Kid Montana
Well-Known Member
Recently I was the target of some exceptional generosity which included a pair of Casa Fuente Corona Gordas. I "whet my palate" recently on some other exceptional AF fare and this cool Sunday morning in Baghdad I decided to try one of these rare Casa Fuente beauties.
Temperature: 74 degrees Fahrenheit
Ambient RH: 40%
Wind: 3kmph from the south
Sunny, clear air, clear sky.
Pre light, as I examined this cigar I noted that despite its generally diminutive size, this corona gorda has considerable heft and quite solid construction, with only enough give to be considered "supple." The mottled medium and light brown Cameroon wrapper has the faintest veins and no damage. Examining the foot I smell rich mustiness, not undesirable, a very thick and enticing aroma, with considerable sweet notes, like dried fruit, possibly plum or fig, as AF's blends often have. Pre light draw after a quick clip with my cigar scissors is perfect, not lose, not tight.
The first few puffs are extremely smooth and creamy, with an obvious sweetness and a profile very similar to the Opus X I've been smoking recently, but perhaps less as potent with marginally less "zing." The smell of this smoke is intoxicating, a rich creamy sweetness that makes me thing of cream cheese frosting or something. Occasionally through the first 1/3rd I get a hint of some sort of chocolate mousse. After the initial mildness the flavors build towards the second third, gaining in potency in waves. I'm already incredulous at how enjoyable this cigar has been.
The ash has more tooth than I've seen on nearly any cigar and the burn is generally straight with occasional unevenness that corrects nicely. The second third begins to adopt a hint of wood to accompany the sweet tobacco notes. The wood noes provide a perfect counterpoint to the floral/fruity sweetness of the first third, changing the profile of the cigar while complementing the smooth buttery-ness.
In the last third the sweetness began to fade, leaving the wood and a hint of leather to dominate the profile. The burn is still quite even and the smoke is cool, a terrific burning cigar. Inside the last inch or so the AF sweetness is gone and the profile is dominated by straightforward tobacco/wood and a tiny hint of pepper as the smoke heats up.
Since I was gifted this its hard for me to evaluate it based on its MSRP, about $18/stick but it was a masterful smoke.
K.M Score: 5/5
One of my favorite smokes!