Boutique Cigars

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

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

Romeo y Julieta House of Capulet

IMG_6714Most times when looking through the shop I tend to skip by Romeo y Julieta sticks. Nothing personal they just never grabbed my attention. Usually they have fairly unassuming bands and nothing flashy to really catch the eye. However I got a chance to try their House of Capulet made and available only through Famous Cigar shop. While this is a lighter cigar than I normally smoke I decided I’d have a couple and see if I liked it.

When I got the cigar the first thing noticed was that while the band was the same there was a new flashier exterior wrapper printed in silver ink on a nice translucent paper to show off the House of Capulet name. The band at the foot and the wrapper come off easily leaving the top band in place. The wrapper leaf is lovely golden Connecticut with very slight veining. The construction was solid but, to the touch the tobacco is soft . Although the tobacco was very yielding to the touch there were no dead spots to be found on any of the ones I tried.

Thee body of the cigar had your usual smells of leather and cedar but also and added smell of fresh mowed grass and a bit of sweetness. From the foot the smells were the same but stronger and a hint of dries apricot in the background.

I was able to cut the cigar without a problem and the construction held together with no problems for the duration of the smoke. It light easily and evenly using just one match and needed no relighting at any point. The draw was smooth and easy. The first third of the cigar was light and reminded me of fresh bread and butter with just a hint of nuttiness. The smoke was also light on the tongue but plentiful and rewarding.

The second third was similar to the first only now a bit of pepper was starting to work its way into flavor. Usually around this time most Connecticut’s start to get a little on the warm side however this one remained the same temperature as when I started.

In the last third most of the bread and butter flavor had dissolved into a fuller more pronounced pepper taste along with a more earthy/nutty tone. It was great to have a Connecticut with as much complexity as this one did.

Over all it was a great smoke and quite enjoyable, solid from the beginning to the end. This cigar could go well as your morning stick or while sitting back watching a movie (which is what I did). I’m a pretty fast smoker and I got well over an hour with each stick so make sure you’re ready to relax when you light one of these guys up.

 

Strength: Medium

Shape: Toro

Size: 6 x 52

Country: Honduras

Wrapper Color: Natural

Wrapper Origin: Ecuadorian

Wrapper Leaf: Connecticut

Website: Famous-Smoke.com

Price: $23.00 – $29.00 a five pack

Rating: 4.7 pints out of 5