The Habana Seleccion is Fonseca’s attempt to go back to the company’s Cuban roots.  Fonseca has been around a long time and has been producing cigars in Cuba for a very long time so they know what a Cuban cigar should taste like.  While the tobacco is not Cuban, they did a very nice job making it seem that way.  This Nicaraguan has all the notes you might expect from a Cuban.

The wrapper is dark but not Maduro dark and smells sweet and pleasant.  It has a tangy tobacco smell that wakes up your senses before you even put flame to it.  The draw, while not like pulling through a straw, is quite good; it was, almost exclusively, a ‘single puffer’ . The construction is nice with a deep cap and a firm feel of a well crafted and well humidified cigar.  I had a small hole near the cap of mine which probably speak more to its age and many moves than it does its construction.  This hole lead me to smoke it funny which lead to a bit of a slanted burn but that did not affect the taste.

The cigar produces a good amount of rich blue smoke that smells fabulous. The smoke smells light and peppery which is strange because peppery is not a word I would use to describe the taste.  It provides an interesting contradiction to the flavor of the cigar.  Now, on to the flavor.  The cigar tastes sweet and nutty, capturing the essence of the Cuban flavor.  The sweetness is not the chocolatey sweetness of a Maduro, but is instead a light sweetness like honey.  The nuttiness is not strong but is more one of the light fleshed nuts like macadamia or peanut.  The two flavors compliment each other quite well.  There are VERY light coffee notes that add a bit of richness to the light flavors of sweet and nutty.  Those coffee notes appear about halfway through the cigar.  The finish is clean and adds just a bit of spice to compliment the smooth sweetness.  I am smoking this one all the way down to the nub.