Review: Arturo Fuente Anejo #77 (The Shark)

One would expect July to bring heat and humidity to NYC, but not last night. I broke from my normal routine and after dinner I headed to my spot to smoke. It was a beatiful 72 degrees, with a soft breeze. The ocean seemed higher then normal, I guess the tide at night is different then in the morning. So with the sounds of the waves crashing on shore a mere 90 yards away…

The Skinny:

Cigar: Aturo Fuente Anejo #77
Origin: Domincan Republic
Size: Shark, 5 3/4″ x 56
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Pre-Light: The anejo wrappers are aged in oak barrels used for aging Cognac for 5 years, which results in a darker than normal maduro wrapper. The cigar is box pressed to the label, and beyond that is a normal belicoso. I was surprised to feel the foot of the cigar wasn’t packed as tight as it could of been, but the rest of the cigar was nice and firm. The wrapper itself smelled a little of chocolate and there was a indescribable sweetness to it. At the foot I was able to pick up notes of cognac and a slight pepper. The pepper as usual made me sneeze like crazy. The prelight draw was sweet with hints of cognac. How I wish I had some with me for this smoke!

Smoke: So with a sailboat crossing the horizon and the setting sun creating a post card effect in the skies, I clipped the cigar with a straight cutter, and lit this baby up. For the first few drags I found the cigar leaf to be salty. I liken it to a margarita, but over time the first 1/4 inch it faded away. The initial third of the cigar was chocolate and a undefined taste. The second third the undefined taste was defined. Cognac. It amazed me that the taste was so defined. It made me crave the glass of cognac even more. As the cigar reached it final third The cognac was joined by some earthy notes.The cigar had no burn issues, and held its ash pretty well.

Overall: I could not put this cigar down. If I had a roach clip with me, I would of smoked it til there was nothing left. I actually had a slight buzz from the cigar an it was the perfect nightcap to a beautiful day. The notes were chocolate, cognac, pepper and earth. If you remember I was disappointed from the robusto, but not at all by the shark

My Local Price: $14.00
Rating: 94 (Out of 100)

Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente Anejo Robusto

The Skinny:

Cigar: Arturo Fuente Anejo
Origin: Dominican Republic
Length/Ring: 5 1/4″ x 50
Shape: Robusto
Wrapper: Connecticut broad leaf maduro

When I went to my local cigar store in search of goodies, I was happy to see he had many rarities to choose from. I tend to horde these rare smokes, so now in the interest of reviewing them I tend to buy an extra smoke just for this purpose. So after letting the cigar sit in my humidor for about a month I went back to the beach for my cigar ritual.

It was a warm day at the beach and it amazes me how much different Europeans are then Americans. As I lean against my car and watch these European women with little or no shame pass my by wearing what amounts to be dental floss serving as a bikini and I had to wonder if I was in heaven. Or perhaps since I was limited to looking, I was in hell. You might ask how do I know they were European, well the fact they were speaking in their native tongue gave them away. Those speaking English tended to be more covered up wearing a sarong or a sun dress as they passed me by.

Pre-Light: Studying this cigar amazed me at how well some cigars can be constructed. There was not a flaw from head to foot. So with my v-cutter in hand I snipped this cigar and was a little worried as the draw seemed to be a little tight. I massaged the cigar gently between my fingers and it loosened up some. The wrapper had the scent of raspberries and cedar, while the draw was full of pepper and the hint of molasses.

Smoke: The cigar gave me a little bit of a hard time lighting with wooden matches. I had a problem getting a full light. But it corrected itself before the first fraction of an ash formed. The first 1/3rd of the cigar was rich with molasses, and hints of pepper. It was more sweet, than spicy which had me confused. In my mind I expected this cigar to be full bodied. The second 1/3rd of the cigar was much more spicy and of course the final 1/3rd even more so. The cigar was medium bodied at best and it was not the full bodied cigar I had smoked years ago that left me weak in the knees.

I was definitely less then impressed with this cigar. It was a little flat and lacked the depth I had expected. Perhaps the Anejo Shark will satisfy me better in a couple of weeks.

Price: $12.00
Rating: 90 (Out of 100)