According to the distribution company of the Fonseca CXX, “In the year 1891, a Cuban by the name of Don Fonseca gave his name to the delicious cigars he manufactured and the Fonseca brand was born. Over the past 120 years, a period spanning the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, Fonseca has become a world re-known brand. In celebration of this important moment in history of Fonseca, Sag Imports will be releasing 120,000 cigars in three different sizes.
The Fonseca CXX, 120 Years comes in 3 sizes, 6 3/8 x 46 (Corona / $6.95 MSRP); 5 7/8 x 52 (Robusto / $7.50 MSRP) and 4 7/8 x 60 (Gordo / $7.95 MSRP).
2011 looks to be a promising year for Quesada, Fonseca & SAG Imports with the upcoming Casa Magna Lancero, Quesada Espana and now the Fonseca CXX to celebrate the 120th Anniversary of the brand.
Cigar: Fonseca 120 Years (CXX)
Size: 6 3/8 x 46 (Corona)
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Cigars Smoked For Review: 2
Fonseca CXX 120th Anniversary
Appearance and Construction: The Fonseca CXX (Roman Numerals for 120) sports an oily wrapper that has a lot of character to it. Reddish brown in color there are a network of veins that run through the wrapper and there is a lot of bumps and valleys to the naked eye. The cigar itself is rolled to perfection with a pigtail cap. The dark color band lacks any pizzaz to it and this could get lost on the shelves of some dimly lit humidors. Between the fingers there no soft spots despite its braille like feel with a nice weight and balance in the hand.
Flavor & Notes: Once the pigtail cap is clipped I am pleasantly surprised by the incredibly rich notes on the pre-light draw. It consists of nuts, chocolate and has a brownie like richness to it. The foot of the cigar has some chocolate to is a distinct musk, like grandmothers closet. Trust me when I tell you this is a good thing, I am content right now and I enjoy it a solid 20 minutes prior to lighting. Once the cigar is lit notes of nuts, cinnamon and rich chocolate envelop the taste buts with a gorgeous plethora of spice through the nose. As we enter the second third, some of the spice kicks it up a gear into a nice pepper note but the primary core flavors of chocolate and nuts remain. As we near the final third, the cigar began to turn slightly bitter with notes of leather and nuts to close the cigar.
The first third of the Fonseca CXX 120th Anniversary
Smoking Characteristics: The cigar had some burn issues but none that left me feeling disappointment as they were easily touched up with a quick touch up. The dark color ash was a bit weak and had some flowering going on but I never lost the ash before I chose to ash which was a good thing for my shirt. If you went through my closet you would find a collection of shirts with small burn holes in them. The draw was ideal, but there wasn’t an abundance of smoke produced from the cigar. There was a nice aroma, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it reminded me of.
The second third of the Fonseca CXX 120th Anniversary
Conclusion: Of the 3 new cigars I smoke from SAG this early part of 2011, the Fonseca stood above just edging out the Quesada Espana as tops for me. I’m looking forward to the release of these and see a box purchase in my future. This should be a banner year for the Quesada family, and I am appreciative of the early look into what is coming down the road.
The final third of the Fonseca CXX 120th Anniversary
Rating: 93
Price: $6.95