Arturo Fuente Best Seller - Maduro

[kiwicrusaders]

Well... After reading a recent non Cuban infedility review, I thought I would join in and post a review of a cigar I smoked this afternoon.

I should start by saying that this is the first non-Cuban cigar I've smoked and I've been trying to see if I could distinguish a 'Cuban' cigar from NC. This review is BY NO MEANS a 'which cigar is best?' ... But is about trying to describe the diferrences as far as flavour an smoking experience.

This cigar is from a box of 25 I recently purchased and had shipped to me. I was pairing the cigar with a black christmas tea,.. trust me a GREAT combination for any cigar ! The construction on the cigar is absolutely superb and is very firm to the touch. Pre-light smell is of a mild sweet leather. After cutting the cigar, the draw was certainly looser than all the Cubans I've tried... By no means a wind tunnel, kinda like drawing on a thin milkshake. The pre-light flavour mirrored the smell of the cigar.

After ligting the beauty, there was very little flavour. Understandable, as she was slowly warming and opening up. After a few minutes, the best description I can give is of an exceptionally smooth tobacco flavour. Certainly straight into it, unlike most of my Cuban experiences. The volume of smoke from the cigar was fantastic... UNREAL ! A big difference I found between this and all of the Cubans I've tried is the smell of the smoke.. Not when you are smoking but the ambient smoke. Absolutely fantastic, it was like a rich beautiful tobacco incense stick.

Back to the cigar... As it progressed from the mid first third it developed into a intense rich tobacco experience. On the initial draw there there was a distinct sweetness which as the draw progressed developed into a beautiful rich tobacco flavour. I found that I needed to adjust my draw from Cubans... Softer and gentler... As if I drew to quickly the intensity became too much and unpleasant. When I kept it softer and slower it was really really nice. The others thing I would comment on is that through the draw and exhale there was 3 distinct stages, initial sweetness, followed by a bit of a charred pipe tobacco flavour followed by a very nich rich tobacco and leather flavour.

I'm not going to do a by the thirds flavour flavour description, my pallet just isn't that good... So apologies. I would say that with Cubans, I find that when you get a good one you absolutely get this unbelievable flavour that I can only describe as a warm summer hay flavour that as it warms up just takes you to heaven and back. With this one, it didn't quite get there... However it was consistent and delivered fantastic flavours the whole way through.

If I could use a whiskey analogy (not the flavours but where they sit as far as profile), I would describe a Cuban as a Highland or Island whiskey... Where the NC was defiantly a Islay. I can honestly say that I will keep a portion of my humidor for these babies. Burn time was about an hour, impressive for such a small stick. It's been about 2 hours since I finished the stick and I can still get those rich flavours in my mouth. Memorable bits for me were the construction, the smell of the ambient tobacco and the fantastically rich tobacco flavour, sweet in the initial draw.. Almost like a bitter chocolate.

[Hafner32]

I am a big fan of the Fuente Hemingway Maduros. I really enjoy the Work of Art maduros and always keep a box on hand. I have some with a few years age and over time the cigar mellows a bit and also develops more of a chocolate sweetness.

[bolivr]

Great review, thanks!

[ayedfy]

Great review! I may have to look out for this sometime.

[CigarmanTim]

Great review. I have had a hand full of the best seller Madurese but they were very green. I will have to revisit. I really like the Work of Art Maduro.

[str8dog]

I always try to have a few WOAMS on hand.

[backslide]

great review of an all time favorite cigar of mine.

[SigloVI]

Love the WOAM and especially the short story maduro

[frenchkiwi]

Stumbled on this review, good work mate. Your islay analogy and 3 phases are on the money - don't be afraid to back your palate, you're obviously on the right track!

I recently smoked some Work of Art maduro, and much like the cameroon wrappered hemingways (smoked a few boxes of short stories, they're pretty good when young), it has a beautiful sweet rich cinnamon and allspice first inch or so, and then settles down to become just an average more leathery earthy cigar with a bit of white pepper later on. Maduro wrapper makes them a bit meatier/earthier than their camerooned counterparts. It's like they - and Ashton VSGs etc - were made for cigar aficionado reviews (they only smoke the first inch lol).

I've got another couple left, looking forward to that first inch, will need a good whisky to be able to enjoy it after that. Even the first inch seems to get muted with a few months of age so i better smoke'em quick.

[seamus]

I go back and forth on Hemingway maduros. I either really enjoy them or find them uninteresting.

I have a couple of masterpiece maduros I've been meaning to get to for probably 8-10 years now. Wonder if there's anything left to them.

I prefer the sungrowns.

Thanks for the review. Going to dig through my Fuentes and see what looks good.