Arturo Fuente Opus X Black Orchid Review

Wrapper: Dominican Maduro
Filler: Dominican
Binder: Dominican

This cigar is absolutely stunning. The maduro wrapper is a chocolate shade of brown with a couple veins running through it.The most distinct feature is clearly the cap. The cap is similar to that on the Opus X BBMF but a bit smaller. The cigar was firm to the touch and the wrapper leaf was a bit rough. This cigar had a very distinct sweet and earthy scent.

Once I lit this cigar up the tastes of earth and spice were very prominent. As this cigar progressed through the first inch some dark chocolate notes came out to add a bit of sweetness. Once I hit about the one-inch mark that distinct Opus X spice came out.

Arturo Fuente Casa Fuente Double Robusto

Wrapper: Cameroon
Filler: Dominican
Binder: Dominican

The Cameroon wrapper on this cigar is absolutely flawless. The wrapper is a medium shade of brown and is very smooth to the touch. There are a few thin veins running through the wrapper but none are worth worrying about. The cap is actually composed of three layers that all lie perfectly flush. The cigar itself is solid throughout and gives off a very sweet smell.

Once I lit up this cigar, I knew this cigar was special. The initial puffs were very smooth with a slight sweetness. There was a little bit of a woodiness that came out. After a few more puffs some mellow earthy tones formed. The flavors from the Cameroon wrapper were very dominant withing the first inch. As this cigar slowly progressed some mild pepper and creamy notes coated my palate.

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario Toro

Wrapper: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Price: $30.00

Well it is official, this will be the last review that will be publicly posted. Tomorrow I will be setting the website to private due to work. I thank everyone who has been reading my reviews over the past year.

I wanted to make the last public review. So I chose this cigar. I have heard nothing but praise about the Don Carlos line, so I felt it was fitting to make this my last public review.

The Dominican wrapper on this cigar is very light brown, only a shade or two darker than Connecticut shade. The cap is made up of three flush layers. The cigar itself is very smooth to the touch. There are no veins running through the wrapper leaf. The stick itself is solid from cap to foot with not a single soft spot. The smell coming from this cigar was very sweet.

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Between the Lines Review

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf and Connecticut Shade
Filler: Dominican
Price: $14.00 - $15.00

Over the past fourteen months I have become quite a fan of the Fuente cigars. I have had to opportunity to smoke, enjoy, and review a good amount of them. I have seen this particular cigar a couple times, but never dished out the money to grab one. Well about a month ago, a friend of mine traded me for one. Now I finally had the chance to review a cigar that I have heard nothing but raves about.

The one thing that visually drew me to this cigar was the barber pole wrap. Some times with the barber pole, one leaf is thicker than the other, and you can physically feel the difference. This cigar was perfectly smooth, almost seamless.

The broadleaf wrapper was chocolate brown while the Connecticut shade was more of a caramel color. The cap was made up of two layers, one of each wrapper leaf. This cigar itself was very solid. There was no play when pinching the cigar. There were also no veins throughout the entire wrapper. The last thing I noticed what the smell of the cigar. The broadleaf gave off a sweet smell while the Connecticut gave off an earthy smell.

Arturo Fuente Opus X Lost City Double Robusto Review

Wrapper: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Price: $20.00 - $29.00 (depending where you shop)

This cigar is the second installment of my celebration set of cigars. Each one of these cigars were picked for a reason. This one actually represents my start. Be warned, my puns are quite bad. The reason I chose this particular cigar was because when I first started reviewed I felt... yes... "Lost." I started out not knowing how my style of reviewing would be perceived among the cigar world. And thanks to all of you, I am no longer "Lost" in this wonderful cigar world.

This cigar has a very appealing wrapper. The leaf is a medium shade of brown and is very smooth. There also appears to be a slightly oily coat on it. The cap is consisted of three layers and they all lay perfectly flush. There are a few veins that run throughout the wrapper but none of which are thick enough to worry about.

