Arturo Fuente- A True Work Of Art!

When I look back at the last 8 years of my cigar-smoking journey, I can’t help but remember a number of amazing blends crafted by Tabacalera A. Fuente. It all started when a good friend of mine gave me an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Cameroon. At the time, the Hemingway I smoked took me deeper into my fascination with cigars. I thought the Signature was the ultimate mild to medium bodied blend, and I still feel that way today. Throughout the last 8 years I have had the opportunity to smoke some truly exceptional blends from the Arturo Fuente portfolio. Brands like Arturo Fuente Don Carlos, Fuente Fuente Opus X, Cuesta-Rey Centenario Coleccion, and of course Ashton VSG. All of them continue to a have a steady rotation in a number of my humidors. Carlito Fuente Jr. and Don Carlos Fuente Sr. have built a loyal fan base like no other. The Fuente family knows that their massive fan base crave limited, and hard to find blends year after year. They have practically built another market around their rare smokes. I for one have always kept my eye out for the limited released 8-5-8 Sungrown, and Hemingway Signature Maduro. In 2005, I even tracked down some Ashton VSG Estate Reserves (A special VSG only released in 2001 with an Opus X wrapper.) for my wedding. The Fuente family knows that avid cigar smokers are “collectors”, and they have continued to offer their fans some of the rarest, and highest quality smokes on the market. These fantastic works of art will always be in demand, and some will never be made again. If you have never really tapped into the entire Tabacalera A. Fuente line of cigars, I highly urge you to start.

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Product Review by Corona Chris, Thompson Cigar product specialist.

3 Regular Guys Review: La Aurora

The La Aurora Cigar factory is the oldest continuously operating cigar factory in the Dominican Republic, with La Aurora cigars known as the first Dominican cigar. The reason they are still in business is because of the quality of their product and the integrity with which they run their enterprise. The León Jimenes Group, owner of La Aurora Cigars as well as Presidenté Beer and other ventures, began simply and honestly in 1903 when Eduardo León Jimenes founded his cigar factory. He was a young, ambitious man who was the son and grandson of tobacco growers. His singular purpose was to create a high quality cigar that would be well received by the market and which he could be proud to stand behind.
La Aurora has been in the business for over a century, lending cause to develop the Cien Años blend to commemorate this long history. For a cigar company with this many years under its belt, we think it is significant to point out the small amount of blends that they have developed and continue to produce. While many cigar brands out there seem to be introducing a new blend every other month, La Aurora hasn’t. They produce just 7 premium handmade long filler cigars. Among them is the cigar the 3 Regular Guys smoked, the La Aurora Robusto Cameroon.
This great little Robusto was very well made. It had a solid cap that cut great and held firmly. The wrapper is a Cameroon leaf that had subtle veins. Scott thought the wrapper color had a slight Rosado shade to it even. All in all, an attractive cigar from the outside from which Corona Chris noted a flavorful pre-light aroma.
Once lit, this cigar produced a lot of smoke with a bright, toasty aroma and a great draw. Colm, of course, enjoyed the medium bodied smoke of this La Aurora because it has nicely balanced filler, but most importantly it is wrapped in that Cameroon leaf that still feeds his current addiction.
Scott thought that the smoke was quite structured and dry overall but especially on the back of the palate. More subtly there was an intriguing flavor of vanilla coming through a woody, dry sweetness; likely more hints of the Cameroon wrapper shining through. Corona Chris gave high marks to this moderately spicy and enjoyable stick because of its excellent value, especially for a Cameroon wrapped cigar. He also has designs on hiding a couple of these in one of his humidors to see what a few months, or years, of extra aging will do to this blend.
This is the lower tier of the La Aurora cigar stable, but the 3 Regular Guys were definitely not let down. The cigar was well made and the blend was rather balanced. The Cameroon leaf is, of course, a favorite of all three of us. We’re pretty certain you cannot go wrong with anything coming from the La Aurora factory, but definitely positive that this cigar is well worth you checking it out too.

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