God of Fire Double Robusto 2005 by Carlito

[pnutbutrsangwich]

I picked this cigar up about 6 months ago when they were freshly released. I balked at paying $22.00 for a single cigar, but I figured that I may never have another opportunity to smoke one. Seeing as how 6 months have gone by and I haven't seen another one, I am glad that I got it.

Fast forward to 2 days ago when I decided that my upcoming birthday (today) was the perfect occasion to light it up. I took this beautiful cigar out of its coffin and admired the artwork on the band. They may be maligned by some for this, but Fuente's presentation is gorgeous and their marketing is genious.

A little background info on the cigar: These were released in 2005 after the initial 2004 batch that was available with the limited God of Fire humidors produced by Prometheus. Originally available only in Churchill size, a Torpedo was released with a second humidor later in the year. The Robusto by Don Carlos and the Double Robusto by Carlito were the first to be released for sale individually. They were released in boxes of 10 individual coffins for $225.00/msrp (i think). Both blends feature Cameroon wrappers and Dominican binders and fillers.

Now on to the smoke. After a quick snip and some toasting of the nearly veinless, though not enritrely uniformly shaded wrapper, I was greeted with a very pleasant smell that I have come to expect from Fuente products. Firing it up, the initial burst of flavor was quite unique. While I tasted some very rich toasted tobacco flavors, I was surprised to taste some dry fruit flavors that I can only liken to flavored tobacco that is used in argilas. It was absolutely delicious. As the smoke wore on, it turned spicier, though the fruit undertones remained. As it burned into the second inch, the spicy charcater took over, with some nice woody notes coming through for balance. At this point I noticed how the beautifully pure white ash displayed a massive amount of tooth and then I realized that this cigar, while feeling hard to the touch in my prelight examination, was masterfully constructed. In the final two inches, I noticed that the progression of flavors was similar to that of fresh Opus X, though the spiciness was not the same Jalapeno explosion. Instead the spices were more of the Asian variety. I was actually reminded of some spicy Thai dishes that I have enjoyed with the same flavor. This was all balanced by a solid cedar undertone that tied everything together. The finish was very powerful.

Most people feel that they can never really enjoy a cigar that they pay a lot of money for because it never lives up to their expectations. I had feared that this might happen while smoking this particular cigar, however I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the truly unique experience of this beautifully, masterfully constructed cigar very much and I would encourage anyone to consider picking one of these up if they can find them, but as with most Fuente products, that may prove difficult. I'd give this a 96 out of 100 if only for the smoke getting a little hot and slightly unpleasant right at the end. It was a beautiful 90 minute birthday present.