Origin : Cuba
Format : Petit Corona
Size : 4.8 (123 mm) x 40
Smoking time : 35 min
Hand-Made
Price : ~$3 each
After my surprising experience with a Regional Edition Fonseca, I thought that I really should check what else the brand has to offer. Not much can stop me when I’m about to visit my local cigar shop, so quickly enough I purchased a fiver of Fonseca Delicias, which are 4.8 x 40 petit coronas. Given the price (~3 bucks each) and the fact that they are short-filler, I wasn’t expecting a lot from these. Let’s see how they fared.
Appearance : Rating: 
The wrapper of this cigar is rough and bumpy, with several long and thick veins. It has a lot of water spots and for some reason the cap is darker than the rest of the wrapper. In fact, these were machine-made until 2002 and are now hecho a mano, but something tells me that the Delicias are not done by the most skilled torcedores. I couldn’t detect many flavors pre-light, just a bit of pepper on the foot.
Construction : Rating: 
The pre-draw was really tight, and so was the draw in the beginning. Fortunately, after the first third it opened up a little and I was able to enjoy the smoke. The ash was flaky and didn’t hold for longer than one inch, but this was to be expected. The burn, on the other hand, was pretty good throughout the cigar.
Flavor : Rating:
The pre-draw doesn’t bring anything more than simple mild tobacco. The first puffs do not really make me want to pursue the experience – the smoke is rare, bland, with sugary and syrupy notes. Needless to say, the cigar is very mild at this point. Overall, I’d give the first third a 1 out of 5. Fortunately, things get really better later on. First, some wood is added to the bouquet. Next (at the half-mark approximately), I am detecting pleasant espresso notes while the sweetness decreases. At the same time, the smoke becomes thicker and the cigar is almost medium-bodied. A distinguishable pepper background appears. As I enter the last third, flavors are getting more and more intense. Leather, black pepper, I find myself really enjoying the finish.
Value : Rating:
A box of these can be found for anywhere between $50 and $80. At this price point, the Fonseca Delicias is one of the cheapest Cuban cigars and even though it’s far from perfect, I can’t complain about the value.
Overall Rating : Rating:
It doesn’t come as a surprise, Fonseca Delicias is far behind the No. 4 Benelux Regional on all counts. My plan to discover a top-notch underrated cigar didn’t work out this time. Instead, I found a decent Cuban cheap smoke which was damn good in the second half. Probably not box-worthy for my taste, but at least worth trying.
