San Cristóbal de La Habana La Fuerza is a marvellous cigar that slips under the radar when people talk about Cuban cigars. Usually, when people talk about Cuban cigars they mention the holy trinity: Cohiba, Montecristo, and Romeo y Julieta. Of course there are others that people talk about, but I have not heard of San Cristóbal before. The San Cristóbal cigar brand was named after the capital of Cuba which is now known as Havana and was released in 1999. They originally released the San Cristóbal de La Habana line with four vitolas and then added an additional three vitolas in 2004. Over the years it has expanded to include brands like Trinidad and Cuaba. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this cigar as the sales person at my local shop didn’t recommend it. But I was in an adventurous mood and wanted to try something new. So let us cut, toast and smoke this cigar.

Starting off at the nose, I was only able to detect a slight note of lime and a notable scent of hay, but the dominant smell for the San Cristóbal is almost like a floral bouquet. The triple cap is well made and maintained its integrity as I cut it. As I took a test draw, it seemed a bit tight, but I proceeded to toast and light the cigar. The draw remained tight in the first third, and due to the tight draw, the cigar did overheat a couple of times until the second third of the cigar.

During the first third of the cigar, I detected light citrus notes, like a lime or lemon, followed by a very slight pepper note. I wasn’t able to pick anything up on the retro hale.

Once I passed the knot, the draw became easier, and the cigar began to produce sufficient smoke.

Getting into the second third, I was able to pick up slight woody notes. It was like a light cedar, similar to a freshly seasoned humidor. On the retro hale of the second third, the notes of citrus and pepper get a bit stronger, but not uncomfortable.

During the final third, I started to pick up a slight sandy smell coming off the foot of the cigar with an extremely light manure smell. However, the neighbour’s dog decided to come out at the point so that could have played a factor.

As for the taste, I started to taste a salty lemony taste that seemed a bit familiar. If you had toasted watermelon seeds from a Middle Eastern restaurant or store, I got the similar notes of salt and lemon you would find seasoned on the seeds. The scent of the cigar also reminded me of the toasted watermelon seeds.

Near the ring/label of the San Cristóbal, the citrus notes went away, and a sweetness took over. If I can compare the sweetness it tasted a bit like honey, but it didn’t last long as it moved towards more of a medium bodied cigar.

Just like in limbo, I do try and see how low I could go with my cigars. I use the ring as the indicator to see how far I can smoke before I need to toss the cigar. The smoking point was a little bit past the ring, but if you slow down, it could go a bit further, but not not by much. By that point, it overheated and became a bit harsh to smoke.

The construction of the San Cristóbal is wonderful aside from the knot at the start, no touch-ups were needed, it was an even burn all the way through.

The cigar is mild to medium in strength. The strength did not increase throughout the smoke, so this along with the light flavors and no nicotine buzz, makes it a good cigar for beginners.

I usually enjoy my cigars in the evenings, and thus I created a category called the morning after effect. The morning after effect of this cigar was nonexistent. Usually, I can still taste the cigar the next morning, in this case I tasted nothing.

Suggested pairing to the San Cristóbal would be a mojito, or a light beer that works well with citrus, like Belgium Moon. An Arabic/Turkish coffee would work too if you want to smoke this earlier in the day.

My final thought is that I will be repeating this cigar. But as it is a $40 cigar before tax, it’s going to be a treat cigar. I cannot wait to try the remaining vitolas, and expand my experience with the San Cristóbal de La Habana cigar line.