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ARTURO FUENTE DON CARLOS ROBUSTO

IMG_7635I have to start by saying that I am quite a fan of the Arturo Fuente line, it was their Short Story that got me into cigar smoking so, when the opportunity to try the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos came around I jumped at it. This cigar is named in honor of its creator and patriarch Carlos Fuente Sr. Carlos blended together rare, vintage tobaccos that were hand selected and aged as much as 10 years. Because of the select tobacco required, these cigars are released in limited quantities and are rolled at Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic.

When I first received them I quickly tIMG_7621ook them out of the package and started inspecting them. The wrapper is a rich milk chocolate color with the expected veins and toothieness to be expected in a Cameroon wrapper. The seams are tight and secure, the body is firm yet slightly giving when pressed between the fingers and none of that “uh oh” cracking noise nobody wants to hear.

The smell from wrapper was a mild sweet smell with a bit of nuttiness and dried fruits. The foot gave off smells of barnyard, honey and licorice. The cap was easy to cut and did not affect the integrity of the cigar. It lit very easily and evenly. The draw is medium to light and provided plenty of smoke that was a good weight on the tongue.

The first third of the cigar begins with a mellow, sweet and spicy flavor with a bit of the nuttiness showing up on the finish. The burn was even and the light grey ash holds tightly together until I decide to tap it off at around an inch or so.

The second third begins to get a little more spice to it but overall the flavor is relatively constant and mild. It continues to burn evenly with no construction issues and the ash continued to hold tight.

IMG_7622In the final third a better sense of pepper can be noticed but the slight sweetness remains. The burn remained consistent throughout the entire smoke and the stick remains intact for the duration.

Over all this was a very enjoyable cigar although it did burn a little fast. Since the flavor was mellow I would recommend this as a good morning smoke with a cup of coffee or a hot summer day smoke with a light beer. I also wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this for people just getting into the cigar world being that the flavors won’t be overpowering and turn anyone off. Take a quick trip over to Famous Cigar Shop and order yours today, you wont be disappointed.

Strength: Medium

Shape: Robusto

Size: 5 x 50

Country: Dominican Republic

Wrapper Color: Natural

Wrapper Origin: African

Wrapper Leaf: Cameroon

Website: Famous-smoke.com

Price: $40.99 for a 5 pack, $203.99 for a box of 25

Rating: 4.7 pints out of 5

Goose Island IPA

goose-islandDebuting back in 1988 that sexy goose of a logo made its way to its home town of Chicago bringing more then just an idea. Inspired by the European craft market john hall, C.E.O of Goose Island felt Americans deserved at least a little of what Europe had to offer.

John hall opened a small brewery and began to create magic, allowing his consumers to get a behind the scenes look of every step in the process. The fascination of brewing a craft beer like no other was propelled by the demand of beer loving pallets. 1995 was the year john pretty much out grew his humble facility and decided a larger brewery was the next move. That same year john opened a bottling plant and by 1999 a brewpub was already established.

The Goose Island IPA smells of lemonade and orange peels a bold citrus aroma with color resembling the golden gates of heaven what more could you ask from a proper brewed IPA? It’s one of those “grab a couple with some buds at a BBQ” beer. Carbonation is on the medium, almost light side but then again we’re talking about an IPA so its definitely hop driven with a bitter after taste. For those of you who’ve never given the goose a try I’d recommend requesting it at your local bar because something about this brew on draft takes it to a whole different level.

Style: American IPA

ABV: 5.9%

Website: GooseIsland.com

Rating: 4 out of 5 pints

Review by guest writer Andy Melo.

Oliva Baptiste Toro

IMG_7162After reading the press about the new Baptiste made for Famous Smoke Shop by Oliva I finally got to try a couple. If you followed the press release you already know that the name of the cigar was inspired by the character, “Andre Baptiste,” the ruthless Liberian dictator played by Eamonn Walker in the 2005 film, Lord of War. Pretty clever I’d say.

But enough of being clever, lets really talk about this cigar. Like usual we’ll start at visual and physical inspection. The wrapper leaf is a Habano with a natural color. It is fairly smooth and has very minimal veining. The cigar is yielding and spongy to the touch (which for me is how I prefer my tobacco as I tend to chew the end of mine a bit.) but not so soft that it feels damp.

The smell from the body has notes of leather, cedar and a light coffee. From the foot the odor is more prominent and pepper can be detected. Cutting the cap was easy and there were no cracks that could be noticed. Lighting was easy and only took one match to get it going. From the first few draws there was plenty of smoke that weighed well on the tongue to let you know it was there.

The first third was delightful, good body of flavor including coffee tones along with a bit of bitter dark chocolate. The draw was light and required minimal effort as well as the ash stayed tight and even.

On the second third the flavor really opened up. An amazing full flavored red chili flavor came to the front, not that the other flavors are gone but the spiciness is just amazing.

On the last third of the cigar an unexpected sweetness that reminded me of warm caramel snuck in with the spicy flavor creating a unique flavor. This flavor lasted to nearly the end of the stick with only the caramel flavor leaving at the very end but the spice remained.

All in all this was a great cigar and for the price point it be ridiculous not to at least try it. It has a fantastic dynamic of changing flavor throughout the whole stick that should be experienced. The draw stayed easy through the whole cigar and a burn that was even for the duration of my smoke and paired great with my bourbon. Head over to Famous Smoke Shop and pick up some, you wont be disappointed.

 

Strength: Full

Shape: Toro

Size: 5 1/2 x 54

Country: Nicaragua

Wrapper Color: Natural

Wrapper Origin: Ecuadorian

Wrapper Leaf: Habano

Website: Famous-smoke.com

Price: 5 for $19.99 or a box of 20 for only $78.99!

Rating: 4.6 out of 5 pints