A couple of months ago I introduced you to the fine craft of Odelma Matos and her boutique cigar shop/factory, La Faraona Cigars in Ybor City, FL. That was the review of their Dala Cigar which I described as a “magnificent smoke with a balanced set of palate pleasing notes and aromas“. Today, I have the pleasure to continue the La Faraona journey, with a review of one of their classic blends – the La Faraona Connecticut.
Odelma describes the blend of this beautiful blonde as:
- Wrapper – Ecuadorian Connecticut
- Binder/Filler – Nicaraguan, Dominican, Honduran
Like many La Faraona cigars, the Connecticut is available in a number of vitolas, some standard and some unique.
- Double Robusto – 5 x 60 (MSRP $6.00)
- Mareva – 5 x 40 (MSRP $5.00)
- Panatela – 6 x 40 (MSRP $5.00)
- Robusto – 5 x 52 (MSRP $5.00)
- Salomon – 7 x 60 (MSRP $10.00)
- Toro Box Press – 6 x 52 (MSRP $7.00)
- Torpedo – 5 x 52 (MSRP $7.00)
- Chuparico Box Press – 5 x 52 (MSRP $7.00)
Although the Chuparico is not the vitola I sampled for the review, I just have to show you a picture of this unique vitola that shows the craft of the La Faraona cigars:
La Faraona Chuparico – Photo Courtesy of La Faraona Cigars
For this review I sampled the La Faraona Connecticut, Double Robusto, which I received from the company for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.
Pre-Light Examination
As I noted, the La Faraona Connecticut, Double Robusto is a beautiful blonde cigar with a golden tan and silky smooth wrapper. The cigar is double capped and the from the foot you can see it uses the classic Cuban entubado bunching method where each leaf is rolled and then bunched together before applying the binder. This method provides a more consistent draw through the smoking experience.
This cigar is a double robusto meaning the ring gauge is larger than a normal robusto in this case a 60-ring gauge. It is heavy in the hand and the packing is tight with no soft spots.
There is a single band that adorns the La Faraona Connecticut using a white, gold, and black motif. In the center of the band is a golden ancient Egyptian female Pharaoh. The words La Faraona are printed across the top and Cigars printed below. The band stands out on the tan background of the wrapper.
Running the cigar across the nose I picked up a sweet tobacco barrel and a fruity foot.
I used my Palio double blade cutter to slice the cap and gave it a few cold draw puffs. The draw was perfect and delivered notes of light red pepper and some earth. The pepper grows some as you roll it about.
With the preliminary exam out-of-the-way, it was time to set a flame to the foot, warming it gently so as not to scorch the wrapper. It took the flame well and toasted up beautifully.
Cigar Review Notes
La Faraona Connecticut
La Faraona Connecticut
La Faraona Connecticut
La Faraona Connecticut
La Faraona Connecticut
La Faraona Connecticut
- Deep pepper nasal burn on first light
- Pepper tones down quickly
- Salted butter and cedar enter quickly in a creamy smoke
- Smoke smooths out nicely after a half-inch of burn
- Medium grey ash develops on a thin but slightly jagged char line
- Chocolate and nut enter after an inch
- Tapped the ash flat and noticed the well centered burn cone
- Cedar notes move up front with a long finish
- Connecticut bitterness end of second third
- Bitterness fades as a gentle spice moves in
- Cedar maintains
- Sweetness blends with the spice in final third
- Burn gets a bit more jagged in the final
- Finishes with white pepper spice on the palate and a nut aroma
- Mild to Medium in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 20 minutes
Overall, the La Faraona Connecticut, Double Robusto was an awesome Connecticut wrapped cigar that delivered on flavor with enticing notes and aroma from foot to nub. The burn was decent but had a few moments where it got jagged but did not require any touch ups along the journey. This is certainly a tasty blonde that most cigar enthusiasts would enjoy and certainly one that Connecticut lovers would. I will need to get my hands on the Chuparico vitola as it looks so interesting to smoke and may offer some additional flavor nuances due to the reduced ring gauge on the head. All La Faraona cigars are available for purchase on the company’s website.
La Faraona Connecticut