New Cuba Fuerte by Aganorsa

New Cuba Fuerte is where the New Cuba concept sheds the training wheels. The same value-minded philosophy remains, but Fuerte turns entirely toward Nicaragua for its tobacco. The New Cuba family grew out of the Casa Fernandez tradition and its close relationship with Nicaragua's Cuban-seed tobacco culture, and this is the version for smokers who want that character delivered without a mild wrapper standing between them and the blend.

Fuerte is a Nicaraguan puro, combining a dark Nicaraguan wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and Cuban-seed Nicaraguan filler. The difference from Connecticut is immediate, and even Maduro smokers will recognize a more tobacco-driven kind of intensity. Earth and black pepper establish the cigar's foundation, followed by roasted nuts, cocoa, wood and darker Nicaraguan tobacco character. It's full-bodied and considerably more assertive than its siblings, yet the blend maintains enough balance that strength doesn't become its only reason for existing.

That's the real appeal of New Cuba Fuerte. There are plenty of inexpensive cigars designed to be mild enough that nobody objects to them; Fuerte takes the opposite approach. It's aimed at the experienced smoker who wants an affordable cigar that still has some teeth. The Cuban-sandwich construction keeps the cost remarkably approachable while the all-Nicaraguan recipe supplies the richness and spice. This is the New Cuba to keep around when “everyday cigar” doesn't mean you want to dial down the tobacco.