Cigar:            Fonseca Cubano Limitado Belicoso Corto

Size:             52 x 5"

Country:          DR

Wrapper:          Hon, E

Binder:           DR

Filler:           DR/Nic

Flavor Strength:  Mild

NicotineStrength: Medium-Full

Date Received:    2007-11-01

Suspected Age:    Unknown

Vendor/Price:     Gift of The Makule Guy, ASC  JR price: $135/24 ($5.63ea)

Hype:             Handmade in the Dominican Republic under the supervision of master blender Manuel Quesada, these Cuban style smokes are the boldest of the Fonseca line. Each cigar is blended with rich, Dominican and Nicaraguan ligero tobacco and is finished off with an attractive, dark and oily Cuban seed leaf, grown in Honduras. The hearty dose of Cuban flavors and hints of caramel and spice make these well-balanced, smooth cigars truly something special!

Beverage(s):      Nicaraguan Coffee, Water

Smoke time:       0:50

Date:             2007-11-10

Posted to ASC:    2007-11-10

Overall score:    2.0 / 5.0

Sock color:       Red, no shoes

Hat:              CAO Cx2

Overall:    I have been interested in the new releases by Fonseca (DR) in the past few years, and thanks to a recent visit with The Makule Guy, I was able to try this cigar.  Thanks! 

A non-event.  No discernable flavors other than some pepper.  Seems to be another example of strength for the sake of strength at the cost of flavor.  The series F are better.

Ambiance:   Sunroom in the mid-afternoon.  The sun has heated the room to bare chested temperature and I am.  It is the first time I have been warm since returning from Maui a week ago.  Letting the Ryobi batteries charge after cutting out some dry wall.  Doing a bit of catch-up work, and answering an email backlog.

Appearance: Short, stubby, missile shaped, dark mottled wrapper, small veining, well packed, even fill which yields very slightly. 

Cut & Prelight:   Cut well, yielding an open draw with a highly peppered dry grass draw flavor.  Aroma, mainly floral with some new leather.

First third:      Initial hit, acrid bitter pepper.  Copious smoke volume.  Mellowing quickly from initial hit to a peppery spice.  Peppery aftertaste.  At an inch in not much flavor has developed.  Dryish after.

Second third:     Finished the coffee and switched to water in hopes of unmasking some flavor from the cigar.  This is weird, no discernable flavors except a peppered tobacco taste, a description I rarely use.  Some back-of-the-throat harshness.  Burn has been fairly even.  Light, white ash held to well over an inch.  At the halfway point I am re-evaluating my commitment to the smoke. 

Third third:      No hint of the "Cuban style" or "Cuban flavors", or "hints of caramel and spice" mentioned in the hype.  Nicotine became apparent at about the halfway point.  Seems to be another example strength for the sake of strength and at the cost of flavor.  Abandoned at 2" remaining.