Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story
Size – 4 x 49
Age – 2 months
Cost – $5
Wrapper – Cameroon
Construction – A well executed perfecto with a great looking and flawless wrapper leaf.
Burn – The nipple-ended perfecto shape leads to an easy light and a slow, even burn.
Ash – Very light grey with mottled charcoal colored ash.
Draw & Smoke – Slightly firm draw and a medium amount of smoke per puff.
Flavor – Just after lighting, the sweet and rich flavor of the wrapper came through clearly. The cigar quickly moves into the thickest part (49 ring) which allows the flavors and aroma of the filler to come through – smooth and rich tobacco and wood with a wonderful aroma that included honey, sweet tobacco and a slight hint of chocolate. As the cigar moves into the second half, the wrapper flavor gradually starts to take back over, and the cigar gets even better. The body of the Hemingway Short Story may be on the mild side but the flavors are anything but.
Strength – Mild/Med
Rating – 10/10
Value - 7/10
Drink – Sierra Nevada 2009 Early Spring Beer
Notes – My local tobacconist quipped once that he could sell as many of these cigars as the distributor would send him, and I can see why. The flawless construction and burn, delicious wrapper and the smaller ring gauge to highlight it, combined with the fantastic room aroma and the changing profile of the perfecto as it progresses through different thicknesses leads me to present this cigar with my first 10/10.
Reviews
10/10, 49 Ring, Arturo Fuente, Cameroon, Cigar Review, Mild/Med
Macanudo 1968 Churchill
Size – 7 x 49
Age - 5 Months
Cost – $9 – 10 in stores (not available online)
Wrapper – Honduran
Construction – The 1968 is well constructed with a pretty, oily wrapper that had no flaws. The cigar has slightly uneven symmetry. The slight damage to the foot of the review cigar was my own fault, I had it out of the cellophane in a desktop humidor that was rearranged frequently. (7/10)
Burn – Burn was even with no touchups needed. (8/10)
Ash – Salt and pepper with a 2″ grab. Some flowering and loose ash.
Draw & Smoke – The draw was easy but not loose, producing a large amount of aromatic smoke in each puff.
Flavor – Prelight flavors were coffee and little bit of spice I could not quite put my finger on – nutmeg or cinnamon maybe? After lighting up you are treated to lots of spice, leather and a bit of coffee. This is a rich and interesting cigar whose room aroma is among my favorites – sweet tobacco, spice and chocolate aromas compliment the cigar’s flavor.
Strength – Medium
Rating – 9/10
Value – 4/10
Drink - Hot earl grey tea. The citrus notes from this tea made a very nice pairing with the 1968.
Notes - It is unfortunate that the Macanudo 1968 is a “contract cigar”, meaning it can only be sold by participating tobacconist shops and not online. This makes MSRP the lowest price you will likely find this tasty cigar, and while I really like this smoke, it’s not one that I would purchase as an everyday. The advertisements you may have seen for the 1968 claim it’s “bold” and imply that this is a full bodied cigar. Compared to other Macs it may be, but overall it’s Medium, perhaps Med/Full.
Reviews
49 Ring, 9/10, Churchill, Cigar Review, Macanudo