Aganorsa has long been behind some of the most sought-after cigars in the industry, and its Aganorsa Leaf line puts the company’s own name on the band. In 2022, the brand rebranded its core lines, formerly the Casa Fernandez range, as the La Validación Series, with a fresh look and uniform sizes across the blends. The name refers to the quality control process each cigar goes through before release, with “validación” being Spanish for validation.
The Corojo is one of four blends in the series, alongside Habano, Connecticut, and Maduro. It is a Nicaraguan puro made with Aganorsa-grown tobacco, wrapped in a dark, reddish Corojo. The Toro measures 6 1/4 x 52 and is also offered in a box-pressed version. Cigar Aficionado gave it 90 points in 2023.
Stogie At A Glance
Review
First Third
Sweet almonds, cedar, and coffee on the light, with some pepper on the retrohale and a light creamy note on the finish. Some floral sweetness, pepper, and cedar come through as I get into the first third. Cedar and pepper continue with some other spices as well, and creamy almond notes come through with light black coffee on the finish. There’s almost a hay-like note alongside some of the creamier notes, with light spices on the finish. Cedar and creamy spices continue as I get to the end of the first third.
Second Third
Creaminess starts to come out more in the second third, along with a stronger coffee note. The finish is creamy with light spices. A slight sweetness starts to come out with the spices and coffee note. A chocolate almond note begins to emerge, along with some creaminess and spices on the finish. Earthy cedar comes through with pepper on the finish. I’ve had some wonky burn issues twice now that needed a decent amount of adjustment, but overall it’s a pretty good experience.
Final Third
Baking spices and a creamy coffee note come through with just a hint of dried fruit, almost like raspberry. It’s very faint and quickly passing, but still there. The dried fruit note and a little sweetness come through along with a continuation of baking spices and slight creaminess on the finish. More pepper spice continues to come out in the final third, along with almost a bready note. An earthy cedar comes through, also with a slight anise note. There’s still cream and spices on the finish.
Score
85/100