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Initial Smoke

Any of you out there who are familiar with Pennsylvania tobacco will likely recognize the robust taste of this tobacco leaf within the first few puffs of Fuerte Sol. Earthy, leathery, a touch spicy, and faintly funky, this section of the long-filler reveals itself just as quickly as it fades from the forefront. In its place comes an equally full-flavored, yet far less intense taste of sandalwood and cinnamon, salty Nutella, and some cedar and nougat. These last two attributes are more of a retrohale note than a taste on the tongue, and with the spiciness of the cigar subsiding with each puff, the chewy body of the smoke becomes more of a focal point.

1st Half

Vintage port wine delivers the first of several juicy, fruit-like flavors in the first third, which, when combined with the time-honored trifecta of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, forms a mellow mulled wine taste. But these flavors are far from strong, and are more of a passing tasting note, with the tastes of leather, loam, mineral-rich earth, and resinous cedar dominating most of the tasting wheel. Retrohales are a touch funky here, and lean more into earthen fermentation than something bovine-based.

Salty, cedar-strong, and loaded with exotic loose-leaf tea tastes, the transition into the second third marks a pivotal moment in the cigar. Not only has the blend grown far more floral and refined, but it has also added a certain degree of sweetness to the smoke. Nowhere is this more apparent than within the fleeting drops of vanilla that are detected, which play perfectly with the tannins, while calming the spicier notes on the tongue. This results in an even richer feel to the smoke's body, and moves the overall magnitude of the smoke from medium-full to a flat full by the time you reach the midway mark.

2nd Half

With retrohales growing spicier, and not just floral on you, and the spiced dark fruit notes from that fortified port pushing their way forward once more, the start to the second half of this stick provides a moment of reckoning. There is no "dialing" this blend back by this point, and dammit if you don't know it. So, you might as well embrace and celebrate all that it has to offer.

Savory mole sauce with extra raisins and roasted spices produces a far more powerful, full-flavored retrohale, as an escalation in tannins turns your tongue onto a different side of the cigar. Here, things are much more mellow and earth-aligned, as oak and cedar shift places back and forth, with that silty soil note dancing about between the two. You know the cigar is damn near full-on every account by now, but because the taste buds are not getting overwhelmed, it all works out. Just be mindful of how much smoke is getting retrohaled, and you should be golden.

Parting Puffs

Although there have been small, secondary roasted notes within this blend, there isn't too much of a coffee-like taste until the very end. Here, it becomes more of a mineral-rich mocha taste, which is pleasant to find considering that it is not too bitter or sweet. As the last of the robusto burns, soil, oak, and some final dark fruit flavors form their final stand, only to succumb to the sizable serving of spicy, dry smoke that heralds the end of the smoking session.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Despite being tightly pressed and rolled, this review stick burned extremely well and did not require a touch-up at any point. In fact, only two of the nearly two-dozen cigars I have smoked bearing the Fuerte Sol name have needed a correction. So yes, this is indeed a sensational burner of a box-pressed blend.

The cigar also burns incredibly slow, and despite a brief waver here and there, forms a nice little ash and cone along the way. Smoke production is medium to medium-plus in quantity, and the overall performance of the cigar remains borderline top-notch. 

Final Thoughts

  As far as I am concerned, La Aurora hit the nail on the head with its first installment in the Family Creed line. Not only does Fuerte Sol taste, smell, and feel first-class, but it also combusts slowly and cleanly, and transforms effortlessly from one section to the next. Reliable, enjoyable, and cultured are three words that come to mind when I first tried to sum up this smoke, and for the most part, they have all remained true after puffing my way through nearly an entire bundle.

It doesn't matter that I find the overall blend to be lacking a bit in sweetness, or that it hits harder than it should with its tannin, earth, and spicy delivery rates at certain points. The overall experience is world-class and incredibly consistent in every stick, with a "grow bolder as you go" creed being the mantra every time.

For fans of stronger cigars looking for a San Andrés smoke that isn't completely opaque, it's going to be tough to beat this robusto from La Aurora. Making things even more appealing is the fact that this blend improves with time, which explains in part why I waited almost an entire year to get this review to you. Oh, and if you are interested in trying out the rum that I paired the Fuerte Sol with in the video, be sure to check out the E. León Jimenes website for details on how you can get your hands on a bottle of the 110 Anniversario.

Overall Balance & Repeatability