Now back to the cigar. The Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf a Nicaraguan Puro cigar. It’s leafs are grown in a few different valleys or Nicaragua which as Esteli, Jalapa and Condega. The are box pressed and packed in boxes of 15. They are currently offered in 3 vitolas which are Robusto, Toro and Torpedo. The band on the cigar is the same as their normal line but the Aganorsa Leaf has an additional band with it’s name on it just below.

The Aganorsa has received a lot of positive press in the cigar blogging community, Cigar Aficionado Magazine listed the original Casa Fernandez as one of the top 25 cigars of 2009. The original Casa Fernandez line was met with a lot of positive press so they had a lot to live up to. I’m lighting this cigar up on a sunny but cold afternoon and hoping to have a nice enjoyable and relaxing experience. Let see how it fares.

Cigar: Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf
Drink: Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Port (2005)
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 52)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Aganorsa
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $8.00
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• This cigar has a slightly box pressed look to it
• The wrapper is a medium dark, almost chocolate brown tone with some spots being lighter than others
• There are quite a few visible veins but they are all small and will not affect the burn
• Fairly clean triple cap
• The foot appears to be well packed and clean
• Cut was even and clean although it required a little more effort than usual
• The draw was just about perfect from start to finish

Burn:
• Toasting was fairly quick and even, very little effort to even out the toast
• The burn started going wavy soon after lighting leaving a small peninsula, gonna leave it alone for a bit and see if it corrects itself
• The crooked burn fixed itself fairly quickly and now we’re burning nice and even
• As the cigar progressed there were a few minor corrections I had to make but nothing major
• The cigar also stayed lit easily without much attention needed from me

Smoke & Ash:
• The smoke produced a strong aroma of burning wood, almost like a bonfire
• Comfortable amount of smoke from each draw
• Lots of resting smoke that is consistently pouring out
• Ash is fairly strong with no flaking and wrapped tightly
• The color of the ash varies from a light brownish near the foot and getting progressively whiter
• Ash held on for about an inch before tumbling into the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper aroma is mostly just tobacco with a slight barnyard type scent
• The foot still has some barnyard aroma but mixes in some cedar and spice
• The pre-light draw brings more spice and some cedar
• Initial draws are full of pepper and some cedar, a little dry on the finish
• I usually don’t enjoy peppery starts but this one is very smooth and mixing well with the cedar
• The retrohale has a nice little bite to it with a smooth cedar finish, the body has started in a mild-medium range
• Just a short ways in the peppery notes have tapered off a bit with the cedar taking control, picking up earthy and nutty notes now
• Some light coffee notes are popping up now and again but not consistent
• I’m approaching the half-way mark and I’m already noticing the body of the cigar building up
• At the half-way point now and the cigar has turned mostly a mild peppery spice and leather
• The bite on the retrohale has dialed down now and the finish is leathery but the body is holding on the stronger side of medium
• Coming up on the last third, the peppery notes are starting to gain traction again, this time mixing with the leather, the cedar has mostly disappeared for now
• The body lingered at full as I approached the nub with the flavors staying consistent to the end
• Didn’t get much harshness or bitterness and was able to smoke this happily until my fingers burned

Final Thoughts:
The was an interesting cigar that had a fair bit of complexity to it and some dimension on the flavors. The start was very in-your-face but smooth and balanced at the same time. The flavors mellowed out a bit as the cigar progressed but the body kept building at a slow and steady pace. The burn was fairly good with only a couple minor corrections and the draw was always good. The price on this cigar is a tad high but nothing crazy and still within reach to be included in a normal rotation. These are definitely worth giving a try even if you aren’t normally a fan of peppery/spicy cigars. On the other hand, if you are a fan of peppery and spicy notes I think you will really enjoy this cigar. The body is a fairly full but not a knock you on your ass type of full. I’ll be looking to pick up a few more of these to keep on hand as they were definitely enjoyable.

Pairings:
In my eyes, Tawny Port and cedar/spicy cigars go hand in hand! I did a bit of research before lighting this up to find out the prominent notes and I knew Port was going to be my match here. I decided on a Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Port which was bottled in 2005. This is a fairly inexpensive bottle that boasts a lot of flavors. You’ll find oak, blackberries, cherries and a tarty sweetness that mixes perfectly with this type of cigar. Other good pairings would include scotch, dark soda, a full Porter or Stout, or a full bodied red wine. A nice cup of strong coffee would also be a good match here.

