Fonseca No.4 Edicion Regional (Benelux)

I was gifted one of these cigars by a good BOTL a few months ago and it has tried to be smoked several times, and it was in the lineup for my trip to New Orleans and I smoked only one cigar there.  So tonight I realized it was time to burn her down. 

It lit up fast and even and unlike any Fonseca I ever had, it was kind of medium-full in strength.  There was a full blast of Tea flavors and some good creamy body.  However, the flavor quickly disappeared after 3/4 of an inch and it was just smoke.  The burn and draw were both excellent, it just lost the great flavors.  I find that the regionals tend to be great or bland with not much in between. 


Of course, I have only had a few, so chalk that up to the usual 'me talking about stuff I know nothing about'.  But I wanted this to be better, especially because it was a gift.  It's not cool to say bad things about a gift.  It didn't taste sick, there was too much presence in the body for that.  If I had more to try (not a mooch) I could tell more about it.  So under the circumstances I will just say it was bordering on sick and should be held in the dark for a year for the best results.  Your mileage may definitely vary, but if they were mine, I'd hold em for a time before wasting any more.

 There is definitely a lot of tobacco in there with some power and in time I think that it will marry well and get to the types of floral and perfumed qualities that the marque is known for.  But again, no R.E. ever really tries that hard to live up to the traditions of it's supposed marque.  But with the tea and creamy character it showed at the outset, I figure it will all work out.