# 5 Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona

Vitola: Petite Corona | Size: 5 by 42 | Wrapper: Nicaraguan | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $4.95

I was introduced to this cigar by my good friend and Casas Fumando’s guest contributor, Jeff Oda. Somehow it slipped by me as I was trying to keep up with all the IPCPR coverage in July, but ,within a month of the show, Jeff had a review up here on the site. The Fonseca Nicaragua Petite Corona is manufactured by the Plasencia Family in Esteli, Nicaragua and is the only puro to make the list this year. The box-pressed format and small size makes this an extremely comfortable cigar in both the hand and mouth. The Fonseca Nicaragua surprised me with a profile that I was not expecting from a cigar under the Fonseca brand. The cigar delivered earth, some woodsy notes, and a good amount of pepper as the cigar increased in body and strength throughout. For under $5.00 this is the best bang for the buck cigar I smoked in 2016.

You can find Jeff’s review HERE.

#4 Casa de Entrada – Entrada

Vitola: Corona | Size: 5 1/2 by 44 | Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $8.20

Entrada is made by Casa Fernandez for Casa de Entrada based out of Omaha, Nebraska and landed the #5 spot on Tony’s list this year. Here is another cigar that runs on the smaller side and is also box-pressed. Something about that just gets my heart beating a little faster. From first light to final puff, the Entrada is a bold and rich cigar showing off some great sweetness that balances out everything and leaves that palate wanting more between each puff. The awesome packaging makes the cigar that much better.

You can find Tony’s full review HERE.

#3 Espinosa Cigars – Laranja Reserva DeSocio

Vitola: Perfecto | Size: 5 5/8 by 54 | Wrapper: Brazilian | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $10.50

For the past several years, La Zona made cigars have landed on mine and Tony’s top 10 lists and this year is no exception. The price is on the high-side for what I feel comfortable paying for any cigar, but well justified with this smoke. The profile of the Laranja Reserva DeSocio is very unique, especially when compared to the rest of the cigars that made the list. This is what I had to say about the cigar all the way back in June:

Leather and citrus are not flavors I often find in cigars and the Laranja Reserva DeSocio delivered those flavors in remarkable fashion. This may be my favorite Espinosa Cigar and, quite possibly, the best cigar I have reviewed here at Casas Fumando in 2016!

You can find the full review HERE.

#2 Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust – Mi Querida Ancho Largo

Vitola: Ancho Largo | Size: 6 by 52 | Wrapper: USA Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $9.45

This is mostly likely the cigar that consumers were expecting for Steve Saka’s first release, but he went off the beaten path by releasing Sobremesa in 2015, a cigar well received by the cigar community as a whole, but somewhat unexpected. Well, at the 2016 IPCPR, Steve Saka released Mi Querida that not only satisfied his Connecticut Broadleaf cravings, but one that is worthy to be in all humidors of Broadleaf fans who enjoy a bold, heavy smoke. Mi Querida pours out a thick, chewy smoke and delivers flavors of coffee, dirt, cocoa and that unique tartness only found in Broadleaf tobacco.

Mi Querida Fino Larga took the #4 spot in Tony’s Top 10 of 2016.

You can find the full review HERE.

#1 Duran Cigars – Neya Texas Tactical Lancero

Vitola: Lancero | Size: 7 by 40 | Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo Maduro | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Price: $8.00

Duran Cigars is not a company I would have expected to land the #1 spot in 2016, let alone a top 5 (or 10). I have burned through several lines from Duran Cigars, and while I found them to be good smokes, they never set me back in my chair. That was until I lit up the Neya Texas Tactical Lancero. I am sure glad I came across this cigar at a B&M on an unplanned trip to Ohio. As I mentioned in the review, the lancero format and pig-tail cap won me over at first sight and the rich, bold, spicy flavors that this lancero delivered held me captive for nearly two hours.

You can find the full review HERE.

It is worth mentioning that this is the second year in a row that a Texas themed cigar claimed the #1 spot on my list. Crowned Heads’ Yellow Rose was #1 in 2015. Texas certainly hold a special place in my heart.

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-Tony

Last week I attended a Quesada event at one of my local shops, Stogies n Hops in Lynnwood, WA, where I had the pleasure of meeting Manuel “Manolo” Quesada.  Manuel is a terrific guy with a wealth of information about cigars, and a great conversationalist.  He even stayed way past the designated end of the event to smoke and socialize.  While I was there I picked up a handful of Quesada cigars, including the new Fonseca Nicaragua in the petite corona size.  He explained that the goal in making this cigar was to create the best quality Nicaraguan puro possible at an affordable price.  I contacted Terence Reilly at Quesada for more info, and he sent me the press release, which states:

“For the first time ever a Fonseca will be made in Nicaragua. This summer at IPCPR the Quesada family will release the Fonseca Nicaragua, a Nicaraguan Puro made by the Plasencia Family in Esteli. Adding to the well-established Dominican Fonseca, the Fonseca Nicaragua is blended with tobaccos from Ometepe, Jalapa, and Esteli to capture the full complexity of flavors found in the country. Nearly equally as impressive as the cigars themselves is the price: MSRP will range from $4.99 to $5.95.

