Vitola: Corona Gorda- 6.5” x 44 ring gauge
- MSRP ~$10
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Last year as part of their reorganization and refocus, Aganorsa Leaf produced the Signature Selection, a Nicaraguan puro blend of Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98 leaf, along with half a leaf of medio tiempo, small leaves that occasionally grow at the top of the tobacco plant. I reviewed it recently and found the Corona Gorda in that blend to be good, but not quite great…although I’ve been smoking the Belicoso lately and find it to breach the “great” category.
I was excited to hear earlier this year that Aganorsa Leaf was going to produce a Maduro version of the Signature Selection…and that it would not use their ubiquitous Mexican San Andres Maduro. According to reports, the interior blend is the same this time around: Corojo 99 and Criollo 98 fillers (including some medio tiempo) along with a Corojo 99 binder. The magic happens here with the Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper…a shade-grown leaf that then undergoes the Maduro fermentation process.
I have smoked several of this blend, including a pre-release given to me at an Aganorsa Leaf event a couple months before the official release. That was a Toro; I’ve also smoked a Robusto and a couple Corona Gordas before this review sample. I got some information from Cigar Aficionado’s news story about the release. Leaf Enthusiast sponsor, Small Batch Cigar, has these available.
Prelight
The banding that was a little forgettable on the Corojo original is much more striking here overlaying the Maduro wrapper. The major change is that the foil sheath over the bottom two-third of the stick is silver instead of gold. Overall, it’s a nice look and different enough from the original release to be instantly recognizable.
This Maduro wrapper leaf was a dark chocolate brown and beautiful shiny with oils and smoother than many Maduros, possibly a function of the shade-grown origin? I don’t know, but I do love the look and feel of this leaf. The aroma from it was a mixture of cedar and natural tobacco and rich earth. The foot of the stick had notes of semi-sweet chocolate and coffee bean overlaying earthiness.
After clipping, the prelight draw was good, although just a bit tight. I got cold flavors of sweet citrus, earth, coffee, and a bit of pepper.
Flavor
Firing up the Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection Maduro, I got coffee bean and earth notes up front, followed up by an unsweetened cocoa powder note and the mildest pepper heat. The retrohale had stronger cocoa powder notes, as well as a solid black pepper punch. The first third continued on medium-to-full in body with rich coffee and earth flavors and a little sweetness in the background.
The second third had less pepper, making the smoke smoother as it got richer with coffee and semi-sweet chocolate notes. Earthiness dropped into the background where some cedar appeared after the pepper died away.
In the last third, coffee and earthy notes led the way while the chocolate flavor died off a bit. Pepper returned on the palate while the nose had notes of cocoa powder and cedar. Toward the end it was edging up to a true full-body territory.
Construction
Even with a slight tunnel at one point, I had a great draw the whole way, very even burn line and solid ash.
Value
Very good cigar for an average price equals great value.
Conclusions
After trying several vitolas of this Aganorsa Leaf Signature Selection Maduro, I found the Corona Gorda to be the one that best suited my palate. It was rich and complex with plenty of body for more experienced leaf enthusiasts. I would have to give it a (very) slight edge over the Corojo version in the Belicoso size.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
