The Guardian of the Farm series from AGANORSA Leaf has recently become a popular enough line for the company to produce single store exclusives. In less than six months, the company has added three new vitolas to the line up, all destined to a different retailer.

Two of those cigars went to Houston—one to STOGIES World Class Cigars and another to the Casa de Montecristo locations in Texas’ largest city—while the other headed to a prominent retailer in California.

In March, SmallBatchCigar.com—the online storefront for Maxamar Ultimate Cigars—received the Guardian of the Farm Claude Le Chien. Like the rest of the line, the cigar is a Nicaraguan puro, using a corojo rosado wrapper over a corojo 99 binder and corona 99 and criollo 98 fillers.

And like the rest of the line, it’s named after a dog.

The Guardian of the Farm vitola names comes in reference to the dogs that are used to guard the AGANORSA farms in Nicaragua. As for this cigar, it’s named after Claude, a blue French bulldog owned by Andrew Considine of SmallBatchCigar.com.

It is a 4 1/2 x 48 short robusto with a covered foot—making it the smallest of the six vitolas so far—and it is limited to 200 boxes of 25 cigars.

  • Guardian of the Farm Campeon (6 x 52) — $8.74 (Box of 25, $218.50) — Regular Production
  • Guardian of the Farm JJ (5 1/4 x 50) — $8.50 (Box of 25, 212.50) — Regular Production
  • Guardian of the Farm Apollo Selección de Warped (6 x 44) — $8 (Box of 25, $200) — n/a
  • Guardian of the Farm Guapo H-Town Lancero (7 x 38) — $8.90 (Box of 10, $88.95) — 200 Boxes of 10 (2,000 Total Cigars)
  • Guardian of the Farm Claude Le Chien (4 1/2 x 48) — $7.99 (Box of 25, $199.75) — 200 Boxes of 25 (5,000 Total Cigars)
  • Guardian of the Farm Buster (6 x 60) — $10.50 (Box of 25, $262.50) — 200 Boxes of 25 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars)

  • Cigar Reviewed: Guardian of the Farm Claude Le Chien
  • Country of Origin: Nicaragua
  • Factory: Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A.
  • Wrapper: Nicaragua (Corojo Rosado)
  • Binder: Nicaragua (Corojo 99)
  • Filler: Nicaragua (Corona 99 & Criollo 98)
  • Length: 4 1/2 Inches
  • Ring Gauge: 48
  • Vitola: Short Robusto
  • MSRP: $7.99 (Box of 25, $199.75)
  • Release Date: March 29, 2019
  • Number of Cigars Released: 200 Boxes of 25 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars)
  • Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

I’ve never been particularly enamored with the main band of the Guardian of the Farm, but with this secondary band and this size, everything comes together very well. Aroma from the wrapper is medium-full with acidity and a weird bread flavor that reminds me of reheated pizza. Given the covered foot, smelling the bottom of the cigar is somewhat similar though there’s a lot more sweetness thanks to chocolate and maple syrup. One cigar has a very particular flavor that reminds me of smelling a bag of beef jerky. Cold draws deliver a chocolate malt flavor with some plum and floral notes as secondary notes, just shy of full flavor.

After a thorough lighting of the covered foot, there’s some nuttiness, floral flavors and a muted chocolate, around medium-full. The first few puffs deliver a variety of flavors, but eventually the profile settles into a peanut-dominated core with creaminess and vanilla bean underneath. Through the nose there is peppermint and a bit of a pineapple sweetness. Flavor is medium-full, body is full and strength is medium-full. One sample needs touch ups, while the other two make it through the first third without issue.

A pronounced walnut flavor takes over the second third of the Guardian of the Farm, joined by some lavender and saltine crackers, the latter of which is relegated underneath the profile. The peppermint remains in the retrohale, even stronger than where it was in the first and now not accompanied by anything until a fresh cut grass emerges on the finish of the nose. Walnuts and a bit of white pepper are what lingers in my mouth well after the smoke has completely left. Flavor is now full, while body remains medium-full and strength picks up to full. Touch-ups continue to be needed to keep the smoke going, which is odd given there is a ton of smoke immediately following the touch up.

Muted bitter chocolate becomes the dominant flavor in the final third with some floral flavors breaking through right behind it. The profile of the Claude Le Chien is still more of a gritty profile, likely due to the bitterness of the chocolate flavor, but the floral notes remind me that there’s still plenty of complexity. For the first time in the entire cigar—across all three samples—there’s no sign of the peppermint through the nose. Instead, retrohales of the Guardian of the Farm have an orange creamsicle flavor. Flavor finishes medium-full, body is full and strength is medium-full. Touch ups continue and smoke production takes a step back.

Final Notes

  • Given my last review was a cigar that measured 9 1/4 inches and took roughly five hours to smoke, I was very happy to be smoking a cigar that is less than half that length.
  • I really struggled getting the final third picture. The pictures of the first two thirds are from one sample, the final third another sample. The first time I tried taking the picture the main band blew away, the second time I struggled removing the bands cleanly which smushed the wrapper.
  • When this cigar was announced, Max Fernández of AGANORSA Leaf said the blend was worked on “for years.”

  • The secondary band is very well done and I love the dog on the back.
  • Final smoking time was one and a half hours on average.
  • AGANORSA Leaf advertises on halfwheel.
  • Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
  • SmallBatchCigar.com is the only place to get the Guardian of the Farm Claude Le Chien.
90 Overall Score

The Guardian of the Farm Claude Le Chien is my favorite of the cigars to carry this particular main band in just about every way. Most importantly, this size provided the most complex flavors I’ve experienced from the dog-themed line so far. I certainly couldn’t have ever imaged writing this in my lancero versus everything days of 2010, but I wish this cigar was just a bit thicker. Perhaps that solves the burn issues, but I also think that it would help the flavors just a bit. Regardless, I’m glad we have a box to smoke from.

Avatar photo

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.