Aganorsa Leaf Rare Fusion - No. 9 Cigar of the Year 2023

Not since Cigar Dojo’s first year-end ranking has one of Smoke Inn Cigars’ Microblend releases appeared on our list (then going to the fifth-ever Microblend: Tatuaje Anarchy Apocalypse). This was due, in part, to the limited criteria that we held over the past decade, restricting our Top 10 to regular-production releases. However, as our official guidelines now show, this year’s list has been opened up to nearly all cigars released throughout 2023. This includes the Rare Fusion from Smoke Inn and Aganorsa Leaf—the 19th release in the long-running Microblend series.

The Rare Fusion is a collaboration that does the genre proud, brilliantly combining the look, feel, and performance of two of Aganorsa’s most popular blends in recent years: Supreme Leaf and Rare Leaf Reserve. This includes a Corojo ’99 influence from the Supreme Leaf blend and a Criollo ’98 influence from the Rare Leaf Reserve. The fusion materializes through a Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 wrapper and an all-Nicaraguan interior recipe that includes Nicaraguan Corojo ’99, Criollo ’98, and Corojo 2012. The latter ingredient is Aganorsa’s newest achievement in agronomy, and is said to be “included in the filler to create a perfect synthesis of these two incredible ligas in one Nicaraguan puro, making for a highly enjoyable harmony between the two.”

The cigar was rolled in a single box-pressed 6″ x 54 toro format, with the large ring gauge said to “best showcase the unique Corojo ’99, Corojo 2012, and Criollo ’98 ingredients that have made Aganorsa a favorite in today’s craft circles.” We found the blend to be among the most impactful Microblend releases in years, holding true to the narrative with a thick smoking texture and lingering brown sugar sweetness (à la Rare Leaf), while showing oak, espresso, and peppery influences upfront (reminiscent of Supreme Leaf).