Arturo Fuente Hemingway - Work of Art (maduro)

Finally got round to trying this Arturo Fuente - Hemingway - Work of Art (maduro, connecticut shade grown wrapper instead of the lighter cameroon wrapper on most of the Hemingways).

That is one fat bell end (60 ring gauge at its fattest point, 46 at its thinnest).

Just had a big black coffee so in the mood for a maduro. Starts out with slight cocoa, and a hint of the cinnamon sweetness that you get in the Cameroon-wrappered Short Stories, but adds a note of brooding dark earth. The good thing about these perfecto cigars is that you know that from just after you light up until you get over the hump, you will be tasting almost 100% wrapper so you know what that is contributing. The bad thing is that you will probably have to correct the burn line because humps don't burn straight. Once over the hill, there is quite a bit more cocoa coming into it, and a bit of dark ghana-style chocolate as well - slightly bitter but not fruity. And plenty of coffee grinds. The trademark cinnamon grows a bit and a rich mouthful of cedar and other woodiness in there, finished off with a drying spicy white pepper (is that szechuan pepper Scott?) with hints of paprika. The resulting thick grey smoke actually has a bit of coffee aroma, which is unusual, but is also intensely sweet smelling as with its shorter cousin. Very satisfying package.

Into the last third and pepper grows. The end turns dark'n'broody again but with little sweetness and more meatiness. Now would be the time to fetch a peaty whisky or some such. I have a 16y.o Tomintoul on hand, a bit light for the job (sweet with a touch of stonefruit and apple).

All in all, the 1st half was top drawer, and the 2nd average, dusty and peppery. Pretty typical and a game-of-two-halves profile that it shares with the Hemingway short stories and the Ashton VSGs we once had. All of these have dominican filler... is there a common theme here? (maybe we should start reviewing them like the gimmicky Cigar Aficionado magazine and only smoke the first inch!!!). Anyway with an inch to go it dies out on me and i'm happy to leave it at that...

3 things one might discover on a cold winters evening

1. When a report says there is a "supermoon", it will in fact appear much larger
2. Walking at night with someone you love will make a cigar taste that little bit nicer [wink]
3. You won't actually need to go to Europe to discover Jesus in some glass

The little Fuente is such a great 20-30 minute smoke. Really enjoyed this while strolling up our mt eden last night. The cool outside air along with the sweet smells that came from the tobacco had me wanting just one more after I had finished. I think of these as a tasteful cigarette that does not require inhalation. Cheers for including them in the last few batches Xav  

To scale

Hey Joel! I don't have a ruler so here's the best I can do in terms of giving some kind of scale!

Roland Barthes

Just came across this picture of Barthes in a book. Notice that he nibbled the end of his cigar rather than cut it (What can we infer from this??) Also made me think that a fun dress up theme for poker+cigar evening could be intellectuals of the 60s/70s. 

Peru

A gift from Jim and Helen! They just got back from a one-month cycling tour of South America.

Matariki 2013 Batch (with box pics)

• Arturo Fuente - Exquisito maduro (i think that was the last of that box of 50)


• CAO Mx2: another handily sized cigar that is definitely not a puro and in this case, all the better for it


• Liga Privada - Unico Serie - Papas Fritas: Liga Privada are expensive cigars, unlike their Liga Undercrown counterparts, and here is the cheapest one ever released which is also the most expensive short filler cigar ever released. Confused? It makes sense if you think about it. It has their top Connecticut broadleaf wrapper but the filler is not whole leaves but leftover cuttings from the big boy LPs (if you tap it on the table some little bits might fall out). Very meaty, huge clouds of velvety smoke, not particularly sweet, and comes in fancy tins (one of which Sam won at poker). Probably a good heavy liquor cigar if you don't want a biggun.    





Another marketing-oriented box. Heavy as & made from weird stringy wood a bit like ponga.



Had a wax seal which could've been cool if they'd chosen a wax that looked less like Warewhare plastic

• Rocky Patel - Olde World Reserve (Corojo wrapper): as per last batch, mild-medium, sweet, velvety and buttery smoke, good after coffee, eminently satisfying cigar.





Liga Undercrown box: attractive but heavy which co$ts in postage. Plenty of fancy cedar inside that smells like detergent. Typical bloody american stuff.

• Liga Undercrown - Corona ¡­­Viva!: Got a whole box of these cos they are reasonably priced for a good cigar. San Andres (mexican) wrapper, mix of Brazilian mata fina and Nicaraguan filler. You've had the Undercrown Robusto, this is roughly the same except they have tweaked the blend to give it a (little) bit more kick (hence the ¡­­Viva!) when they released it in 2012. Smoke the two together and you'll see what i mean ;-) Still medium-bodied easy smoking, just a bit meatier. So goes with pretty much anything. Corona gorda is a much better vitola too in my opinion (thinner than robusto so doesn't burn as hot and easier size on your delicate mouth). 


• Cuaba Exclusivos: Ahhh, cuaba... the only cuban in this batch. A more recent marca (est. 1990s) made up of only perfecto (curvy) vitolas and often criticised for its poor construction. This is a carefully selected box from 2008 so ready to smoke now. On the milder side and yet complex and satisfying - you'll see what i mean. Needs a light drink, and definitely not coffee. Excellent after-lunch cigar. I really loved the small rg of the end you stick in your mouth, for some reason, just so comfortable. Won't improve as mild and 5 years old so smoke it now!!!

Blurb from the Cuaba box - note that in essence it's the same word as Cohiba

Bombones! La bomba!

In honour of the French tour

Inspiration through Inhalation

1. An outdoor table
2. A book
3. Pen and paper, or a type-writer
4. Preferably some kind of view
5. Arturo Fuente or other small to medium-sized cigar

Mix these ingredients up and you'll feel the joy of smoking at your desk like you would have back in the 70s. Combining these ingredients will connect you to your pipe smoking, novel writing ancestors and provide great moments of inspiration.