Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the VegaFina Nicaragua Gran Vulcano. This is a cigar line that has been previously assessed, most recently back in January, 2015 in the Robusto size.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera de Garcia
Gran Vulcano: 56 x 137mm (56 x 5 3/8)

In 2022, a new line extension for the VegaFina Nicaragua was created known as Gran Vulcano. VegaFina is a brand created at Tabacalera de Garcia in the Dominican Republic. It’s a brand that has been sold by Altadis U.S.A. in the United States. But it is more popular in Europe where it is sold by Tabacalera S.L.U.

VegaFina Nicaragua is a cigar that was once available by Altadis U.S.A. in the U.S. market, but hasn’t been for some time. It’s sold in the International market and like the rest of the VegaFina brand, remains popular in Europe. The Gran Vulcano is the latest line extension, but like the rest of the VegaFina Nicaragua line has only been available outside the U.S. Today we will take a closer look at the VegaFina Nicaragua in the Gran Vulcano size.

The VegaFina Nicaragua measures 56 x 137mm – which is a cigar with a 56 ring gauge measuring 5 3/8 inches in length. It’s one of the beefier offerings in the VegaFina portfolio. The cigar is dubbed “Nicaragua” because it consists of 100% Nicaraguan-grown tobaccos. Tabacalera de Garcia is located in the Dominican Republic, so this is a Nicaraguan puro made in the Dominican Republic. This is not the first time a Nicaraguan puro has been made in the Dominican Republic. Possibly the most famous example of this is the Davidoff Nicaragua.

The VegaFina Nicaragua Gran Vulcano opened up with notes of cedar, earth, and natural tobacco. The natural tobacco notes had a tanginess to them and became the primary note. The cedar and earth settled in the background were joined by notes of black pepper. The retro-hale delivered an extra quality of pepper and some sweet natural tobacco. During the second third, the tanginess diminished, but the natural tobacco qualities were still present. This stage of the cigar saw an increase in the pepper. On the final third, the natural tobacco exhibited more bitter qualities and most of the tanginess was gone. This was still rounded out by the pepper, cedar, and earth notes. The cigar finished with a cool, soft nub.

The flavors delivered medium body and this was countered by medium strength. During the smoke, the body seemed to have the edge over the strength. The burn was low maintenance and required minimal touch-ups. The draw was extremely open and if not smoked at an easy pace could have affected the combustion.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

It’s had been a while since I smoked the VegaFina Nicaragua line and I have always found it to be solid. That being the case, I didn’t find the VegaFina Nicaragua Gran Vulcano as enjoyable as I remember it. As someone who enjoys bigger ring gauges, I can honestly say I think this cigar was more enjoyable in a slightly smaller ring. With the Gran Vulcano, I never acclimated to the tangy notes, and the bitterness at the end didn’t work. All in all, I didn’t find this to be a balanced flavor profile. In the end, this is a cigar I’d recommend trying first and seeing what you think. But I’m inclined to revisit this cigar in a slightly smaller ring (50ish) and compare it to how I remember it performing.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Good
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good

Rating

Value: Try a Sample
Score: 87

REFERENCES

Previous Assessment: VegaFina Nicaragua Robusto
News: VegaFina Nicaragua Gran Vulcano Announced
Price: € 5.50 (Euros/Spain); $5.90 (U.S. Dollars)
Source: Tabacalera SLU
Brand Reference: VegaFina

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop