Review Notes: As I left work this afternoon for the ride home in the emergency backup convertible, it was a beautiful sunny day in the 70s here in NorCal. I dropped the top, fired up the CD player, (Toad the Wet Sprocket), and fished around for the cigar case in my briefcase. Voila! There it was. A Hemingway Classic I picked up at South Coast Plaza in '95 while doing some Christmas shopping in the Southland. Mwahaha! This cigar was to be sacrificed to the flame, at last! What a specimen. The cello was more yellow than Edward G. Robinson's teeth, and the Cameroon wrapper fairly glowed with its oily promise of tastacular delight. As I slid the cello off the stick, the ring slid along with it, loose as a vegetarian's stool the day after bingeing at an all-you-can-eat salad bar. I clipped it, and the remaining cap stayed intact, much like my first, rather frustrating, high school sweetheart. Pre-light draw was tight (see above) and flavorful (also see above), with a dusky spiciness that testified to the care with which the cigar was lovingly aged. First puff was sublime. Building from the aforementioned tightness, as the foot caught the draw loosened appreciably and allowed the delightful medium to light smoke to flow freely. Marvelous, complex flavors burst forth and cavorted on my taste buds. The ash was light and solid, and grew to an amazing length, especially given the turbulence inside the cockpit of my chariot. The flavor rapidly built as I smoked this beauty down to the nub. Little traffic, perhaps due to the spring school holiday, meant that the miles rolled by quickly. The beautiful weather and lush green California hills were a perfect counterpoint to this sublime sacrifice to the tobacco gods. By the time I rolled around the corner to home, the cigar had gone through several metamorphoses and finally ended up a powerful and full flavored spicemeister that made my tongue tingle like that special feeling you got while climbing the rope in gym class. Thanks Carlos and family for the treat. And thanks to mother nature for the graphic display of planetary perfection that today exemplified.

Review Notes: Perfect in every respect except one: the flavor profile is not very interesting. But for a medium body/strength cigar with a slightly sweet taste that will burn for an hour or more, these can't be beat. It may be cliche, but they really do burn better after 6 months to a year in the humidor.

Review Notes: The last time I reviewed this cigar I said it was not good and aging would probably not improve it. Well I could not have been more wrong. I smoked a stick that had been aging for almost a year and a half and oh boy what a smoke. Sweet, smooth, full bodied, rich, nutty, balanced . . . I just can't say enough. I really can't believe aging can make such a difference but in this cigar it does. Needless to say I went out and bought a whole box and put them aside for next year.

Review Notes: Like all Fuentes, this is a solid cigar. Quite mellow and not very complex. Draw and burn were great.

Review Notes: I thought this had a great taste start to finish. A nutty yet mellow flavor that is incredibly smooth. The only Thing I couldn't explain is I swear I had smoked one of these before...No it just reminds me of a more refined Excalibur No I! Not identical but similar flavors.