Fuente Curlyhead Deluxe Natural, 6.5" x 43 ring gauge, $2.75
Perhaps best known for the super-hyped Opus X line of stogies, the Arturo Fuente cigar company also inhabits the lower-priced end of the humidor with the Curleyhead. I paid almost $3 at my local B&M, but you can find these for less than $2 if you buy by the box online. I have had good and bad experiences with these sticks, so I do not normally keep them as a normal "bargain stick" in my box.
The appearance of this cigar is such that is wouldn't look out of place next to a Backwoods or on a beginner's table at the Big Smoke's rolling competition. Seams are haphazard, veins are prominent, the foot is simply folded in toward the center and the cap is pretty much non-existent. The body is soft and spongy and the aroma coming off it is barnyard and tobacco. Honestly there would be no reason to even look twice at this cigar is not for the Fuente name and chap pricetag. If it tastes as good as it looks...we're in trouble!
Despite clipping the head twice and the foot once, the draw was pretty bad at first. The flavors were better, though, exhibiting cedar and leather notes with a mild-to-medium bodied creamy smoke. The flavor was good enough, but I hoped the draw would loosen up as time went on.
One thing to remember with just about any cheap stogie, but especially the Curlyhead, is a two-word phrase: short filler. In other words, never try to win a long-ash contest with one of these. Not that this affects the flavor so much (except when you get some chewing tobacco to go with your smoke), although if you're not careful it can cause the cigar to smoke hotter, which could adversely affect flavor. A good one to practice your "slow smoking" skills on.
The terrible draw continued on through the first half. Turns out there was an almost complete plug about an inch and a half from the head; my Xikar Multitool "draw opener" could not reach it so I eventually went back inside for my pipe tool which did fix the problem. Maybe this is just a problem with short-filler smokes, but it really gets in the way of enjoying a cigar.
In the second half, there was leather and wood as well as some coffee and a little black pepper from time-to-time. Overall, not a bad smoke, but there are better ones out there for just a bit mor cash, including the Benchmade, my new favorite bargain smoke. If you can get them for less than $2 per stick, though, this would make for a great "lawnmowing" smoke.
Grade: B-
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