Originally blended by Cuban legend and longtime master blender Arsenio Ramos for his own, personal enjoyment, the cigar features tobacco from Aganorsa seeds grown on the man’s favorite Aganorsa farms. Today, it’s reblended and packaged for everyone to enjoy, and enjoy it we shall. Sorry, the correct Aganorsa term is “validate.” We are going to validate the Arsenio.

Of course, that begs the question: What does this special smoke taste like? What does it smoke like? Is it really Cubanesque as promised? Pour yourself a nice tall glass of something cold and refreshing, cut the cap and light your stogie and let’s smoke this conversation out.

Storage and burn

Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge

Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge

Yackity yack, I’m going to share my cigar sack. Okay, really, I’m just sharing how I store my cigars, like I always do. That gives you a baseline to follow when and if you smoke the same thing.

I keep my humidor’s relative humidity (RH) between 64 and 67 and the temps in my house stay around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, I always let my cigars rest. The Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio had well over four weeks of rest before I lit one up. I know, I know, that’s a long time, but I’ve been in and out of my depression for a turn now, and sometimes, I just don’t feel like lighting one up. I want to make sure I can enjoy it when I do. The mental drop makes it hard to enjoy even some of the things you love at times.

During testing I deployed my usual straight cut, V cut, and punch — but I prefer straight. I know some folks prefer other cuts, but I’ve talked to several master blenders who recommend the guillotine method. Anyway, I like the draw it provides. But don’t get your whiskers wet just yet, I do try out several types of cuts each time I review a cigar.

The Arsenio cut with no problems, no mess, and lit just as easily. Most importantly, I had no burn issues, no tunneling, and it never went out on me. It held a pristine ash line all the way down. Those are all positives that carried over through several smoking sessions. Any good cigar experience is a good day in my book, and the Arsenio made many days better thus far, at least for me.

Flavors and experience

Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge

Source: Briley Kenney / The BS Lounge

The Arsenio is sweet. It almost seems like it has a sweet cap, but don’t worry, sweet cap haters, there isn’t one. It is bursting with flavor, though, sweet and spicy, with a bright hue of notes. It’s bright enough and complex enough that I would classify this one as a dessert outright — not unlike my favorite Rare Leaf Reserve. It would be a phenomenal smoke after a big steak dinner or a delicious Southern barbecue.

Starting with the vibrant Corojo wrapper, that surrounds a Criollo ’98 dual binder, mixed with leaf from Esteli, and mixed fillers from Condega and Jalapa, Nicaragua. It looks fantastic with the labels on, and also with the labels off. But the bright blue of the secondary band on this thing is captivating. The intricate designs remind me of tribal art, or for some weird fucking reason, mermaids. I dunno, that’s what I’m getting.

But then I see Arsenio’s handsome profile on the primary band, happily blowing out a smoke ring, and I’m reminded this has nothing to do with manatees, mermaids, or sea monkeys.

Diving further in, you’ll taste molasses or caramelized sugar, dried fruit, vanilla, hay, floral notes, peppercorn and saltiness, especially in the last third. But if you can, try to imagine that sweet goodness existing with the rest of those flavors, never quite muted. Almost like a sweet cream poured atop the rest of the dessert. It’s delectable. Joyful. Triumphant.

It does, in that respect, have a very Cubanesque flavor profile. Although if you’re looking for that Cuban twang, you’re not going to get it here, sadly. You will get that Cuban flavor-changing experience, with incredibly diverse medleys waning and peaking in volume harmoniously. You could call it a symphony of flavor. I’d venture to guess you don’t have to be a cigar pro to have a good time with this one, either. But I will always, always recommend learning to retrohale, and I will die on that hill.

Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio: Closing statements

If you like a smooth, medium smoke with some sweetness, plenty of pepper — on the tongue, not spice — and a growing list of flavors to add to your experience journal, the Arsenio is one to try. It cuts well, lights well, and smokes well. It does have a Cubanesque flavor profile, though it’s still New World-esque in experience. As long as you don’t go in expecting it to be an authentic Cuban, you’ll be fine.

Do I recommend it? Yes. For pretty much everyone who smokes cigars, because I know most of you out there like a variety. Will I smoke it again? Yes, absolutely, and I already have.

If you’re looking for more cigars like it, you can stay in the Aganorsa family or branch out a little, but you have to know, this one is fairly unique. If you like the Arsenio, stock up on the Arsenio.

