2004 Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Double Robusto

[smbauerllc]

Another from @Ljutic, this time from his personal stash, regular rotation



A 5.75x52 cigar, with a tan, Cameroon wrapper with a fine, smooth texture, smooth cap and hard bunch.

A slightly uneven burn, medium conical coal, strong, light grey ash, with a slightly tight draw, ample smoke volume and faint, brief, but fragrant aroma.

Excellent richness, medium, smooth, mellow strength, generous body and flavor and a perfect balance of earthy, herbal and woody flavors.

No sweetness, bitterness, burn on the tongue, sharpness or saltiness.

Of outstanding character, and an overall outstanding cigar with a final score of 94 out of 100.

[jefslat]

One of the most consistent Cameroon wrapped cigars on the market.

[smbauerllc]

Originally Posted by jefslat

One of the most consistent Cameroon wrapped cigars on the market.

@jefslat

Are they Cameroon and not Colorado Maduro like my app says?

Its information is almost always correct when I double check anything, but mistakes certainly happen in the info.

It was exceedingly smooth, so none of the famous Cameroon "toothiness", but I'm certainly no expert in knowing what cigar has what wrapper, even by looking at it or feeling it.

If you confirm that its Cameroon, i will correct the info in the review with my thanks, and contact the forum staff that vets the user submitted info for the app database and see if they will correct it.

Aside from all that, i will say that this was one of the smoothest feeling, attractive looking wrapper i have ever seen. Perfectly smooth, even over the seams which you had to look very hard to even see, 1 medium length, very thin vein which also couldn't be felt, and just a very attractive, mottled darker tan color, and giving the impression it had a bit of an oily sheen in its young day.

The I've had a fair number of the other Don Carlos offerings, but this was the largest vitola and first Double Robusto (will have to look and see if they are still even in production).

Based on my great experience with Arturo Fuente in general, and especially the Don Carlos linea, plus knowing it was part of Bruce's personal stash and regular rotation, I had very high hopes for this one and feared I would be too picky and negatively effect the score, but it very much lived up to expectations, definitely earning my highest score yet at 94, and was one of the top few cigars, cc or nc, in the beyond 15yr old range I have had yet.

If i were sitting on a fair number of these, they would definitely be a regularly smoked cigar for me too. It scored perfect in every category except burn, since it was off a bit the entire length, aroma as it was very faint and subtle, and its nice to enjoy a hearty fragrance with my smokes, slightly tight draw, and merely the bare minimum of acceptable smoke volume, and obviously it still didn't lose many points in those sections.



ETA: so some quick check on multiple sites, they all list it as Cameroon, so you are indeed correct and I will fix that in the review and contact those in charge of the app database info.

Thanks for politely pointing it out. I certainly don't want inaccurate information in my review, even if it doesn't really effect anything in reality.

[jefslat]

According to Jose Blanco, who works closely with Carlito Fuente and Jeremiah Apperfel (sp?) they are Cameroon.

Colorado describes the shade of the leaf, not its source/strain. Example: Maduro wrappers are generally assumed to be Connecticut Broadleaf (or Pennsylvania Amish Broadleaf), but the demand has outpaced the available supply of that relatively small location. So now Broadleaf is also grown in Ecuador, and many manufacturers are also using Mexican San Andreas (which I actually prefer).

[smbauerllc]

Originally Posted by jefslat

According to Jose Blanco, who works closely with Carlito Fuente and Jeremiah Apperfel (sp?) they are Cameroon.

I'll ask my friend who does work for Fuente and Newman just for giggles, but every site i saw in a quick Google search that listed the wrapper in the description says Cameroon, so it definitely appears correct based on that and your sources.

I changed it in the 2 forums I posted the review on already, and sent an email to the staff of the forum that created the app about them listing the wrapper incorrectly.

Thanks for bringing it up so i could keep my review accurate.

I'm certainly not knowledgeable enough to know everything about even my favorite manufacturer, Arturo Fuente, so have to go by what my inventory app says and I'm sure its wrong on occasion, including this one.

[ak2000]

Jeff is correct, Don Carlos are Cameroon wrappers just like regular Hemingways

[jefslat]

Sean,
I wouldn't be too worried if I were you if your app isn't 100% accurate. That's what know-it-all a-holes like me and Andy are for.

[ak2000]

LOL, who you calling a know it all?

[Ljutic]

Originally Posted by jefslat

One of the most consistent Cameroon wrapped cigars on the market.

See, I'm too nice a guy to correct Sean. I noticed the wrapper description on Cigar Bum, but didn't say anything.

Don Carlos are so Cameroon wrapped that you can really only smoke them outside when the weather is nice. Try burning one in the cold garage and watch that wrapper explode. It's delicate, but so damn tasty.

I also noticed the time period of the wrappers used in these 2004-2006 Hemingways and Don Carlos didn't have the same oil pockets/bumps as those used for 2000ish cigars. It could be not all years produce toothy wrappers. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable on the vagaries of Cameroon wrappers from the Meerapfel plantation can chime in. While I miss seeing the white spots in the ash, cigars without them seem to taste just great.

[smbauerllc]

Originally Posted by Ljutic

See, I'm too nice a guy to correct Sean. I noticed the wrapper description on Cigar Bum, but didn't say anything.



Don Carlos are so Cameroon wrapped that you can really only smoke them outside when the weather is nice. Try burning one in the cold garage and watch that wrapper explode. It's delicate, but so damn tasty.



I also noticed the time period of the wrappers used in these 2004-2006 Hemingways and Don Carlos didn't have the same oil pockets/bumps as those used for 2000ish cigars. It could be not all years produce toothy wrappers. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable on the vagaries of Cameroon wrappers from the Meerapfel plantation can chime in. While I miss seeing the white spots in the ash, cigars without them seem to taste just great.

@Ljutic

Everyone is always free to comment as they please, positive or negative, and definitely to correct me on an error. That's how you learn, and since 12 years of my smoking i simply smoked what tasted good and did nothing to learn about cigars at all. I just decided 3 years ago to start educating myself on my passion for cigars with the belief it would enhance my enjoyment.

Also, looking at my cigar app info a little closer, they list color, not wrapper type, so that's what got me. Would much rather they listed wrapper type as i can see the color for myself.

Previously, when the subject came up before, others expertise and digging in Google said Colorado Maduro was also a type, not just a color, as it was fermented longer and underwent part of the process of making a maduro wrapper, so that contributed to my mistake also.