ACID one by Drew Estate

I have stumbled across a few of these cigars in brick & mortar shops, but not regularly. The first time I picked one up I had no information about it, outside of the fact that it was an ACID, and i knew i liked ACIDs. That was sometime ago, and I wish I knew how to appreciate cigars back then as I do now, because I didn’t give this cigar the attention it needed, therefore, I hadn’t smoked as many as I probably should have.

The Good Stuff: As stated previously, the ACID One is the only non-aromatic cigar in the ACID series. But don’t let that fool you. Don’t go into this cigar thinking its going to have habano type characteristics. Any ACID blend is far from that, and the ACID One is no exception. Drew Estate states that the ACID One is cured with 5 different red wines, from 5 different countries, and then wrapped in the finest Nicaraguan Cameroon that has be cask cured for ninety additional days.

Size: Torpedo 5 x 54  -  Wrapper: Dark Cameroon  -  Body: Mild – Medium

ACID one by Drew Estate

Prelight: The first thing you will notice about the ACID One is its impeccable construction. This cigar not only has no soft spots, or signs of construction flaws, but is carries with it a perfect structure. I smile a bit when I unwrap a cigar that looks this good. The wrapper itself is Cameroon, but looks very dark and could easily be mistaken for a maduro. The first scents from the unlit cigar were a bit piney, and a bit minty, with a hint of cherry. The band itself is a bit different than the other ACID lines. Instead of the guy on the motorcycle there is a yin yang, placed over and image of the Earth, with a diamond embroidered “1″. If you look very closely in the right light you can also make out the words “Japan”, “Nicaragua”, and “Africa” written backwards across the stars on the band. Maybe these were 3 of the 5 countries the wine came from? The Drew Estate Website does state that one of the wines was a tradition Sangria from Drew Estate’s hometown in Esteli, Nicaragua. Anywho, the head of the cigar sports a very long and sharp torpedo edge, as the foot of the ACID One is concealed underneath a careful folding of the wrapper, much like the ACID Atom Maduro.

ACID One by Drew Estate

First Smoke: Again, I cut this cigar using a double bladed cutter, and lit up REALLY easily under my single flame colibri torch. I am not going to list 5 different times “this cigar tastes like red wine”. That should be a bit obvious. Instead I will note all the subtle tastes that I hit while I was smoking this cigar. First of all the wrapper itself is incredibly sweet. I like it a lot. The first bold flavors are a bit earthy, a bit of leather, mixed with soft grape and cherry accents, and a subtle barley. This is a more natural tasting cigar. The draw itself is very very large, but the cigar isn’t very loose. It’s just perfect. The smoke is very smooth, i could probably got at this thing for a few hours without getting tired. The burn is really consistent and I have yet to touch it up. The ash collected well over and inch and a half before falling into my ashtray.

ACID One by Drew Estate

Halfway There: The draw on the ACID One is still remarkably smooth. It makes your almost forget you were smoking a cigar. The taste of mixed fruit, and natural hints is still present, but taking a back burner to what seems to be a more minty, peppered, pine taste. This cigar is delicious. I had to touch it up once, just slightly, but the burn outside of that little area are perfectly even. One big plus about the ACID One is the smoke isn’t as strong scented as a lot of the other ACID cigars. This is one you may just get away with lighting up in a room fool of non-infused smokers without bothering a single one.

Finish: The ACID One finished just as smooth as it began. I nubbed the crap out of this one, and had I had a pocket knife handy I would have probably taken a few more draw off this bad boy before I threw up the white flag. The flavors ended very smooth, with of course a wine taste with hints of fruit and pine. An excellent finish. I had no problems at all with unwrapping, or burn flaws.

ACID One by Drew Estate

Overview: This is one hell of a great cigar. I really enjoyed it, and will again. I would recommend it to any cigar smoker, from beginner to non-infused. The attraction of wine, with deepened tastes that don’t overpower the smoker is a killer combination. The value of this cigar? It depends. Here in my local B&M shops they are priced RIDICULOUS. But if you can find them locally for a descent price comparable to what you can find on-line, do it.