Aaron Loomis

 John McTavish

Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary is light brown, with a network of veins that carry a darker color to them. The seams are smooth, the caps well applied and the foot is partially covered with excess wrapper folded over. There are two bands, with the primary being the traditional design for the line. The secondary band is black white and orange and carries the logo and name of the store it is an exclusive for. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of dusty earth and cedar, while the foot brings cedar and construction paper. The pre-light draw brings cedar and dusty earth along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
John: The Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary comes in cellophane with a UPC sticker that has an integrated tear space, remaining intact when opened. The cigar features a Supreme Leaf primary band along with a secondary Wooden Indian Tobacco band. As an artisanal complication, the cigar has a completely closed foot. I weighed the cigar at 16.5 grams, and the humidity measured 61.0% on the Humidimeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet tobacco, paint, bread and wood. With the foot fully closed, no additional aromas were present.

Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, a mix of black pepper and baking spice and some earth. At a quarter inch in, the baking spice departs. At a half inch in, a light mustiness joins the profile. The retrohale is toasted cedar, earth and lightly zingy black pepper. At an inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit and some light leather joins the profile. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is up front, with earth a bit behind, black pepper in the middle of the profile and some mustiness and leather in the back half. The strength was slightly above medium.
John: The cigar opens with an intense mix of medium-strength bread, wood and baking spices, supported by earth. Through the retrohale, this combination becomes even more pronounced. Intense, but balanced, delivering a cohesive, full expression of the profile. As the cigar settles in, minerality and earth begin to define the post draw at medium strength. Approaching the halfway point of the third, the baking spices pull back slightly to medium strength, allowing the earthy components more space.

Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper mellows a bit more. At a half inch in, the earth increases to right behind the toasted cedar up front. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and earth, with light leather and black pepper. At an inch in, the earth becomes even with the toasted cedar up front. At an inch and a half in, the leather increases a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar and earth are even up front, with black pepper and leather just behind the middle of the profile and some mustiness in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
John: The second third begins with sweet wood leading, followed by medium-strength earth, finishing with minerality through the post draw. As it continues, bread returns to the center of the profile, especially prominent through the retrohale. Through the bottom half, bread leads off, with minerality and earth combining on the finish.

Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toasted cedar becomes a bit fuller and takes the lead in the profile again. At a half inch in, the toasted cedar and earth once again become even. The retrohale remains toasted cedar and earth, with light leather and black pepper. At an inch in, the leather increases some more. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar and earth are even up front, with the leather just ahead of the middle of the profile, black pepper just behind and some mustiness in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
John: The final third opens with creamy bread, while light-plus tannic wood defines the finish. The profile remains consistent and steady throughout the remainder of the cigar. No major transitions, but no breakdown either. The components that defined the earlier thirds remain, just with a more subdued overall impact.

Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in two inch increments.
John: The burn was wavy through the first third and eventually required a touch-up. It straightened out through the second third, though the wrapper cracked at some point, surprisingly without affecting the draw or burn quality. The last third burned mostly straight.

Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
John: I measured the draw at 78 inches of water on the Cigar Medics Draw Machine. Subjectively, the draw was perfect, which makes sense given the cigar’s closed foot naturally adding resistance during measurement.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, a mix of black pepper and baking spice and some earth. The baking spice dropped out fairly quickly. Some mustiness joined in a bit later and the black pepper mellowed a bit while some leather joined in. The second third saw the pepper mellow some more and the earth increased. Later, the earth became even with the toasted cedar up front and the leather increased a bit. The final third saw the toasted cedar take the lead again, and then came back to even with the earth. The leather then increased some more. The Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around the toasted cedar and earth. The leather was a nice touch, but didn’t elevate the profile enough. This offering wasn’t as good as the previous offerings of the blend I’ve reviewed, but I’ve never been the biggest fan of the line. Not a cigar I’d see myself returning to.
John: The Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary is a cigar that wastes no time declaring its identity. From the first few puffs off the closed foot, it dives headfirst into an assertive, full-flavored profile where bread, wood, baking spices and earth weave together with surprising cohesion. That initial intensity doesn’t feel chaotic or unbalanced. Rather, it lands with the kind of structure that makes you lean in, appreciating how the minerality and earth settle into the post draw as the profile gains traction. What really stands out in the first half is the way the retrohale amplifies everything. The bread and baking spices show a clarity and confidence that underline the cigar’s Aganorsa DNA, and they stay present without overwhelming the palate. Once the cigar moves into the second third, the profile begins to relax into its core elements. Sweet wood, bread, earth and minerality cycle through in measured fashion, establishing a dependable rhythm. The flavors don’t broaden, but they maintain a satisfying depth with bread once again rising to guide the retrohale while earth and minerality firm up the finish. By the final third, the cigar transitions into a more uniform expression. Creamy bread and tannic wood take over, and while the profile doesn’t evolve further, it also doesn’t unravel. It’s a steady landing rather than a dramatic transformation. Construction was admirable overall, with the burn recovering well after a wavy start and the wrapper crack proving more cosmetic than consequential. The draw was excellent while it was resistant in measurement due to the closed foot, but perfect in actual performance. Ultimately, the Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary delivers a lively and engaging first half followed by a more restrained but still enjoyable finish. It’s a cigar that rewards smokers who appreciate distinct bursts of flavor early on, grounded by earth and minerality throughout, and wrapped in Aganorsa’s characteristic bread-and-spice signature. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 33 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$2.39

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.72

Cost/Point

$2.01

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Aganorsa Leaf Supreme Leaf Dave’s 20th Anniversary