J. Fuego Gran Reserva Corojo #1 Toro

[AspiringGent]

Firstly, this is a condensed, forum-friendly version of a review on my blog.

Origin: Honduran
Build: Handmade with Honduran wrapper, Costa Rican binder, and Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran filler
Format: Toro
Size: 152 x 20.64 mm (6″ x 52)
Price: $10 USD

As I began my foray into online cigar purchases, I came across a deal on a 10-pack of these. I’d heard good things about J. Fuego’s cigars, so thought I’d give it a shot. After 7 weeks in my humidor, I thought that Canada Day fireworks on July 1st were the opportune time to pull one (or two) of these out.

The first thing I noticed was that the two cigars were packed quite differently, with one quite tight and the other loose. The wrapper is dark with red undertones and feels smooth and oily. This cigar invites you to take a taste, and the pre-light flavour is sweet and spicy.

The cigar started off surprisingly mild with a slight ammonia flavour. I suppose these still need a little bit of time, despite the manufacturer’s aging. It could also be because I wasn’t terribly smart about my humidor sorting, and had these stacked beside some very young Gran Habano’s, so there may have been some mingling of flavours. The draw and burn were consistent from start to finish, with nice long (but black) ash and thick white smoke.

As the cigar progressed, the ammonia subsided and spicy, woodsy notes came through. One things I did notice is that the cigar consistently burned cool, yet there were no burn problems. It almost felt like smoking a hookah — very nice. As the cigar progressed a very nice strong coffee taste starting to dominate.

Overall this is a very nice, consistent cigar with a variety of nice flavours. They are definitely priced in the range of premium cigars, but keep your eye out for deals online, as they pop up frequently.

More pictures and elaboration on my blog.

[golfermd]

Thanks for your review. Sound like a few to stash away in the humidor for a bit.

[AspiringGent]

FWIW, a friend of mine just commented that even after aging this cigar for over a year, he still noticed ammonia. Strange.

[Acesfull]

Another guy on another forum raves about these... but I still hesitate to pay MSRP for these... I loved the 777 I smoked and I think the Casa Fuego is a decent smoke as they Casa's can be had pretty cheap on Cbid. The ammonia thing is odd though