Initial Thoughts:
Here at CigarScore HQ, we're huge fans of getting great cigar deals wherever we can find them. While sometimes that means shopping online, we're also big fans of hanging out at our local lounges and meeting new people. Today's cigar, the special edition Aganorsa Leaf Guardian of the Farm Claude le Chien, was given to me by a friend in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
At first glance, the Guardian of the Farm Claude le Chien has a nice, marbled, medium-brown wrapper. The closed foot, as always, looks very interesting and I expect a bold blast of flavor when I torch it.
After cutting the end with my guillotine, I got a nice draw (yes, even with the closed foot), and that's likely due to the slight box press this cigar has with it. Torching the end, the closed foot delivered a spicy blast of bold flavor that also had a slight undertone of creaminess to it. Also, hints of graham cracker.
CigarScore:
Brand: Aganorsa Leaf
Line: Guardian of the Farm, Special Edition
Size: 4 1/2 x 48
Cut: Guillotine
Light: Torch
Price: $7.99
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo '99
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo '98, Nicaraguan Corojo '99
Smoke Time: 50 minutes
At the 25 minute mark, the cigar went out. At this point, I'm not sure if there was a construction issue or if I was too busy working, but I did have to relight the cigar. Additionally, further into the cigar, there were some areas where the burn was very uneven and I had to retorch the cigar more than once.
In the final third, the burn issues continue. Moisture, in what looks like the binder, is causing the Aganorsa Leaf Guardian of the Farm Claude le Chien to burn unevenly again.
Final Thoughts
Despite having several burn issues, the Guardian of the Farm Claude le Chien's flavors were actually pretty good. What started as a pretty bold and spicy cigar mellowed out quite a bit in the second half. In the final third, the flavors were relatively smooth and creamy.
Overall, the Aganorsa Leaf Guardian of the Farm Claude le Chien is a good cigar that had its smoking experience ruined by questionable construction. While I'm glad I got to try one (and maybe I received a lemon) I don't think this cigar is box worthy, at least not yet. For these reasons, the Aganorsa Leaf Guardian of the Farm Claude le Chien earns a CigarScore 3.
