Arturo Fuente Anejo No. 49

[BlackIrish]

The cigar: Arturo Fuene Anejo No. 49

Nutritional information
Vitola: 7.62 x 49 double corona
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro aged in cognac barrels
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic (said to contain a mix of Don Carlos, Hemingway, and Opus X filler leaf)
Strength: Medium to full


I got this cigar from 8lug as part of the MassHole Yankee Swap back around the holidays. I had the opportunity for a long leisurely smoke indoors this weekend, and this beauty got the nod.

Prelight: Under the aromatic cedar sheath is a stunningly gorgeous cigar. The maduro wrapper is dark, moderately oily, and rich looking, with a sweet scent of cedar. It's *heavy* in the hand, and very solid to the touch. It clipped perfectly and revealed an outstanding draw.

Burn/construction: Easily the best made cigar I've ever smoked. The burn was perfectly straight through multiple ashings. The ash was uniformly white and exceptionally solid -- I've never seen such a firm and compact ash; it was hard to detect any striations or layers. As you'd expect from such a well-packed cigar, it burned slowly, lasting well over 2hrs. The smoke is generous in volume and wonderfully fragrant.

Flavor: S-M-O-O-T-H from light to nub. It starts with sweet spice, molasses, and cedar, with just a breath of cognac from the barrels -- detectible but only barely, blending perfectly with the tobacco.

There's not a great deal of transition during the course of this smoke, but I don't mind at all because the flavors are delicious. They're dark, sweet, aromatic, medium at first, building toward medium full as the warm sweet spices take on some red pepperiness. Some anise and coffee flit through, too. By the last third I can taste some pepper on my lips, and the smoke is richer and fuller, with a longer finish.

I don't usually assign numerical ratings to cigars, but if I did, this is the cigar that I'd save the 5-star rating for. It's exceptional.