mix of earth, hay, bell pepper, and mocha.
I clipped the head and got a good cold draw that had a pleasing mix of cedar, hay, and slightly sweet citrus notes.
Flavor
Aganorsa Leaf’s Rare Leaf started out with strong cedar flavor, followed by notes of hay, citrus, buttered popcorn, and earth. There was a little pepper spice on the palate, but a much stronger burn on the nose, where I also got dominant wood notes. As the first third burned along I got mostly more cedar and hay riding on a medium-bodied smoke.
The second third had a touch more sweetness from the citrus and popcorn notes, while the cedar continued to lead the way. As I got deeper into the middle section I picked up more earth, as well.
The last third had more cedar and a greater increase in earthiness with the hay and citrus notes falling way back. There was a touch of sweetness, but it was almost an afterthought at this point.
Construction
I had a good draw, even burn line, and solid ash.
Value
The price tag on these is slightly higher than the standard Aganorsa Leaf lines, but it’s definitely a step up in richness and quality so it’s worth the extra coin.
Conclusions
The Aganorsa Rare Leaf keeps their winning ways going, with yet another premium offering to sit alongside the Supreme Leaf and Signature on the shelves. While not the most complex offering in the catalog, it was undeniably very good all the way. I found it medium in body and crept up into the full range as far as strength goes, all while keeping a very pleasant richness in the flavor category.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
