The Tierra Volcan Fino is a new line extension to the initial line by Mombacho Cigars SA. It was over a year ago when Tierra Volcan line made its debut in the U.S. market. The cigar is made in Nicaragua, as opposed to Esteli (where most Nicaraguan factories are located), it is actually made in the city of Grenada. Mombacho Cigars SA operates its own factory in that city (Casa Favilli). The Fino is the fifth vitola to be released in the Tierra Volcan line adding a 6 x 44 Corona Larga into the mix. Recently I’ve had an opportunity to smoke the Tierra Volcan Fino. Overall I found this to be a solid and enjoyable cigar experience.

Mombacho Cigars S.A. was founded in 2006. The cigars have been distributed in Canada but have also been available in China in such markets like Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. In Canada, the company has partnered in the luxury goods and sports industry with such brands as Moët Hennessy, Louis Vuitton, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays and the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Tierra Volcan Fino and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Tierra Volcan line is a Nicaraguan puro featuring tobaccos from a variety of regions. As mentioned, the cigars are produced at Casa Favilli in Grenada.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Sun Grown from Jalapa
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano-Criollo from Condega
Filler: Nicaraguan (Mix from Jalapa and Condega)
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Casa Favilli, Grenada)

Vitolas Available

The Tierra Volcan is being release in 3 large formats and one cigaritto. The Fino is available in 16 count boxes. The Vulcanite is available in 6 count wood box packs while the other three vitolas are available in 24 count box.s

Fino (Corona Larga): 6 x 44
Grande (Toro): 6 1/4 x 54
Clasico (Robusto Extra): 5 1/2 x 50
Corto (Short Robusto): 4 x 50
Volcanito (Cigarrito): 4 1/2 x 26

Appearance

The Sun-Grown Jalapa wrapper of the Tierra Volcan Fino has a medium brown color with a rosado tint to it. There is a slight amount of oil on the surface of the wrapper. There are some visible wrapper seams as well as some thin visible veins.

There are two bands on the Tierra Volcan Fino. The primary band has the Tierra Volcan logo. The band itself is yellow with brown font. The front of the band has a mountain-shaped design. On the mountain is the text “Tierra” in small brown scripted font and “VOLCÁN” in large brown font. The mountain also has a brown outline. On the lower part of the mountain outline is the text “NICARAGUA” in yellow font. On the left side of the band is the text “MOMBACHO CIGARS S.A.”to the left side in small brown font. On the right side of the band is the text “TOTALMENTE A MANO” – also small brown font.

With the exception of the Vulcanite, a secondary band exists on most of the Tierra Volcan indicating the vitola name. For the Fino, there is a thick yellow stripe with the text “FINO” in large brown font on it. To the left and right of that text is a very light brown angled design. The band also has thick brown trim across the top and bottom.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

Prior to lighting up the Tierra Volcan Fino, I went with a straight cut to remove the cap. After removing the cap, I moved on to the pre-light draw stage. The dry draw delivered subtle notes chocolate, cedar, pepper, and a slight grapefruit-like sweetness. Overall I considered this to be a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, I removed the footer band of the Tierra Volcan Fino, lit up the cigar and moved into the smoking stage.

Flavor Profile

The Tierra Volcan Fino started out with notes of cedar, assorted pepper, chocolate, and some more of the grapefruit-like citrus notes I had detected on the pre-light. The chocolate, cedar, and pepper notes moved into the forefront early on. At the same time, the cedar and pepper gave this cigar a spicy profile during this stage. Meanwhile, the citrus notes became a background note. In addition, the cedar and pepper were prominent on the retro-hale. While the chocolate and citrus notes weren’t overly sweet, it provided just enough to balance the spiciness.

During second third, I found the cedar and pepper notes receded into the background joining the citrus notes. Meanwhile, the chocolate notes remained the primary note.

By the last third, I found the spices returned to the forefront joining the chocolate notes. The citrus component still remained in the background. There was a little bit of harshness at the end, but at this point it was time to put down the cigar. The resulting nub was slight soft to the touch, but cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

Overall I found the Tierra Volcan Fino performed well on its burn. While there was a little bit of jaggedness on the actual burn line, I found the cigar burned relatively straight and was never in danger of tunneling or canoeing. The resulting ash was a salt and pepper color. The ash wasn’t overly firm. There was some occasional flaking along the way and this didn’t prove to be too problem-some. The combustion of the Fino was excellent as it had an ideal burn rate and ideal burn temperature.

There was a slight resistance to the draw of the Tierra Volcan Fino – which is something I like. This helped to enhance the smoking experience in my book.

Strength and Body

I found the Tierra Volcan Fino to have some kick to it. In terms of strength, I found it had just enough kick to be considered medium to full. Meanwhile, when the retro-hale of this cigar is factored in, I found the flavors had just enough depth for this cigar to be considered a full-bodied smoke. In terms of strength versus body, I found the body had a slight edge throughout the smoking experience.

Final Thoughts

While this cigar isn’t going to be a nicotine bomb, what I found is that this is a bold and robust smoke. This cigar delivered a nice amount of spice, but there was just enough sweetness there to counter it and prevent it from dominating too much. I didn’t find this cigar’s flavor profile to be revolutionary, but I still found it to be satisfying.  Traditionally, I’ve found other sizes of the Tierra Volcan line age very well, and I have no reason to believe the Fino won’t stand up to age. This is a cigar I would steer more toward the experienced cigar enthusiast – particularly one that prefers the bolder profile. As for myself, it was an interesting enough cigar for me to smoke again and purchase a fiver to keep in my humidor.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Finish: Good
Assessment: 3.0-The Fiver
Score: 88

References

News: Tierra Volcan Fino
Price: $8.96
Source: Purchased
Stogie Geeks Podcast:Episode 177
Stogie Feed: Tierra Volcan Fino