God of Fire Serie B 2010 Robusto Gordo Review

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Filler: Dominican

Price: $20.00

A few months ago I reviewed the God of Fire by Don Carlos 2007 and absolutely loved the cigar. When I saw that they were releasing a new line for the God of Fire with a maduro wrapper, I knew that I would most likely love this one too. After contemplating for a while on what I wanted my next review to be, I decided to grab this out of my humidor finally give it a shot. I have very high hopes for this cigar since the Don Carlos 2007 made my Top 10 of 2011.

The first thing I noticed about this cigar was quite disappointing; it was almost covered in extra glue. There was glue around the bands and all over the wrapper. The wrapper was a dark shade of brown and very smooth. The cap was perfectly flush as well. The stick itself was very solid all the way through and the cigar gave off a very sweet smell. Once I noticed how clean the cut was, I knew I was in for a treat.

Arturo Fuente Opus X Forbidden X 13 No. 4 Review

Wrapper: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

Price: $11.50

As many people would say, the Opus is one of the most sought after cigar around. Last week I heard that Holt’s Cigar Shop had got a few boxes of these Forbidden X 13s in. So that Friday, I went over to their Center City location to grab a couple. When I walked in, I was kindly greeted by their General Manager, Anthony. He informed me that they sold out there in no time at all. He then said that their location in Northeast Philadelphia had a few left. So Saturday morning I got up there just after they opened. I asked if they had any left, and they showed me their remainder. There wasn’t much, but I managed to snag a couple of these since they were the only ones left.

The first thing that I honestly noticed about this cigar was the very detailed and ornate bands. The colors just popped out. This cigar features a very nice dark brown wrapper that has a nice oily shine to it. There are no veins running throughout the entire wrapper. There are a couple layers of tobacco that make up the cap on this cigar that are laying perfectly flush. This cigar is very solid as well. There isn’t a single soft spot throughout it. The smell of this cigar is very strong. I was picking notes of spice, oak, and chocolate off of it right away.

Zack the Stogie Man's Honorable Mentions for 2011

After spending the last couple weeks working on my Top 10 of 2011, I found it difficult not to give the proper respect to all the cigars that were worthy. There are five other cigars that were very close to making the list, but I felt that they just didn’t leave an impression like the others did.

I felt it was only fair to create the list of some of some honorable mentions for the best cigars I reviewed this year.

Zack the Stogie Man's Top 10 of 2011

Back in March of this year, I set upon a mission to find some of the best cigars. Throughout the year I have visited a wide variety of shops, as well as different online retailers. But without the help of family, friends, social media, and of course, my friends over at /r/cigars, none of this would have been possible.  Another special thank you goes out to all of the cigar companies that have been in contact with me and their sales representatives for all of the samples they have supplies me with. The people I have met over the past nine months have really helped this website become what it is today. With total page views creeping up on 30,000 views, I feel this website is going in the right direction, and I have all of you to thank for this wonderful feeling.

Now I will get into the part that everyone has been waiting for. This is a compilation, of what I feel, were the 10 best cigars that I reviewed in 2011.

God of Fire by Don Carlos 2007 Robusto Review

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown

Filler: Dominican

Price: $20.00

 A couple weeks ago, this cigar was sent to me. As soon as I received it I figured it would be the perfect cigar to review for my birthday. Since today is my birthday, I woke up nice and early to light this one up. I couldn’t think of a cigar that would be more unique to review than a God of Fire. This is one of the cigars I have been trying to find for some time.

The wrapper is dark brown and oily. There is one vein running the length of the cigar that is a little thick. The cigar is very solid. The cap is perfectly flush. The only flaw I see with this cigar is that there is some extra glue that is visible around the bands and cap. The cigar gave off a sweet and spicy smell. This stick cut perfectly clean and was very easy to light.

