Robusto, 5" x 50 rng gauge / MSRP...hard to say, but probably north of $35
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Fuente family being in the cigar business, Carlito Fuente started creating the Don Arturo Gran AniverXario line in 2001 with plans to release some every year starting in 2002. That ended up not happening, but they did start to trickle out in 2008 and more have steadily made their way onto the market in the years since. There are now something like 5 sizes in each of two wrapper offerings (Natural and Sungrown). These are Dominican puros with the filler a blend called AF13 (which Halfwheel lists as a mixture of Opus X, Don Carlos, Hemingway and 858 fillers...hard to see how they would get all that into a single cigar, but...that must just be part of the Fuente Magic®) and the wrapper a Dominican Chateau de la Fuente Rosada, which I believe is the same used most commonly on Opus X (Opi X?), which explains why the Opus X logo appears on the backside of the band. I was gifted this cigar by Mike Denham of Mike's Stogies, aka YoungBuckBOTL...thank you!
The band on this cigar deserves special attention. It features Don Arturo front and center, flanked by his son (Don Carlos) and grandson (Carlito), all amidst a see of gold foil and red ink, and lions that seem to proclaim 1912 and 2012. And, of course, the aforementioned Opus X logo that serves almost like a wax seal in its position, keeping the band closed. I'm posting lots of pictures of this band because this one is so ornate and cool that it deserves special celebration. The wrapper looks very much like most recent Opus cigars I've seen...a dark tan coloration, with a little mottling and a bit of oily sheen. It had a wonderful sweet aroma that seemed to be a mix of natural tobacco and molasses. The foot had more of a barnyard earthiness to it. I had to get up close and personal to get much aroma off either, though, as it came to my without cellophane, which normally has the effect of trapping and concentrating the aromas. I used my most reliable cutter (Xikar Xi series) to lop off the top of the Gran AniverXario and was rewarded with an excellent cold draw that had flavors of molasses, tobacco, and hay.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Fuente family being in the cigar business, Carlito Fuente started creating the Don Arturo Gran AniverXario line in 2001 with plans to release some every year starting in 2002. That ended up not happening, but they did start to trickle out in 2008 and more have steadily made their way onto the market in the years since. There are now something like 5 sizes in each of two wrapper offerings (Natural and Sungrown). These are Dominican puros with the filler a blend called AF13 (which Halfwheel lists as a mixture of Opus X, Don Carlos, Hemingway and 858 fillers...hard to see how they would get all that into a single cigar, but...that must just be part of the Fuente Magic®) and the wrapper a Dominican Chateau de la Fuente Rosada, which I believe is the same used most commonly on Opus X (Opi X?), which explains why the Opus X logo appears on the backside of the band. I was gifted this cigar by Mike Denham of Mike's Stogies, aka YoungBuckBOTL...thank you!
The band on this cigar deserves special attention. It features Don Arturo front and center, flanked by his son (Don Carlos) and grandson (Carlito), all amidst a see of gold foil and red ink, and lions that seem to proclaim 1912 and 2012. And, of course, the aforementioned Opus X logo that serves almost like a wax seal in its position, keeping the band closed. I'm posting lots of pictures of this band because this one is so ornate and cool that it deserves special celebration. The wrapper looks very much like most recent Opus cigars I've seen...a dark tan coloration, with a little mottling and a bit of oily sheen. It had a wonderful sweet aroma that seemed to be a mix of natural tobacco and molasses. The foot had more of a barnyard earthiness to it. I had to get up close and personal to get much aroma off either, though, as it came to my without cellophane, which normally has the effect of trapping and concentrating the aromas. I used my most reliable cutter (Xikar Xi series) to lop off the top of the Gran AniverXario and was rewarded with an excellent cold draw that had flavors of molasses, tobacco, and hay.
On the palate, the Gran AniverXario started out with notes of hay and tobacco, along with a nice sweetness. On the nose, I got a powerful black pepper hit along with a mellow nuttiness. With the Opus X wrapper, you would almost expect a lot of that flavor in the mix, but it was surprisingly tamed in this blend. There were still definite hints of it in the sweeter, creamier, more mellow notes, but everything else was very different and not something I would have said "Fuente!" to on first puff. The lingering finish was earthy with a definite coffee overtone. Before the first third was done, I found myself surprised at the body of this cigar and its relative harshness. As compared with pretty much any Opus I've had in the past five years, this was anything but smooth and creamy...it had a sharp, peppery bite on the back of my throat.
Breaking the trend of poorly constructed Fuente cigars I've had recently, by midway through the second third, the Gran AniverXario had zero issues: the draw was great, the burn line was very straight, the ash was strong and never flaky, and the band was not so covered with glue that it pulled off a large chunk of wrapper. Very promising. The flavor in the second third continued the trend toward bolder, earthier flavors, with very little of the creamy sweetness associated with the Opus wrapper left. I got a good amount of red pepper spice on the tongue along with notes of coffee. Surprisingly, the retrohale was devoid of spice by this point and was actually very smooth and nutty.
By the end of the Gran AniverXario I experienced a strength level not typical of any Fuente I can remember, and it made me wonder if these were indeed rolled 7+ years ago. It is possible...it's also possible, though, that the initial size was rolled then and other sizes rolled later. If they were rolled in 2001, though, it is no wonder they were not released until much later as they would have been so strong as to be unsmokeable then. While this stands as an excellent cigar, I wonder what an additional couple years of aging might do for it. Flavors in the final third were still strongly earthy with coffee and spice in abundance. These are too strong and too full of body to recommend to newer smokers, but long time smokers may very well find something to enjoy here...as long as they have deep pockets. The price tag for the humidor with 50 sticks in several thousand dollars, making this a non-starter for many. I would have trouble parting with $35 or so for a single stick myself.
Body: 8/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8.5/10
Strength: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8.5/10
I might just pay 35 for the Band!!! great looking stuff, as far as the stick not sure if there is anything worth $35 but to each is own
ReplyDeleteGreat review and I will probably be one of those guys who will never huff one one of these for the reason that I am not a big fan anymore of Fuuente cigars and for around thirty-five clams, it had better knock my socks off. The last few Fuente sticks I had were not very memorable.
ReplyDeleteSticks of MN