Fonseca Cubano Belicoso Corto

Score: 9.0

A nice looking little Belicoso – extremely well-packed. The wrapper is attractively dark and oily with a sweet scent and mostly even in color (the sample I had was noticeably darker near the cap). Cap clipped clean. The pre-lit draw was very good with a relatively sweet taste and no spiciness.

The foot lit easily revealing a nice little swath of dark ligero in the middle. The smoke was medium-bodied and quite smooth with a well-balanced mix of earthy and sweet tobacco flavors, and a spicy aroma.

About an inch in, the cigar began to intensify in flavor while remaining smooth and producing a very firm, light grey ash. The smoke was thick, creamy and enveloping. The ash finally broke free after two inches.

At the halfway mark, the cigar became stronger and spicier, yet not overpowering enough to make me want to put it down. If anything, I was more interested in what was coming next. What came next was a rounding out of the flavor, the spicier elements had all but disappeared.

Overall, the smoke had a lot of depth with primarily strong notes of cedar, a hearty dose of earthiness, and rarely strayed off its smooth course. Moreover, the cigar burned so solidly it produced only two ashes during the entire smoke. I can see why they call it the Cubano Limitado, too. By and large, it did have a very traditional “Cuban” flavor. By the end, I found the Belicoso Corto a very enjoyable and heady smoke. This new Fonseca line shows a lot of promise.

Appearance: 8
Construction: 10
Burn: 9
Draw: 9
Aroma: 9
Flavor: 9
Final Score: 9.0

~ Gary Korb