Meet VegaFina Nicaragua Short - the pocket rocket of Nicaraguan puros. This 4⅜" x 42 stick packs four years of aged tobacco from Estelí and Jalapa into a 45-minute smoking session. Its caramel-brown Habano 2000 wrapper glistens with oily promise, delivering Tabacalera de Garcia's signature European-market hit at $108.18/box. Perfect when you need bold flavors but got Zoom meetings in an hour.
The cold draw brings sweet barnyard. Initial puffs erupt with black pepper spice - like chewing on fresh Estelí ligero. Smoke production stays moderate despite the compact size. Underneath the pepper: roasted cashews and that signature VegaFina cedar note.
Burnt caramel sweetness surfaces at the halfway point. The Jalapa seco does heavy lifting here - think damp earth after rain. Retrohale reveals baking spices (cinnamon/clove) fighting through pepper residue. Watch the burn line - needs one correction.
Last third gets serious. Leather and dark chocolate emerge as the nicotine kicks up. Body transitions from medium to full real quick. Nub it before the tar builds up near the band. Pair with espresso to balance the strength.
Store at 65% RH max - that oily wrapper molds easily. Perfect construction except occasional tight draw in last inch. Scores 87/100 for consistency. Not your Instagram cigar, but the one you actually finish while fixing lawn equipment.
