Unfortunately, I was unable to track to the Felipe Gregorio cigar, so the next cigar I will try as part of my cigar challenge is from the Fonseca cigar brand. I will be smoking the Delicias.
The stats:
Length: 4” 7/8
Ring Gauge: 40
Strength: Light
Country of origin: Cuba
Background:
In the 1890s, Don Francisco Fonseca set up a cigar factory in Havana, Cuba, and it was there he started creating cigars with the family name Fonseca.
These cigars quickly became a success and were known for their distinctive, innovative packaging method, wrapping each one separately in a tube of tin foil and then an outer covering of fine Japanese paper to shield the cigar from atmospheric changes. They are still packaged this way today, with the tubes now usually made of aluminium foil instead of tin.
You can see Don Francisco Fonseca’s face on the cigar box.
The Fosenca brand has also evolved and no longer a privately owned brand. After brands and factories were nationalised in Cuba, a new world Fonseca was produced. First, in the Dominican Republic, later acquired by Don Pepin Garcia in Nicaragua, who worked for the Fonseca brand in Cuba back in the day.
You may recognise Garcia’s name… he is the guy behind the My Father Cigar factory.
As you can see, both have their trademark of having white tissue paper packaging.
My experience:
For this challenge, I will be smoking the Cuban variant of the Fosenca cigar.
I must say, whilst this cigar is well known for its packaging, I am not too fond of it. Yeah, it’s unique, but I am not a fan of smoking a cigar without its cigar band (well, unless it’s part of a blind tasting). The Japanese paper sits under the cigar band, so you have to remove it to take the paper off. I immediately put the band back on before lighting up my cigar.
The cigar was well constructed and felt firm to touch—no problems lighting it. Post-light, the draw was a little tight, and there was a solid sweet ‘perfume’ like flavour to it… kinda floral?
This cigar reminded me of one I smoked recently, the El Rey Del Mundo Demi Tasse, which you may remember I was not a fan. The Fonseca felt like a notch up from that – but just a notch!
My rating: 5 out of 10 – I am not a fan of these smaller cigars. I’ve not tried to smoke these on the go, so that’s when they’re prob best to smoke… not whilst relaxing after a day’s work – on my balcony.
Next up… The Griffin!
London Cigar Smoker 