Cigar Details: Aganorsa Leaf Signature Series Robusto
- Vitola: Robusto
- Length: 5″
- Ring Gauge: 52
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua
- Factory: TABSA
- Blender: Undisclosed
- Price: $9.80
- Release Date: August 2018
- Source: Aganorsa Leaf
Aaron Loomis
Pre-light Experience
The majority of the Aganorsa Leaf Signature Series Robusto is covered pre-light as there are two bands that are white, gray and gold. The first band has the company name while the secondary strip band denotes the line. Just below the second band is a gold foil sleeve that runs the length of the cigar and folds over the foot. After sliding the sleeve off, the medium brown wrapper with a network of fine, slightly raised veins is revealed. The seams are smooth and hardly visible while the head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. The aroma from the wrapper is leather, hay and a faint white pepper while the foot brings wood, hay and a bit more white pepper. The pre-light draw is a match with the aroma from the wrapper except for more white pepper and a decent spiciness on my lips and tongue.
First Third
The cigar begins with a combination of cedar and a general wood note along with some cinnamon and a slight cream. At a quarter inch in, a slight citrus joins the profile. At a half inch in, the cinnamon becomes very light and there is a dull black pepper on the very long finish. At an inch in, the cream picks up a bit as the combination of a general wood note and cedar remain up front. The retrohale is a bit black pepper forward with some citrus and cedar mixed behind it. As the third comes to a close, the cedar takes over the general wood note as the cream and citrus note are slightly behind. The cinnamon has dropped out but the long dull black pepper finish remains. The strength in this third was slightly below medium.
Second Third
As the second third begins, the cream drops out while the cedar remains up front. The citrus is in the background as the black pepper joins it and is not just on the finish. At a half inch in, the cedar has morphed to oak as the black pepper has taken over the citrus note and a slight cream has returned to the profile. The retrohale has black pepper up front with the oak slightly behind. At an inch in, a slight char joins the oak. The retrohale has the slightly charred oak just a bit ahead of the black pepper. The strength in this third remained at slightly below medium.
Final Third
As the final third begins, the cigar heats up a bit, bringing a brightness to the oak while a slight amount of cream and black pepper remain. At a quarter inch in, the heat has subsided and the oak goes back to the slightly charred profile. At three quarters of an inch in, the heat builds up again and the oak is now more of a pine while the other flavors are masked. As the cigar comes to a close, the heat mellows out while the pine note remains, but a fair amount of cream is now present. The retrohale carries the same profile. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.
Draw
The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Overall
The first third started off well with some general wood and cedar along with some cinnamon, cream and black pepper. The second third was focused around oak while the final third heated up and moved to a pine note. Strength only built up to medium and the construction was pretty good. Overall, the Aganorsa Leaf Signature Series Robusto was an average experience as the cigar dropped in enjoyment as it went along. I was hoping for something a bit more special from this line but it didn’t materialize. I’m not sure I’d return to this cigar as there are better offerings at the price point. For those that are fans of Aganorsa tobacco, it’s worth a try to see what your thoughts are.
Aaron | |
Very Good | Pre Light |
Good | First Third |
Average | Second Third |
Subpar | Final Third |
Very Good | Burn |
Very Good | Draw |
Average | Overall |
23 comments
Join the conversationShlomo - January 15, 2019
Is this a superior aganorsa blend than the illusione turin, phantom and miserere?
Aaron Loomis - January 16, 2019
In my opinion, this blend is no where close to those Singulare blends.
Shlomo - January 16, 2019
How about the Warped Don Ronaldo Regalos? Is this aganorsa blend superior to Warped? From talking to several seasoned cigar aficionados at my lounge, the sentiment is that it is the closest expression of the cuban profile and flavor to date.
Aaron Loomis - January 16, 2019
I haven’t smoked that cigar, so I wouldn’t be able to weigh in.
Shlomo - January 16, 2019
Do you think the team can check the palate on that Warped to see how it ranks and stacks up amongst all the aganorsas so far? I think it might be a contender if what I am hearing is true.
Aaron Loomis - January 16, 2019
It’s probably unlikely that we target these cigars, but who knows.
Shlomo - January 16, 2019
How come? How does the selection process work?
Aaron Loomis - January 16, 2019
We try to to spread out which brands we cover. We have a limited number of cigars we can review in a year and we have over 100 cigars to do already in the queue.
Shlomo - January 16, 2019
If not the Don Ronaldo, are there any Warped cigars that are in the queue that might have a cubanesque flavor profile?
Aaron Loomis - January 16, 2019
We don’t currently have any other Warped cigars in the queue.
Shlomo - January 17, 2019
Do you think we will see a Warped brand review this year or is it very unlikely since there are no new releases of their cigars?
Aaron Loomis - January 17, 2019
There’s probably a pretty good chance of a Warped review in 2019.
Shlomo - January 17, 2019
I’m hoping the team votes to do a throwback redux review of the Warped Don Reynaldo. Maybe there is a slight chance that the team can get together and make it can happen in 2019.
Bill - January 16, 2019
You nailed this review. I find most of the corojo/criollo stuff wants to be Cuban but they haven’t quite got the floral character (RA) or the nutty character (Monte) figured out yet. Huge progress though over the early 2000s.
Shlomo - January 16, 2019
What do you think is the closest non-cuban cuban to date? I would consider trying something that is close.
Aaron Loomis - January 16, 2019
Try an Atabey or see if you can get your hands on an early release La Palina Family Series.
Shlomo - January 16, 2019
What is the best Atabey to try for the most authentic cuban flavor closest to when the soil in the vuelta abajo was very rich and untapped? I don’t think anyone still has the OG La Palina Family Series: weren’t they released more than 10 years ago?
Aaron Loomis - January 16, 2019
Maybe try the Ritos.
Shlomo - January 17, 2019
What about the misticos? Do you feel that the ritos is more closer to the cuban profile and a better overall and more enjoyable smoking experience than misticos?
Aaron Loomis - January 17, 2019
I tend to find the larger ring gauge offerings the better ones.
Shlomo - January 17, 2019
So you are saying even though Ritos has the smaller ring, it is the exception and is the better offering and has a more cubanesque profile than the Misticos?
Bill - January 22, 2019
I tried a warped 1988 the other day and had a Cuban Monte 2 today. They are closer than I thought. The issue for me is that a good Cuban is ethereal. But their consistency isn’t what it was from the mid 1990s, from what I remember. However, a great Cuban still beats out the current best from aganorsa. But the gap seems to be closing. YMMV. For me, the good Cubans when they are good, are really special: Partagas E2, D4, Monte edmundo, RASS, RA DC, most bolivars regular release esp corona gigante (discontinued), at times, HD San Juan, Partagas Lusitania
Shlomo - January 22, 2019
Have you had a chance to pick up a Don Reynaldo from Warped to see how it compares to the 1988 and many of the ethereal time-tested Cubans?
I am not so sure about Cubans because the first thing people tend to do with them in this day and age is age them for however many years and that is if the consistency is good and they got 2-3 good cigars out of a box buy and who knows what factory it came from because there seems to be a lot of variation even in the same marca.