Fonseca Habana Selection Short Cigar Review
First, thanks to Cigars Direct for this Fonseca Habana Selection cigar. Now onto the down and dirty review.
Wrapper: Nicaragua | Binder: Nicaragua | Filler: Dominican Republic
Vitola: Cosacos (robusto) | Price: $30/5 pack
0/3: Oh, neat! The cigar is wrapped in wax paper. With the wax paper now disposed of there is a cigar to look at. It’s not a particularly good looking cigar. A couple of significantly raised veins and bumpy. Sort of reminds me of a witch’s arthritic finger. It is very oily though, the wrapper that is, and it is uniformly packed with a little bit of give whenever I press down on an area.
One last thing; this cigar is made by Manuel Quesada, who also makes the Quesada Tributo, which I liked.
1/3: I’m getting this tangy flavor that is not at all appetizing. Behind it there are a couple of good flavors: oak and some sweetness. Weird.
2/3: Sometimes things happen that can’t be explained and this is one of those times. After I ashed the cigar about 3/4″ down from the foot that tangy flavor mostly disappears.
It now has a fierce group of flavors all fighting for predominance. Hay, oak and some nuttiness but not in that kicked back, “let’s enjoy the sunset together” sort of way. It’s more like “let’s put a bunch of hay, oak and nuts in the back of the truck, loosely tie it down, and head down the highway at 100 mph!” Basically, it’s feisty.
3/3: The final third sees a bit of a departure from the previous third. There’s earthiness and some cocoa.
That tangy flavor never completely leaves though. It’s just weird but, all in all, doesn’t ruin the cigar for me.
3 points | Try it sometime
Fonseca Cigar Review
Lately I’ve found myself going for more full bodied cigars; Diesel and Padilla’s Dominus to just name a couple. While those cigars are great – and they are in every sense of the word – it is nice to shake things up a bit every now and then. So, I went to my humidor and eyed this light brown cigar with the simple band.
Construction is nearly perfect. Manuel Quesada, the pater tobaccoist of this cigar, is truly a craftsman. My only quibble, if you can even count it as such, is that there are some minor inconsistencies with the coloring of the wrapper. The wrapper has a nice sheen of oil on it and the tobacco is snugly packed into the cigar.
The cigar that I am smoking, the Fonseca 5-50, comes in a natural or maduro wrapper. For this review I am smoking the natural wrapper version.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: USA (Connecticut Shade)
Binder: Mexico
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: Box 25 – $95 | Fiver – $25
Midday Flame!
I accidentally forgot about this cigar a number of months ago and, as a result of that accident, this cigar has had lots of rest and it seems to have aided in the flavor of this cigar. Oak, berry sweetness and some burnt hay. Overall, I’m liking the flavors. Unfortunately, this cigar does have an aversion to staying lit; that’s a pain!
It’s a mild cigar, probably too mild for my liking. The draw is nice and the burn is even (as long as it stays lit!).
After about an inch that sweet berry flavor goes up a couple of notches on the flavor-o-meter. Honestly, this is a weird cigar for me. I guess I like these flavors, they are pleasant, it’s just not exactly my concept of what is a great cigar.
It is a good cigar though. Very, very laid back. And the flavors are surprisingly strong for such a mild cigar. This is definitely one of the better mild cigars that I have ever had.
Nearing the end of this cigar and, despite the occasional burn problem, it is a good cigar. The flavors are enjoyable but I’m still not sold on this cigar. If you like oak and sweetness in your cigar then you will most likely enjoy this one. If you normally go for something a little spicier and full bodied then you will probably only be an occasional smoker of these Fonsecas.
87 points
