Arturo Fuente

Reviewing cigars is a great hobby for a number of reasons, not least of which is that as a reviewer, I get to smoke a lot of the newest product on the market, discover new brands, and develop my palate. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t good reasons to turn to regularly return to the classic brands that have defined the industry since the mid twentieth century. In the case of today’s post, that’s Arturo Fuente, more specifically the Hemingway Signature Maduro which is rightly understood as a classic among industry veterans.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Size: 7 x 47 perfecto

Appearance & Construction

The Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro features a classic Fuente band (I’ve always found the similarities of the bands confusing), with a slightly sandy textured maduro wrapper that has plenty of oil and some pronounced veins. 

The outer wrapper smells of barnyard, vegetal, and savory spices. Par for the course for Fuente. The draw is very tight, an 8.5/10 in terms of restrictiveness, but that’s mostly due to the tapered format, so we’ll see how the construction changes as the cigar burns. 

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro ignites and immediately produces wonderfully mild but thin flavors of creamy chocolate. But as soon as the tapered end burns, the draw suddenly opens up and smoke production kicks in full blast. Notes of floral, barbecue, espresso and cocoa powder come together to make a unique, dessert-like initial impression. Each time I puff, I’m greeted with white and red pepper, but the finish is creamy and lightly sweet, making for an excellently balanced experience. The retrohale is chock full of red and white pepper, along with some wood and vegetal notes. 

Overall, the kick off of the Hemingway Signature Maduro strikes the balance between sweet, savory, and spicy quite nicely, though the wood note at times is a little bit abrasive. 

As the ember burns past the first inch, the ash continues holding on with a perfectly shaped point. The strength and body of the cigar are now past medium and getting close to full. There’s plenty of sweet cream up front, with some bitter wood, but most of all lots of finely ground white and red pepper. The aroma is excellent, with more sweetness than the palate. 

The ash continues to hold all the way up to the end of the first third. The flavor shifts away from bitter / savory and toward sweet, with a distinct dark chocolate note peeking through the more aggressive spice and pepper notes. It’s quite nice, and especially so because just a few puffs layer, the chocolate is joined by sweet cinnamon, adding nice complexity. 

Remarkably, the ash holds almost to halfway. Smoke production never let’s up, and the cigar continues providing cool, flavorful smoke. At halfway, the pepper of the cigar finally subsides, though strong spice remains on the tip of the tongue with each puff. At the same time, soft mushroom emerges. 

At this point what I find so interesting about the Hemingway Signature Maduro is that, though there is plenty by way of flavor complexity, there’s nearly as much complexity in the different textures I’ve experienced up to this point. This really enhances the experience and is a testament to the craftsmanship at work on this cigar.

The final third of the Hemingway Signature Maduro brings it all together. Nearly perfect construction, great smoke production, and a very complex flavor profile. Lots of spices on the tip of the tongue, cream coating the palate, and supporting flavors of mushroom, espresso, cedar, and hints of dark chocolate. Strength at this point is full, providing one hell of an ending to the experience. 

Conclusion 

The Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro is a classic cigar for a reason. Impeccable construction, rich and complex flavors, and a real journey of strength and texture. It’s the kind of cigar that has so much going on that it isn’t the best beginner cigar, but veterans of all preferences will find much to love. 

Final Rating: 92

Up for review today is the Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario 2015 from Aturo Fuente cigars. The Edicion de Aniversario series dates back to 2006, when the first blend in the series was introduced to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original Don Carlos line. In 2018, I reviewed the Don Carlos Edicion Aniversario 2013 and found it to be good, albeit flawed at a price point of $30. So when I received the 2015 blend from Luxury Cigar Club, I was excited to see if the blend had improved.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario 2015
• Wrapper: Dominican Sun Grown Habano
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Size: 5.7″ x 52 Double Robusto

Appearance & Construction

As is typical with Arturo Fuente cigars, the Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario 2015 is impeccably branded and has a celebratory quality to it. The outer wrapper has a visible oily sheen and a smooth feel to the fingers.  Taking a whiff off of the foot, I pick up rich notes of earth, hay, and garden vegetable notes. There’s also a slight cinnamon sweetness that I hope shows up in the smoke. The cold draw is malty, with some granola and spicy white pepper.

