2004 Fuente Anejo Reserva 50 Review

[HeavyMetal-cr]

2004 Fuente Anejo "Reserva 50" 5.25 X 50

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro aged in Cognac barrels
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Special Notes: Anejos are a unique smoke and certainly one of the world's finest. Born from an anticipated shortage of Opus wrapper after a hurricane, the Anejo has an Opus core with a specially aged Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. After fermentation, the wrapper receives additional aging in cognc barrels providing the distinctive flavor. There IS nothing else like them. I usually smoke the 55 (torp) or 77 "Shark" (box press torp), but you shouldn't pass up the robbie for its larger brethern. The smaller size increases the influence of the cognac-flavored wrapper without completely overwhelming the Opus core. The effect is quite stunning.

Storage: 63 – 65 RH at 63 – 68 F.

Construction: Oily walnut brown wrapper with one small vein. Solidly rolled with no hard or soft spots. Clipped clean.

Prelight: Aroma of heavy cedar, fruit, and dark tobacco. Taste is sweet wood, fruit and dark tobacco with floral notes. Medium-firm draw, perfect.

Burn: Lit evenly, slightly meandering burn. Off-white ash tinged with charcoal grey.

Drink: Germain-Robin Old Havana California cognac.

Smoking Notes: The pre-light aroma was sweet woody tobacco. The draw was firm but smooth with tobacco and heavy cognac floral notes. The tip had a heavy molasses sweetness. After toasting the cigar lit quickly and evenly. The first puffs are a blast of rich, sweet, fruity cognac and floral notes and toasty tobacco and sweet spices on the finish. In short order the cigar is pumping out thick gouts of white, creamy, oily smoke that coated the palate. By the ¼ point, the smoke turns very toasty and woody with nice overtones of vanilla, anise and others sweet spices with some sharp black pepper notes on the finish. A nice puff and sip of Old Havana produces an explosion of flavors – heavy cream, vanilla, sweet ripe fruit, oaky tones, orange zest and rich tobacco. At 1/3, the cigar turns back to the heavy cognac floral notes. The hot pepper spiciness and power of the Opus core are also making themselves known. By half way, I was treated to a core of rich tobacco, aromatic cedar and sweet cognac floral notes with heavy Opus spice on the finish. Shortly after this I start alternating a sip of brandy and a few puffs. The G-R nicely complimented the Anejo and produced an absolutely delightful experience. Ah, death by cognac!!!! The cognac-floral flavors and black pepper spiciness continued to build to the end. I nubbed this until my fingers burnt and wished for some "roach clips". Never tarry or bitter, a superb smoke to the end.

Overall Impression: Nothing short of "Oh My God". Anejos are in a class by themselves. Buy a few and let 'em sit for 6 months to a year to "round out". Fuente really knew what they were doing with this one. My rating is: Off The Charts.

[Patrick]

I am looking for them online now - http://www.cigar.com/cigars/default....list&brand=AFA

[HeavyMetal-cr]

http://www.cigar.com/cigars/default.asp ... &brand=AFA

What a ripoff!!! Their prices are 2.5 - 3X MSRP. Unfortunately they don't appear to be authorized distrubutors. If they were, Fuente would revolk it for gouging. I wouldn't buy smokes from jerks like this if they had the last cigar on earth.

[ram416]

Okay, Heavymetal, where do you get your Fuentes? I've been running into similar prices as those on cigar.com in other stores. When I did find a good price, they were sold out. I really would like to know because AFs are my "first choice" list, but I have a hard time finding them locally.

[HeavyMetal-cr]

Originally Posted by ram416

Okay, Heavymetal, where do you get your Fuentes? I've been running into similar prices as those on cigar.com in other stores. When I did find a good price, they were sold out. I really would like to know because AFs are my "first choice" list, but I have a hard time finding them locally.

I'm a bit lucky. My local shop is one of the 2 largest Fuente authorized retailers in PA. Find a Fuente authorized retailer and get to know them. Forget buying Anejos on-line. They're quite scarce, only released around the holidays - typically after Thanksgiving and sometimes at Father's Day.

Tampa Sweethearts in Tampa is a Fuente owned store, or used to be. In any case they are still authorized. A friend just reported that they had Anejos there for MSRP. Get to Tampa or call a friend there.

[KevinG]

Wow. That's an awesome review HeavyMetal!

One major effect on prices in stores is the individual state excise tax. In Florida and PA, there is no excise tax. In CA the tax is 46.76% of the cost to the distributor!

A few other examples are:

Hawaii: 40% of wholesale.
CT: 20% of wholesale.
MA: 30% of price paid by the retail vendor. (Whatever that means. Sounds like wholesale to me.)
NY: 37% of wholesale.

[HRPuffinStuff-cr]

Originally Posted by HeavyMetal

My rating is: Off The Charts.

I was just kinda surfing around the site looking for reviews of the cigars that I liked.

I'd have to say that the Arturo Fuente Anejo is the cigar that convinced me that fine cigars were really something I needed to investigate.

My cigar smoking buddy and I got a bit tanked up one night. We decided to have a late night cigar, sit outside, and just enjoy the cool night air. We were looking through his humidors (he has three large humidors) and he said "f*ck it, if we're going to have a cigar, let's have a CIGAR". So he yanked out two Anejos (don't know what year). They were lined with a cedar wrapper. Under the cedar wrapper, there were little tiny spots of what appeared to be mildew on the tobacco wrapper. He thought I would be "grossed out" by the mildew, but I insisted it was fine.

Have you ever seen a tank of spontaneously fermented Belgian lambic? Lambic is fermented in big wooden tanks, with yeast cultures that come right out of the air and out of the wood. During fermentation, they look like something you'd find in a sewage treatment plant. And they don't smell all that much better. But the TASTE. OMFG the TASTE.

So, with the "mildew issue" overcome, we sat down and proceded to smoke us a couple of Anejos.

It was an epiphany of a sort, an awakening. The cigar burned cool and sweet with essences of cedar, leather, molasses and the unmistakable flavor of REAL bitter dark chocolate-covered cherries (not the fake, gaggly-sweet crap). It was the most wondrous thing I have ever smoked. Yes, even more wondrous than "that other smoking material".

And I remember the name upon the foil.

"Anejo."

[JAX]

Another damn fine review!

I'm going to keep an eye for these locally.

[HRPuffinStuff-cr]

Originally Posted by JAX

I'm going to keep an eye for these locally.

I have no idea where my buddy gets these sticks or I would tell you. He has some mysterious "friend" and they do "box splits". He has ten sticks left and he's going to bring four of 'em on our Canada fishing trip 8/29/08 - 9/6/08 for us to smoke.

So that's why I went out and bought a four-pack of Arturo Fuente Carlito God of Fire Cameroon Double Robustos to share.

There's gonna be some MIGHTY FINE cigars smoked.

Cheap ones too.

[bjoliva]

Originally Posted by KevinG

Wow. That's an awesome review HeavyMetal!

One major effect on prices in stores is the individual state excise tax. In Florida and PA, there is no excise tax. In CA the tax is 46.76% of the cost to the distributor!

A few other examples are:

Hawaii: 40% of wholesale.
CT: 20% of wholesale.
MA: 30% of price paid by the retail vendor. (Whatever that means. Sounds like wholesale to me.)
NY: 37% of wholesale.

Thank you thank you thank you.. ahhh.. i'd been wondering about this..
Do you know if these taxes apply to online orders (i've never bought online)? i'm in CA.