Terence Reilly of Quesada Cigars says: “Because this is the first time we will make a Fonseca outside of the Dominican Republic we wanted it to create a special cigar that everyone can afford to smoke and so we approached this project with the concept of creating a $10-12 cigar for $4-6. The result is a complex, nuanced cigar that we believe will be the best value on the market”.

The Fonseca Nicaragua comes in 3 popular sizes: a 6 x 50 Toro that retails for $5.99, a 51/2 x 54

Robusto at $5.79 and a 5 x 42 Petite Corona at $4.95. They’re boxed in 20’s.”

I have to admit that Fonseca is not a brand that I tend to look for, and the only one I have smoked previously is the CXX 120^th Anniversary, which was a limited production line, but the intrigue of a Nicaraguan puro from Fonseca was too much for me to pass on.  So what do I think?  Well, let’s see…

The Basics:

Wrapper:  Nicaraguan
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler:  Nicaraguan
Size:  Petite Corona box pressed 5 x 42
Price:  $4.99 ($5.99 here in Washington)
Smoking time:  Fifty-five minutes
Pairing:  Mortal Kombat X Raiden Imperial Saison (Sound Brewery) ABV 8%

Pre-light:

The first thing that stands out about the Fonseca Nicaragua is the band.  Designed by a Dominican graffiti artist friend of Hostos Fernandez Quesada, it’s a big departure from the classic look of the core lines, being much more modern, while retaining traditional elements such as tobacco leaves and earth tones in the colors.  It also comes off cleanly and easily, and when I told Manolo how much I liked that, he noted how hard it was to convince the workers to make the change to the new glue.

The cigar itself sports a velvety dark brown wrapper with fine veins and a nearly seamless, firm roll, which gets just a bit softer as it nears the foot.  The wrapper has a tangy barnyard scent, while earthy tobacco shows off the foot along with a touch of spice.  A shallow snip of the cap gives a much snugger draw than I prefer, and a second clip opens it up a tad more.  Sweet tobacco shows on the cold draw, but not much else.

First third:

Although the draw is still rather stiff, the Fonseca Nicaragua has no problem producing a more than adequate mouthful of smoke.  Light earthiness and smoky oak surround the natural tobacco core.  While I feel no pepper bite at this point, there is a black pepper flavor hovering in the background.  The burn had started out at quite a slant, but by the 1” mark has almost completely evened itself out, with the ash dropping off at that point.  The draw has also opened up a bit, bringing a light sweetness and more pepper presence.

Middle third:

The Fonseca Nicaragua enters its middle third with the emergence of some savoriness as it moves north of medium in body.  The sweetness has dropped back and the smoky wood turns to a light char, then back again, as the pepper also moves up and then down.

Final third:

As the Fonseca Nicaragua petite corona winds down, the main flavors have remained consistent while moving up the scale in intensity.  The pepper is now much stronger, although not overboard, and the body has climbed into the medium-full range, while the strength is just above medium.  Bitter coffee and a little more of the char are evident as the cigar comes to an end.  I have not had to even think of touching it up or re-lighting it along the way.

Final thoughts:

Oops! I forgot that I did have a Fonseca Vintage at the event, so I do have that to go by, as well, and the Nicaragua is a definite step up in the body and strength departments.  I can’t view this as a particularly complex stick, but I did enjoy the flavors it had to offer and the way they moved around and ultimately intensified, and the construction was excellent.  I love this size, and the box press makes it even more comfortable to hold and smoke.  This one smoked pretty quickly, but that may have been influenced by the rather breezy conditions present today.  At their price point, I recommend picking up a couple to try.  I will certainly be grabbing a few in the other sizes to see if the difference in size brings a corresponding difference in flavor.

Pairing:

Mortal Kombat X is a series of beers brewed by Sound Brewery to commemorate the tenth installment of the Mortal Kombat video game franchise.  Since I’m an old guy and never been a gamer, the name really has no significance to me, but the name of the brewery does, as it is local and well regarded.  The Raiden is an Imperial Saison which displays a nice citrusy character on an earthy and slightly sweet base, and would be a great match for lighter wrapper cigars, but it matched up quite well with the Fonseca Nicaragua, too.  I liked the way the brighter notes of the Raiden offset the darker flavors of the Fonseca, but going the other way with, say, a brown ale or Scotch ale would also work very well.  I could also see a sweet rum or spiced rum, as well as a sweetened coffee being great foils for this cigar.

-Jeff Oda

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