The draw is perfect.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

When the Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario 2015 ignites, it produces large plumes of white, medium bodied smoke. Generally, the flavor profile falls in the savory, bitter, and spicy flavor categories. On the draw, the smoke is quite smooth, with a creamy entry. On the palate the flavors that emerge are vegetation, strong cedar, Wasabi spice on the tip of the tongue, and touches of creamy coffee that coats the palate. It’s the kind of flavor profile I’ve only ever found with Arturo Fuente cigars (open to suggestions for similar cigars). The retrohale is similar, with a healthy but not overwhelming amount of Wasabi spice and dry cedar. A great start.

About ten minutes in, the rough edges on the flavors have smoothed out and the cigar is remarkably complex, harmonious, and balanced. The spice is perfectly measured next to the sweet cream, cedar, and vegetal notes, making it a joy to smoke.

The ash holds up until the beginning of the second third, and the burn remains mostly straight when the ash finally drops. And, like clockwork, the strength of the smoke increases dramatically. Cedar takes the dominant role on the palate while the Wasabi note eases down to a secondary position, along with rich coffee bean, floral, and a creamy finish. The retrohale is smooth, but still full of white and red pepper. It’s great transition for the overall experience.

The Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario 2015 smokes this way until just about the final third, where it ramps up in strength and body even more, landing at medium to full body and full strength. On the palate are predominantly bitter notes of vegetal, cedar, Wasabi and coffee beans. Unfortunately, the cream that balanced those flavors out in the first two thirds disappears, but the smoke is still very smooth. The retrohale on the other hand has large helpings of hot spices that clear the sinuses. It’s not quite as compelling of an experience as the first two thirds, which is a bit of a let down given how spot on the rest of the experience was.

Conclusion

Even with a slightly weaker final third, the Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario 2015 is an excellent cigar and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. The flavor profile has great complexity, featuring just about everything I love about Fuente cigars: well proportioned spice, cedar, floral, and wonderful creaminess that balances it all out. The final third couldn’t quite live up to the two thirds leading up to it, but it is still an all around excellent cigar that I think justifies the high price tag.

Final Rating: 92

From the family that catapulted the cigar boom days into another stratosphere with the release of the Opus X in the 90’s, the Fuente family has spent decades creating outstanding well blended cigars with craftsmanship on an artisanal level. Hearkening back to the cigar days of old when cigars where more mild to medium bodied, the family patriarch—the late Carlos Fuente Sr.—blended the Casa Cuba as an homage to that period in time. Draped in an Ecuadorian wrapper with Dominican binders and fillers the Casa Cuba seeks to deliver a mild bodied smoke with lots of flavor. Based on its #23 placement in the Cigar Aficionado Top 25 of 2016, there’s evidence it achieves this goal. But it’s always good to get a second opinion, right?

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Casa Cuba Doble Cinco
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Havana
• Binder: Dominican
• Filler: Dominican
• Size: 5 x 50 robusto

Appearance & Construction

This particular Casa Cuba Doble Cinco has a dark wrapper that’s slightly veiny to the touch. It’s somewhat firm with a sufficient amount of tobacco inside. The wrapper is elegant with a red and gold crest in the middle with the words “Casa Cuba” atop and “Flor Fina” on the bottom with gold leaf surrounding it. Simple and sophisticated.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Using my Xikar Mammoth Ivory Cutter, I effortlessly clipped the Casa Cuba. The dry draw pulls some wood and a bit of spice out of the cigar. Lighting up, the Casa saltiness is present along with coconut. As the cigar gets going, there’s earth and cedar on the mid palate and a nice amount of smoke. The finish at this point has flavors of vanilla and spice.

