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 Alfonso Extra Añejo No. 1 by Selected Tobacco. This is a cigar blend previously assessed in the No.2 size back in May 2023.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Filler: Peruvian & Nicaraguan Ligero
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
Factory: Tabacos De Costa Rica
No. 1: 4 x 50

In 2022, Selected Tobacco would launch its fourth brand, Alfonso. The brand gets its name from Nelson Alfonso, who is the owner of Selected Tobacco. Alfonso is an ultra-premium brand that revolves around exquisite packaging and extra aging. The first line to be released under the Alfonso brand is known as the Alfonso Extra Añejo. Nelson Alfonso is known for meticulous aging processes. Normally Nelson has aged his cigars in cedar-lined rooms for two to five years. During that process, the humidity is raised and lowered throughout the aging period. With the Alfonso Extra Añejo, the process also included aging the cigars in French Oak with a total aging process of five years. Today we take a look at the Alfonso Extra Añejo in the No.1 (Petite Robusto) size.

The Alfonso Extra Añejo utilizes Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf for the wrapper and binder. The filler is a combination of Peruvian and Nicaraguan tobaccos. As with all Selected Tobacco products, production comes from Tabacos de Costa Rica in the Puriscal region of Costa Rica. The No. 1 size measures 4 x 50. For Alfonso Extra Añejo, Selected Tobacco has many packaging options in terms of boxes, packs, tubes, and jars. In terms of boxes – Selected Tobacco offers two-25-count boxes: a dress box and a rustic box.

Flavorwise the Alfonso Extra Añejo No. 1 started out with a flavor profile of natural tobacco, cream, cedar, black pepper, and a slight amount of peanut. Early on in the flavor profile, the cream and natural tobacco became the primary notes. A berry sweetness joined the cedar, black pepper, and peanut in the background. As the cigar experience progressed into the second third, the primary notes became more in the way of cream and cedar. During the phase, the berry notes were present on the finish, and the black pepper increased. By the final third, the cedar notes took over as the primary note, but were balanced by the other notes. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered notes of cedar and black pepper.

Throughout the smoking experience, I found the Alfonso Extra Añejo No. 1 delivered strength and body on the lower side of medium. Throughout the smoking experience, the body had a very slight edge over the strength.  Both the burn and draw performed excellently requiring little maintenance.