Oh, how sweet it is! (Fonseca 8-9-8 Lonsdale)

Cigar Name: Fonseca 8-9-8 (6 x 43)

Cigar Description: Connecticut wrapper over Dominican and Mexican filler

Cigar Strength: Medium

Review of the Cigar itself: I recently did an order to Famous-Smoke for a bunch of singles and included in this "sampler" I made, was this cigar. Apparently, Famous had received the cigar in July '08 so I thought it might be nice to try given that it had aged somewhat at the store. The wrapper almost looked green but that may have been more the light. I was a little disappointed that the head showed a crack in the wrapper, unusual for cigars from Famous. I had only had the cigar a day and perhaps it was an issue with USPS (although all the cigars had been well wrapped). I decided to not let this dissuade me. I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent of the tobacco. It was almost like sweet honey, an beautiful scent reminiscent of a summer day. Definitely an image I could use on a blaringly cold day like today.


I wet the end and cut it with great definiteness. It sliced perfectly and far enough away from the crack in the wrapper that I figure it might hold together well. I fired up my trusty Blazer and toasted the end. Within seconds, the foot glowed a deep bright red and the taste of mocha filled my mouth. While the wrapper wasn't in the best shape, the flavour definitely made up for. I examined the cigar more as I smoked it. Prominent veins shot up pushing on the wrapper like so many sandy mesas. The ash was a series of stark contrasts between the snowy white and darker black, almost a competition between the two filler countries. The aroma that wafted to my nose carried a nice hint of nuts, almost a deep nutty smell.

As I continued more into the cigar I noticed that the ash was rather flaky and had to regularly tap it to ensure my keyboard didn't get too covered with a mountain of burnt ash. Getting into the second third rewarded me with a whispering of leather amongst the sweetness and the continued nutty bouquet. As I continued to enjoy the cigar on my relaxing Sunday afternoon, the flavour and aroma remained pretty consistent. The band came off easily and I checked the break in the wrapper. I noticed that it had widened a bit during the burn of the cigar itself. As I got closer to it and it finally split open, I was surprised that it didn't completely come off. In fact, it remained rather intact although rather open, like a wound. The nub got so hot that I had to use a toothpick to hold the last little bit to avoid burns on my fingertips but it was worth it in the end.

Enjoyed with: water

Smoke time: approximately 75 minutes

Final Review Rating: 9/10