By midway, the ash is light and white, with a proper burn line and effortless draw.  The Casa Cuba becomes creamy at this point along with peanut and toffee notes. Thus far, the cigar stands in the mild range, occasionally leaning into a medium body. Some sour cherry on the short finish is brought about along with cedar. The retrohale gives some white pepper to the cigar, though that doesn’t last long.

In the final third, the Casa Cuba delivers some serious woodiness with a touch of spice intermingling. Notes of peanuts and earth on the mid palate give way to a creamy finish. The cedar picks up in spades at this point, with a sizeable increase in smoke production. The profile of the Casa continues to be in the mild to medium range at the most.

The final few puffs give much of the same in terms of wood and earth, albeit with a short finish. A mild, flavorful smoke.

Conclusion

I’ve met Carlito Fuente—the son of the late Sr.—many times.  There isn’t a man as passionate about life and cigars as he is. The man tears up when he speaks of the love of the leaf and honoring his family’s name with the quality he puts forth. The late Carlos Senior left a legacy in the cigar world and with his Casa Cuba blend he has brought us all back to the days when cigars were smoked without persecution and gave us an idea of the profile during those times. In these days of in your face, full bodied “bombs,” it’s nice to appreciate a mild cigar with lots of flavor.

If you enjoy wood, spice, cream, and some reflection on times long past, this is a cigar you should pick up.

Final Rating: 91

Reviewers note: this was a non-blind review

Up for review today is the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Personal Reserve, a fairly difficult to find cigar from Fuente. The company created the cigar in 2015 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the family patriarch.

TLDR on this one: it’s a good cigar (though not the best from Fuente). More below.

Product Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Don Carlos Personal Reserve
• Wrapper: Not available
• Binder: Not available
• Filler: Not available
• Size: Robusto (5 1/4 x 50)

Appearance and Construction

The Don Carlos Personal Reserve is branded in the typical Don Carlos fashion, though with the added band noting the “Personal Reserve” status. The outer wrapper is a dark, marbled brown with some small veins but with very little texture.

When squeezed, the cigar is almost entirely stiff, though not dried out or compromised as no cracking occurs. The pre light draw is moderately restrictive, probably a 6/10. On the pre light draw, there isn’t much going on. Just some light earthiness and some wood.

The smell of the foot of the cigar has some heft to it, mainly with dry wood and some spice.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

The cigar opens with lots of lush, creamy, medium bodied smoke. In it, there are some classic Fuente vegetal notes, light floral notes, a bit of dry wood and some mild red pepper that tickles the top of the tongue and also is felt on the retrohale. The creaminess though is the star of the show, it’s just an awesome texture for the notes to play in.

At about an inch in, the flavors begin to morph a bit, with the vegetal notes rounded out a bit with a nice milk chocolate vibe. Overall the cigar is almost perfectly balanced between the sweet and bitter end.

As the ember hits the second third, that quintessential Fuente vegetal note is taking front seat alongside the creamy finish. At the same time, a new flavor saddles up alongside, a subtle sweet note that I can’t quite describe by analogy to any other food. It makes for an interesting combination of flavors for sure, but one I’m glad to have. Construction has remained solid, with some waviness to the burn and an ash that hangs on in one inch increments.

In the final third, the body and strength edges up above medium. The vegetal and red pepper notes are dominant, and the creamy texture has turned into more of an Oak. It’s in the last two inches that the cigar hits it’s top end in strength and body, weaving together bitter espresso, cream, vegetal, and red pepper.

Conclusion

While not the most complex cigar, the Don Carlos Personal Reserve delivers tons of flavor, and more importantly, the flavors harmonize completely. Construction was for the most part spot on with the exception of a bit of waviness.

Overall, the Don Carlos Personal Reserve is a cigar to seek out and purchase. It isn’t cheap, but it is well worth it, particularly for fans of Arturo Fuente cigars and especially the standard Don Carlos line.

Final Score: 89