Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon

The Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch is a project released by Aganorsa Leaf back in 2019. Guardian of the Farm is a brand that was started under Aganorsa Leaf that was a project between Max Fernandez of Aganorsa Leaf and Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars. With the Nightwatch, the project is strictly an Aganorsa Leaf project, but still is being put under the Guardian of the Farm brand. The Nightwatch is a Maduro-wrapped cigar and it was one of three projects to use Aganorsa Leaf’s proprietary shade grown Corojo maduro wrapper. Today we take a closer look at the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch in the Campeon size – a size that features the famed Cuban 109 (flat-tip belicoso) cap.

The use of Aganorsa Leaf’s Shade Grown Corojo Maduro wrapper is a significant one for the company. Up until 2019, Aganorsa Leaf was sourcing all of its tobacco it was using for maduro wrappers – mostly utilizing San Andres Mexican leaf. With the Aganorsa Shade Grown Corojo Maduro, this tobacco comes from the Aganorsa Leaf farms. Since then it has become an integral part of many of the company releases. The wrapper was used on three 2019 releases: Aganorsa Leaf Signature Maduro, JFR Lunatic Loco, and the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch line. In 2020, it was used on the Casa Fernandez Aniversario Cuban 109.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Guardian of the Farm Watch is a Nicaraguan puro with all of the tobaccos from the Aganorsa farms. In addition to the Shade Grown Corojo Maduro wrapper grown in Jalapa, the binder and fillers consist of Corojo and Criollo tobaccos. Production

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Jalapa Shade Grown Corojo Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa Corojo
Filler: Nicaragua Corojo and Criollo (from Jalapa and Estelí)
Country of Origin: Nicaraguan
Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa SA (TABSA)

Vitolas Offered

Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch is available in four sizes: Rambo (4 1/2 x 48); JJ (5 1/2 x 50); Campeon; (6 x 52 with a 109 cap); and Orpheus (6 x 44). Each size is presented in 25-count boxes. Keeping to the spirit of the origin Guardian of the Farm line, each of the four vitola names of Nightwatch is named after dogs at the Aganorsa Leaf farms.

The Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch JJ is the same size found on the original blend, but is box-pressed. The Nightwatch Orpheus is the same size as the original Guardian of the Farm Apollo, but with a different name. The Rambo and Campeon formats are the same as the Nightwatch and original Guardian of the Farm.

Rambo: 4 1/2 x 48
JJ: 5 1/2 x 50 (box pressed)
Campeon: 6 x 52 (109 cap)
Orpheus: 6 x 44

Packaging of the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch

Appearance

The Nicaraguan wrapper of the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon had a rich coffee color with a slight amount of oil on it. The wrapper had some visible veins and visible wrapper seams. The footer of the cigar was covered. The tip of the cigar had a gentle taper to it. As opposed to tapering to a pointed tip, the 109 cap has a flat tip with a small amount of surface area.

The band of the Nightwatch Campeon is white in color with gold trim and gold font. On the center of the band is an image representing a bulldog. Above the image is the text “GUARDIAN” arranged in a curved fashion while below the image is the text “OF THE FARM” – also arranged in a curved fashion. On the left and right side of the band is the text “AGANORSA” surrounded by some additional adornments. The left side of the band has a design representing the initials of Kyle Gellis (KG) while the right side has a design representing the initials of Max Fernandez (MF).

The secondary band features an indigo circle with a gold-colored Aganorsa Leaf logo of an arm grabbing tobacco. Above the logo is the text “NIGHTWATCH” arranged in a curved gold font. Below the logo is the text “AGANORSA” also arranged in a curved fold font. The circular field features a gold frame. To the near left of the frame are some leaf designs, further to the left and right are two gold medallions. There is gold striping to the far left and right. This band is also finished with gold trim.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

Prior to lighting the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon, a straight cut was used to slightly enlarge the surface area of the smoke, but still provide for some tapering effect. From that point on, it was time to commence the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of mocha (a fusion of chocolate and coffee), leather, and a slight touch of mixed pepper. Overall this was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to light up the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon and await what the smoking experience would deliver.

Tasting Notes

The Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon started out with notes of mocha, earth, red pepper, and cedar. Early on the mocha (chocolate/coffee fusion) notes moved to the forefront. There was a robustness, yet smoothness to the mocha notes. The notes of earth, pepper, and cedar settled in the background. A slight sour citrus note joined the others in the background. Meanwhile, there was a sharp red pepper spice that I detected from the retro-hale.

During the second third, the mocha notes lost some of the chocolate sweetness and gradually morphed into more of a coffee note. The earthy notes also made their way into the forefront. Meanwhile, there still were notes of pepper, cedar, and citrus present. The pepper notes did slowly develop more in the way of intensity.

The last third of the Nightwatch Campeon saw a combination of earth and coffee present in the forefront. The pepper was more prominent on the tongue during this part of the smoking experience than at any other part. There still were notes of cedar and citrus present as well. This is the way the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The burn line to the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon wasn’t the straightest one. It was also a burn that tended to meander off its path. The result was an above-the-norm amount of touch-ups that were necessary. The resulting ash was white gray. This wasn’t the firmest ash, but it was not loose nor flaky either. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both were ideal.

Burn of the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon

Draw

The draw to the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon was open, but not loose. I normally like a little more resistance on the draw. At the same time, the Nightwatch Campeon was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon delivered a medium to full strength, medium to full-bodied smoking experience. There was a nominal increase in the intensity levels but in the end, the Nightwatch Campeon still remained in the medium to full range for both attributes.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

I was quite pleased with Aganorsa Leaf’s Shade Grown Corojo Maduro wrapper on the Aganorsa Leaf Signature Maduro Robusto. My experience with the wrapper on that cigar is the wrapper plays a prominent role in the flavor profile – taking away some of the overall complexity. This is going to be the same case with the Guardian of the Farm Nightwatch Campeon, except the Nightwatch doesn’t match up to the Signature in terms of flavor, and the burn was more high maintenance on each Campeon I smoked. In the end, the Nightwatch Campeon fell short of expectations.

The Nightwatch Campeon is a cigar that is more geared to a seasoned cigar enthusiast. It’s one I’d recommend trying first to see if it matches your flavor profile. In my case, I’d be curious to see how this cigar performs in some of the other sizes.

Summary

Key Flavors: Mocha, Coffee, Black Pepper, Cedar, Citrus
Burn: Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Good