Not too long ago, Cingari bought in its first round of Non Cubans into India. We’ll be honest, we were sceptics before we took this big decision to allow room for another brand, let alone a Dominican into our esteemed portfolio – oh! But how are eyes and taste buds have opened since then.
It’s true that the world is growing more global, more accessible and well we never thought we would see the day but that would also mean that Cuba is in a fight for its title as the country with the maximum tobacco growth. Its neighbour, the ever so beautiful Dominican Republic entered the race and got a small but significant lead during COVID and ever since, the race has been exciting to watch as spectators and consumers of the most luxurious, acquired, bespoke product one could think of – Cigars.
We tasted many a non Cubans and while a lot stuck out mostly for its presentation and rolling, the brand Vegafina from Altadis stuck out to us most because of its construction, flavour and consistency. So, we caved and soon became the exclusive distributors of the brand in India.
While the brand has many lines and units within the line – Classic, Fortaleza, Nicaragua, 1988 and all of them unique to the palate, today we review the Vegafina Fortaleza 2 Toro. The Toro is one of the most popular vitolas in the world boasting a 54 ring gauge and length of 6 inches.
The Vegafina brand in itself boats a mild strength profile, but the Fortaleza 2 line which literally translates to a stronger; strength packs more of a punch. This is a rich and refined medium body cigar which is dressed in a beautiful and oily Mexican criollo wrapper. The construction is just right and has slight veins that only makes the cigar look more appealing. For this review, I used a V cut to get the best smoking experience.
Upon making the cut, I started with the practice of cold draw and immediately was transported to a small farm up in the hills with the taste of wood and coffee and natural sweet tobacco dancing around on my lips. There was also a slight citric aroma that made an appearance but we will know if they stick around when I light the cigar.
Using my ever-favorite form of light – a long cedar matchstick, I slowly char the cigar till its even and then light it perfuming the room with warm notes of tobacco and cedar.
1/3 – The cigar has a nice light smoke, creamy, milky and sweet with a touch of citrus that shows up and disappears like a well-loved stray. The light note of vanilla and milk almost makes you want to reach out to your latte to compare the flavours,
2/3 – The citrus is long gone and now a slight spiciness of nutmeg and cinnamon mixed with a light note of pepper dances on your palate keeping you interested. The creaminess of the smoke remains consistent and does a very good job of not drying out your palate.
3/3 – The coffee and wood remain prominent and the spices from the second part of the cigar enhance the flavour of the cigar. The cigar smokes well to the very end with a ever so slight bitterness at the absolute end.
This is a wonderful cigar for beginners and aficionados alike. Strong, consistent and flavourful! Best paired with a crisp white wine or a clear spirit like Gin, A light single malt that isn’t to heavy bodied – like the Glenlivet 12 or the GlenMorangie.