As soon as I lit up this stick, there was a very pleasant light spice. Shortly into this cigar, there was a good amount of sweet cedar that forms as well. There was some strong earthy tones that came out  that were very flavorful and complex. By about an inch into this cigar, the spice mellowed out. There is a little bit of sweetness that forms. There were nice hints of chocolate and coffee.

Arturo Fuente "King B" Review

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown Rosado

Filler: Dominican

Price: $7.00 - $8.00

Having become a big fan of Arturo Fuente cigars over the past few months, I turn to them in different cigar shops I go to. Every once and awhile I will grab one that I haven’t had before just to give it a try. In my recent trip to a cigar shop in Philadelphia, I saw this one sitting right about eye level on the wall. And with a name like “King B,” why not give it a try?

The cigar and constructed beautifully. The wrapper was a nice chocolate brown shade with very little defect to it. There were no soft sports throughout the entire stick. There was only one vein that I thought would have a chance at altering the smoke pattern, but it didn’t in any way. The cigar cut very clean and the pre-light aroma and taste was a strong chocolate sweetness.

Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Sun Grown Review

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown

Filler: Dominican

Price: $6.00 - $7.00

I do feel as though Arturo Fuente makes some of the best cigars. And for the price, you cant go wrong with a Fuente. When I was asked to do a review of this stick, I jumped on the opportunity.

The wrapper of this cigar was very sweet smelling and as soon as I touched it to my lips, the wrapper was just as sweet. As soon as I clipped this cigar and tasted it, I knew I was in for a special treat.

The flavors were excellent almost immediately. I started getting sweet flavors after the first few puffs. There was some sweet sugary flavors all throughout the smoke. Along with the sugariness, there were little hints of coffee coming through as well. There was a bit of spiciness, but it was very minor. The sweetness dominated throughout the first third of this stick.

Arturo Fuente Opus X xXx "Power Ranger" Review (Saturday Morning Smoke)

Wrapper: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

Price: $10.00 - $13.00

This is one of those cigars that I have been trying to find for some time now. I have heard nothing but great things about the Opus X, so when I found a store that carried them, I had to go ahead and get my hands on a few of them.

This cigar, although small, packs a punch. Before I lit up the cigar I gave it a good look over. The cigar itself smelled very good. It had a sweet aroma to it resembling that of aromatic pipe tobacco mixed with a little bit of maple. Before I lit it, it tasted a bit peppery with subtle sweet notes mixed in it.

The first third of this stick was surprising to say the least. The first several puffs were very strong on the pepper flavor, but that died down quickly. After the pepper flavor subsided a bit, the cigar got much sweeter. After about a half inch or so, the flavors were leaning towards a mix of sugar and maple. This combination was very unique and very enjoyable.

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Masterpiece Review

Wrapper: Connecticut Maduro

Filler: Dominican

Price: $12.00 - $15.00

Well first off, I want to say that this was the single biggest cigar I have ever had. It was a staggering 9 inch cigar with a 52 gauge.

When I examined this cigar, I was amazed that one single leaf would spiral around to complete this stick. It cut great and the draw was amazing. When I first lit the stick I realized how flavorful and chewy the maduro wrapper was. And I realized I was in for an enjoyable two hour smoke.

The first third had a very sweet complexion of flavors. The more robust flavors I was finding were a sweet, creamy coffee flavor accented nicely with a mild cocoa flavor. After the first inch and a half or so, the

creaminess slowly diminished and an earthy cedar taste come out. This combination was amazing on all accounts.

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Best Seller Review

Wrapper: African Cameroon

Filler: Dominican

Price: $7.00 - $8.00

I want to start off by saying that this cigar came highly recommended to me, so I felt it was a perfect candidate for a review.

Lets start off by talking about the shape, unique to say the least, with just a little tip on the foot to light. Because of how small the tip on the foot was, it was amazingly easy to light. The cigar was very tight, which led to a slow, delightful burn. As soon as I put the cigar to my lips, the wrapper was very sweet. Little hints of honey and cinnamon were all over the oily wrapper. The wrapper was very chewy and loaded with flavor.