Back in June I bought a couple of 2006 Arturo Fuente Anejo #50s from a member on another forum. They've been resting in my humi at 65% since then. Went up to the lake and sat underneath the dam with a couple of buddies during a nice break in the weather yesterday and finally got around to lighting one of these up.
Unfortunately, I realized after getting up there that I'd forgotten my camera. So, the picture quality for this review won't be all that great since I used my phone, but I did what I could.
Anyway, made it up to the lake about 4:00 P.M. and lit up at 4:15. Had some sweet tea to drink as I normally do.
Pre-light sniff impression I got was leather and a sweet fruity scent. Very pleasant. Very attractive stick. Dark, somewhat toothy looking wrapper and only one vein worth mentioning. This cigar is pretty firm and rather dense. Not much taste from the pre-light draw, though in all honesty, I rarely get any super noticeable flavors from that. Cut with a Xikar X-8.
The cigar took more time to light than I would have expected for it's size. The first puff hit me with a very sweet wave of flavor. Not sure exactly what kind of sweetness, but I would describe it as light and refreshing. Made me think of cotton candy, though I feel a little silly to say it. It's certainly not a flavor I've experienced before. The draw was a little tight at first and the smoke output was surprisingly minimal for ~20 puffs, but after that it opened up and I started to get immense clouds of smoke. I'm really loving this cigar at this point.
Shortly into this first third the sweet flavor subsides a bit, but it's still very present, and I finally get a good kick of spice. Surprisingly complex and delightful to have blend with that sweet flavor. Some hints of wood (cedar?) playing in the background.
Coming into the 2nd/3rd there still that spice and sweetness very present, but I'm getting other flavors that make appearances as well. The wood taste became more prominent for a time and was eventually replaced with an enjoyable grassy flavor, which didn't last long, but was an enjoyable contrast.
Coming up towards the final 3rd the ash is holding strong. Beautiful ash that I commented about with my buddies. Very smooth, no flakes to speak of, can see the outline of some ribs from the leaves. Lasted almost to the band.
Also worth mentioning at this point is that there is definitely a good amount of nicotine present. I'm thankful for the tea as I'd not had much to eat.
After the ash finally dropped I purged the cigar with a flame, but it wasn't necessary; more habit than anything. When I resumed smoking I picked up on some nutty notes and the spice is more prominent, while the sweetness has subsided. As I smoke through this final 3rd I'm finding that there is a decent amount of leather flavor also coming in to the picture.
Gearing up towards the very nub this cigar is still going strong and isn't turning harsh at all. Spice, leather, and tobacco flavor are the major players here in the end, but there's still sweetness in the background. Not cotton candy anymore, but maybe some type of fruit.
Final smoke time was 1 hour 35 minutes. I wish I had more of these because this was truly an excellent and fairly complex smoke. When my budget allows I'm going to try and track down some more.
Here's a final picture to share. These buggers were a pain to catch on the camera phone, but I managed to get one decent shot
Thanks for reading, folks.
Unfortunately, I realized after getting up there that I'd forgotten my camera. So, the picture quality for this review won't be all that great since I used my phone, but I did what I could.
Anyway, made it up to the lake about 4:00 P.M. and lit up at 4:15. Had some sweet tea to drink as I normally do.
Pre-light sniff impression I got was leather and a sweet fruity scent. Very pleasant. Very attractive stick. Dark, somewhat toothy looking wrapper and only one vein worth mentioning. This cigar is pretty firm and rather dense. Not much taste from the pre-light draw, though in all honesty, I rarely get any super noticeable flavors from that. Cut with a Xikar X-8.
The cigar took more time to light than I would have expected for it's size. The first puff hit me with a very sweet wave of flavor. Not sure exactly what kind of sweetness, but I would describe it as light and refreshing. Made me think of cotton candy, though I feel a little silly to say it. It's certainly not a flavor I've experienced before. The draw was a little tight at first and the smoke output was surprisingly minimal for ~20 puffs, but after that it opened up and I started to get immense clouds of smoke. I'm really loving this cigar at this point.
Shortly into this first third the sweet flavor subsides a bit, but it's still very present, and I finally get a good kick of spice. Surprisingly complex and delightful to have blend with that sweet flavor. Some hints of wood (cedar?) playing in the background.
Coming into the 2nd/3rd there still that spice and sweetness very present, but I'm getting other flavors that make appearances as well. The wood taste became more prominent for a time and was eventually replaced with an enjoyable grassy flavor, which didn't last long, but was an enjoyable contrast.
Coming up towards the final 3rd the ash is holding strong. Beautiful ash that I commented about with my buddies. Very smooth, no flakes to speak of, can see the outline of some ribs from the leaves. Lasted almost to the band.
Also worth mentioning at this point is that there is definitely a good amount of nicotine present. I'm thankful for the tea as I'd not had much to eat.
After the ash finally dropped I purged the cigar with a flame, but it wasn't necessary; more habit than anything. When I resumed smoking I picked up on some nutty notes and the spice is more prominent, while the sweetness has subsided. As I smoke through this final 3rd I'm finding that there is a decent amount of leather flavor also coming in to the picture.
Gearing up towards the very nub this cigar is still going strong and isn't turning harsh at all. Spice, leather, and tobacco flavor are the major players here in the end, but there's still sweetness in the background. Not cotton candy anymore, but maybe some type of fruit.
Final smoke time was 1 hour 35 minutes. I wish I had more of these because this was truly an excellent and fairly complex smoke. When my budget allows I'm going to try and track down some more.
Here's a final picture to share. These buggers were a pain to catch on the camera phone, but I managed to get one decent shot
Thanks for reading, folks.
