The Guardian of the Farm from Aganorsa Leaf was originally released is sizes named after the dogs that guard the Aganorsa farms in Nicaragua. Since it’s initial release the cigar has seen shop specific releases named after the dog(s) of someone related to that shop.
The Guardian of the Farm Claude Le Chien is named after Claude, a blue French bulldog owned by Andrew Considine of SmallBatchCigar.com and it was part of their October Cigar of the Month club. If you are looking for a cigar of the month club I highly recommend joining. Unlike other clubs there are no cheap house cigars although it does seem like there is a Small Batch Exclusive every month. However, the clubs are usually sold out but if you check on a regular basis there are openings from time to time.
Cigar Review: Guardian of the Farm Claude le Chien
Size: 4.5 x 48 (Short Robust)
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Corojo Rosado)
Binder: Nicaragua (Corojo 99)
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo 98 (Aged Six Years) & Corojo 99
Factory: Aganorsa
Release Date: September 2015
Box Count: 25
Th Cigar: The diminutive box pressed short robusto features the black and gold band with the face of a dog front in center. However this SBC exclusive also has a blue, white and gold secondary band denoting Claude le Chien.The rosado wrapper has a few thin veins and the foot is partially closed. In the hand the cigar is firm and quite heavy for the size. On a side note I would take a picture of the cigar and notice the lettering was blurry and it was driving me crazy till I looked and noticed the gold and the embossing was slightly off giving it a blurred appearance.
The Taste: The cold draw has shortbread cookie taste with a touch of citrus and dried plums which is quite reminiscent of something my grandparents use to bake. The aroma from the wrapper and foot is earthy with nuances of red pepper and apricots. Pulling in as I light the cigar due to the closed foot the initial notes are slightly floral.
As we smoke the first third the floral notes intensify before pulling back as the first third comes a close. Additionally the first third has notes of nuts and citrus both of which are intensified on the retrohale.
The second third starts with no floral notes as there is some wisps of chocolate with an abundance of nuts, earth and orange zest. At the half way point some floral notes return but only last 2-3 puffs before once again disappearing. Around the half-way point some lightly salted saltines begin to emerge with walnuts that round things out on the palate. The retrohale of the Guardian of the Farm Claude le Chien sees the walnuts intensified with some earthiness.
The last third sees the spice kick it up a notch with notes of red pepper on the palate and black pepper on the retrohale and aroma. The notes of walnuts remain with an ever so subtle chocolate note as well. As we move into the final inch I get something I have never gotten in a cigar, pineapples creating change of pace.
Conclusion: When the Guardian of the Farm first came out I couldn’t get enough of them. But something felt like it changed and I stopped smoking the cigar completely. The Claude le Chien takes me back to when the cigar first came out and reminds of me of why I loved it. This size and tweaked blend seems to deliver a lot more flavor than the regular edition releases.
Score: 94
Price: $8.00
Grab them at Small Batch Cigar and use the coupon code BARRELBURNER to save 10% just make sure you are logged in to the site to ensure the coupon code works.
