Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente Churchill

Once a cigar smoker begins to expand their palate and get away from Macanudo, they’ll invariably find their way to Arturo Fuente. The Fuente line as I’ve mentiond before is a great line for beginners as well as more experienced cigar smokers due to price and quality.

Typical of the Arturo Fuente Churchill cigars are soft flavors of cream from the cameroon wrapper with hints of spice. The construction is superb. A nice tight ash holds well for about an inch before dropping off.

A thick light gray cloud of smoke billows from the cigar, helping the newly accustomed cigar smoker relax and ponder the hard work put into the cigar by the Fuente Family. Medium in finish, the cigar is consistent all the way to the last third where the flavor changes slightly and warms up a bit. The Arturo Fuente Churchill wil last about anhour and a half.

I do reccomend Arturo Fuente’s cigars as a way for beginners to experience the finer pleasures of life.

Cigar Review: Short Story by Arturo Fuente

This tiny vitola packs a lot of flavor as did the Work of Art from the Hemingway Line by Arturo Fuente. The Perfecto shape signifies a skilled roller as does the one inch ash that clings after being lit. Notes of sweet cedar compliment a medium finish that lasts all the way to the nub.

I will be honest, this being the first one I’ve smoked, it burned a little hot. Paired with water, the Arturo Fuente Short Story was a little bitter on the prelight but had delicious aromas and a consistent taste just as it’s little brother, the Work of Art.

For new cigar smokers, this is an excellent way to get into a new habit that promotes relaxation, good flavor and only takes roughly 30-45 minutes of time. Once you try the Short Story you’ll quickly find yourself wanting more. Pair with a sweeter bourbon such as the Four Roses

Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente Hemingway Work of Art

The Arturo Fuente Work of Art is the first cigar I’ve tried from the Hemingway line. What a powerhouse in such a small vitola! This cigar is barely 4 inches in length. Showing skilled construction in the type of roll showed itself after the cigar has burned down about a quarter of an inch.

The taste starts off like any other Fuente Hemingway, sweetness from the Cameroon wrapper and Dominican binder/filler. The sweetness blends into a pine/cedar combination that’s rich yet not overpowering. A full finish leads to satisfaction for a half hour.

The Hemingway line is the first of Fuente’s limited production run so score these if you can!

Cigar Review: Fuente Fuente OpusX

This well constructed cigar from the Fuente family is one of the finest Puros to come out of the Dominican Republic.

Notes start off with a silky smooth taste from aged tobaccos that meld into hearty a spicy rich taste on the palate. From such a little vitola comes a thick plume of gray smoke with a dark gray ash. The medium finish compliments the rest of this complex cigar leaving the smoker with a satisfied experience.

Aged leaves for the Opus X contribute to a variety of tastes that differs slightly from size to size and will not disappoint fans!

This is one cigar to have in your humidor and I’d like to add that since it’s a smaller size puro, it’s perfect for those quick occasions when you want a lot of flavor but don’t have much time.

Cigar Review: Ashton VSG

I picked up the Ashton VSG (Virgin Sun Grown) last week from Tobacco Road on a whim when I had a few extra dollars. At a price of $17 a stick (Grants has the same size slightly cheaper) it’s not something most of us can afford to smoke on an every day basis but I did say I’d review higher end sticks

I picked up the Corona Gorda at a size of 5 3/4 X 46 and clipped the end. Upon the first taste I noticed a rather airy, light draw from the cigar, similar to the Padron 2000 stick (that to me indicates a looser wrapping). The construction of the cigar was firm and solid, though I was a little scared as the wrapper holds a pretty brown color but feels slightly dry.

The cigar held firm the entire smoke! Creamy notes on the first third with an almost white ash held my attention. The flavor profile later became a tad spicy but still deliciously creamy all the way until very end when I damn near smoked my fingers off! Slight cedar notes were prominent on the last third.

Ashton VSG Cigars page

I intend to get a good bang for my buck as the last stick of the month so we’ll see what comes up from Grants!

Cigar Review: Diamond Crown Robusto #4

Picked this up at Grants today. It’s a 5X54 sized vitola with a dark maduro wrapper from the fine folks at JC Newman.

On the prelight, toasty aromas and typical tobacco drift towards the nose in a pleasing fashion. After cutting the cap I lit the cigar and drew in flavors of cocoa, roasted coffee that wafted across the palate. The flavors were subdued with undertones of creamy milk chocolate. The structure of the flavor profile is solid as is the draw and construction.

This paired well with the inexpensive brandy from the flask. The sweetness and floral notes of the brandy emphasized sweetness on this Dominican cigars from the Arturo Fuente/JC Newman family.

Honestly, I prefer the Maximus, the line they came out with ten years later. The Diamond Crown was released in 1990 to honor the 100th Anniversary of Standford Newman.

From Cigar.com:

Stanford Newman’s dream became a reality when Diamond Crown cigars debuted in the early 1990’s. Today the cigar is as popular as ever. It features a Connecticut wrapper that is absolutely seamless over a smooth Dominican filler. The cigar is mild to medium-bodied, and very creamy and flavorful. Without a doubt, Diamond Crown is one of the best made premium cigars being made in the Dominican Republic

While I prefer the Maximus, for a $17 cigar, this is a good value for thsoe seeking exceptional quality when they are looking to up their standard of The Good Life!

Happy New Years fellow Enthusiasts!

I want to wish you all a happy and successful new year and that you may all enjoy the finer things in life! I started off the year working with a bang, cranking out plots and words for three new stories, and had to take a cigar break Tuesday!

First cigar of the year was NOT up to blog standards, but was still a good, tasty stick. I had heard a lot about the Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Fuente by one of the guys who smokes them at Grants so I picked one up.

Definitely a good stick for an occasion when I want something more mild to medium with creamy, woodsy notes.

As for drink, nothing spectacular has hit my palate yet. We’ve gotta work on that!

More soon!

Cigar Review: Cuesta Rey 898 Cabinet

The Cuesta Rey 898 cabinet is a 7  X 49 cigar with creamy, mellow flavors made from the famous JC Newman and Fuente family is alwayas a favorite of mine.  A cameroon wrapper gives a slightly toothy edge to the mellowness from the Dominancan binder and filler.

I just discovered that there is a maduro version of this cigar!

I picked up my first 898 Cabinet at a shop I refuse to name and sat down with it.  The burn was good, even and the draw was a little tougher than other Cuesta Rey’s I’m used to (like the #60 torpedo) but for the price on a mild to medium bodied cigar, it can’t be beat.  Smoke time was about an hour and a half but you have to remember my smoke time is going to vary depending on where I am smoking at.

Buy from JR Cigars