Briley specifics

• Recommended: Yes
• Would I smoke it again? Yes.
• Will I buy more? Yes, I already have.
• My preferred size: Corona (6 by 44)

Arsenio specs

• Profile: Medium-bodied
• Approximate smoking time: 1 to 1.5 hours
• Box count: 15
• MSRP: $255 or ~$17 per stick (Toro size)

If you like this, you might also like: Aganorsa Rare Leaf Reserve Corojo, Aganorsa Rare Leaf Fusion, Aganorsa Supreme Leaf (any size), Guardian of the Farm Cerberus, Crafted by JR Aganorsa, Alec Bradley Prensado, C.L.E. Corojo, Warped La Colmena.

You’ll notice that my format is meant to be short and sweet, like this La Aurora Fuerte Sol review, or the previous Aganorsa Rare Leaf Maduro review. I don’t intend to keep up with the big leagues, I’m one guy. There won’t be any scores. However, I do want these reviews to be a resource for those looking for similar smokes or experiences.

The post Aganorsa Leaf Arsenio review appeared first on The BS Lounge.

But JFR is just about over that 20 year hump, and to celebrate, Aganorsa is releasing a new line — it sounds delicious, as always. The JFR 20th Anniversary, aptly named, features a San Andrés Maduro wrapper atop an Aganorsa binder and fillers from Nicaragua. The cap has the signature JFR pigtail — pigtails up! Moreover, the foot will be unfinished with a fuzzy-style leaf seal.

The JFR 20th Anniversary are box pressed and available in four sizes: Toro (6.5 by 52), Titan (6 by 60), (4.75 by 70), and (7 by 70). Just remember, Aganorsa Leaf always blends to size.

Tell me more about the JFR 20th Anniversary

Who better to explain the new line’s decadence and intrigue than the frontman of the brand himself, Terence Reilly, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

“JFR has thrived over the past 20 years as our bestselling brand because it provides an unparalleled
value. In a market that has seen massive increases in cigar prices over the past few years, Aganorsa has remained dedicated to providing premium cigars that you can afford to enjoy. JFR 20th is proof of that commitment.”

Proof of its commitment, indeed. A new release is always exciting, of course, but a new release from Aganorsa and the JFR Line? That’s downright titillating.

The JFR 20th Anniversary cigars will come in boxes of 21, with a suggested MSRP of $9.50 to $12.50, depending on the vitola. Initially, they’ll be on display to everyone at PCA 2025 in New Orleans in April. They should be available to everyone else, and in lounges and on store shelves, shortly after.

Source: Aganorsa Leaf / JFR

Source: Aganorsa Leaf / JFR

Just one glance at those beautiful oily wrappers and I already know these are going to be delicious.

The post Aganorsa Leaf celebrates two decades of JFR with the JFR 20th Anniversary release appeared first on The BS Lounge.

So, you better believe when I heard a limited edition sampler is coming out with 10 of its action-packed blends my ears perked right up. I’d imagine many of yours did, as well.

What is the Aganorsa Leaf Flex Sampler?

Called the Aganorsa Leaf Flex Sampler, it offers the following 10 cigars in Toro size:

• La Validación Connecticut (6 x 52)
• La Validación Corojo (6 x 52)
• Signature Corojo (6 x 52)
• Signature Maduro (6 x 52)
• Supreme Leaf (6 x 54)
• Rare Leaf Corojo (6 x 54)
• Rare Leaf Maduro (6 x 54)
• Aniversario Connecticut (6 x 52)
• Aniversario Corojo (6 x 52)
• Aniversario Maduro (6 x 52)

But if you want to get your hands on one of the samplers, there’s a catch.

How do I get the Aganorsa Leaf Flex Sampler?

This beautiful, high-quality sampler will only be available at select live, in-store events at Aganorsa retailers. That means you need to high-tail to the nearest provider and make sure you’re in attendance, but each event will only have a limited selection of the samplers.

According to Terence Reilly, VP of Sales and Marketing for Aganorsa, only 10 of the samplers will be available at each event. That makes them almost double limited if that’s even a thing.

The first event kicks off Saturday, January 18, 2025, at the Smoke and Joe Cigar Lounge in Cave Creek, Arizona. The sampler will debut for $140, which works out to about $14 per cigar. Trust me when I say, that’s not a bad price at all and these are some remarkable smokes. If you’ve never had Aganorsa before, give them a try. You won’t be disappointed.

You can read more about the launch at Halfwheel:

The post Want to get your hands on the new Aganorsa Leaf Flex Sampler? Here’s how appeared first on The BS Lounge.