Ahh summer, my time of year. Warm weather great for getting out of the house after a long cold winter and smoking those beautiful cigars that have been hibernating in your humidor, and perhaps even trying a few new ones. I must say that's it's a rare occasion to see a new cigar come onto the market that truly deserves special recognition. Mediocrity seems to have become the standard for the larger cigar companies when it comes to the development of new product. Yet sifting through the ordinary occasionally yields a gem, making the effort worthwhile. I recently tried a cigar manufactured by Felipe Gregorio called Felipe II Fusion. The reason this cigar is of interest is due to it's uncanny similarity to a good Cuban cigar in flavor and body. In a blind test I could easily have called it one of the few well constructed, smooth, Cubans I have smoked. The price tag of the stick I smoked was $16.00 U.S., which is pretty high, but I also recognize that, in addition to being illegal, Cuban cigars are as or more expensive. So really it's a good trade off, a cigar that's available, better quality, similar taste and body, legal and better price than the Cubans. So if you are REALLY enamored with Cuban cigars and don't want to chance paying $20 and up for a possible counterfeit or poorly constructed Cuban, this cigar may be your answer. All of the tobacco is aged Nicaraguan Jalapa. The only negative I found was that although the ash held well, it was slightly on the flaky side, really a minor complaint.