Arturo Fuente Casa Fuente

Double Robusto

This stick was part of a very generous gift from b4z00k4 a few months back. I promised him I’d review this one and another I have yet to review. The Casa Fuente is a special line from Arturo Fuente that is only sold at the Casa Fuente cigar bar in Las Vegas. The blend is the same as the Opus X, but instead of the Dominican Rosado Opus X wrapper, the Casa Fuente uses a specially aged Cameroon wrapper. I’m a sucker for good Cameroon, and absolutely no one does Cameroon quite like Fuente. To say I’ve been looking forward to smoking this cigar would be an understatement.

Statistics

Shape: Parejo







Size: 5.75″ x 52







Country of Origin: Dominican Republic







Wrapper: Cameroon







Binder: Dominican







Filler: Dominican







Color: Colorado-maduro

Colorado-maduro





Strength: Medium







Price Paid: Trade

Trade





Smoke Date: May 14, 2014

May 14, 2014





Age: 2 years

Accessories Used

Xikar Xi3 STK Titanium Black cutter, Xikar EX Windproof Lighter Brushed Silver, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Anxi “Ben Shan” Varietal Green Dragon loose leaf Chinese oolong tea served in a Japanese Blue Dragonfly teapot and Chinese glazed ceramic “Small Flock” large cup. The tea was honey-sweet with large floral influence. This ended up being a fantastic pairing. The tea was bold enough to stand up to the cigar and not be completely overwhelmed, while staying subdued enough to let me taste the cigar–after all, I’m not reviewing the tea here. (Although…hmmmm.)

Appearance/Nose

The Cameroon wrapper was dark and smooth, with minimal veins. There were a few tiny water spots, which is not unusual for Cameroon wrappers. A bit of Fuente’s trademark “snail snot” glue was visible on the wrapper near where the band was connected. The band itself was quite ornate in brown, orange, and gold. There was an orange ribbon on the foot of the cigar. The wrapper smelled like salted caramel and oolong tea. The foot smelled like dates and dried cherries.

Construction

The wrapper was smooth and tightly rolled. The stick felt firm and springy throughout without any apparent hard or soft spots. The cap was a lackluster single cap, which I wouldn’t expect on a cigar that retails for absurd prices (though I gather most cigars are overpriced on the Las Vegas Strip). I was slightly worried about the excess glue, and that it might be difficult to remove the band without tearing the wrapper. The burn wobbled a bit in the first half-inch, but straightened itself out quickly and burned perfectly after that. The ash was light and dark gray, and very flaky. I’m sure it would have held on longer under normal conditions, but I tapped it off every inch or so because it was an unusually windy day, and I didn’t want to the wind to beat me to it. Flakes were flying everywhere though and the ash did not hold together well after coming off.

Cold Draw

After a perfect guillotine cut, the draw was wide open–looser even than I would have preferred, and that’s pre-flame. The flavor was peppery with a hint of sweet raisin on the finish.

Smoking

First third

The first puff greeted me with intense black pepper. The finish had a sweet and savory buttery quality to it likely due to the aged Cameroon leaf.

The pepper died down quickly, though it was still showcased quite nicely in the retrohale. The filler flavors began to emerge. I tasted sweet and tart raisins and dried cherries. They were wrapped in a butter-and-honey crust.

The age of the Cameroon wrapper was quite apparent, as I could detect notes of that musty complexity that makes aged tobacco taste so great.

The smoke production was high, and the draw, which I had initially feared would be too loose, was perfect.

The primary flavors stayed constant throughout the first third: pepper, tart cherries, and honey-butter.

Second third

The flavors mellowed a bit, with the spice dying down in the second third. The strength was no pushover though, with me already feeling quite a buzz after only the first third.

The rich aged tobacco flavor grew a bit more prominent, as the pepper and fruity notes backed off a bit. This was a very slow burning cigar. Not even half way through the stick I hit the 1 hour mark.

The even burn was especially impressive given the slowness of it. The flavor shifted back and forth between honey/aged tobacco and dried dates and cherry.

Final third

The final third began at about an hour and a half in. The flavor had mellowed even further at this point, with the pepper being gone entirely. The rich Cameroon flavor had notes of tea, honey, and a buttery finish. The tartness had mostly disappeared too, though there were still notes of cherry and date.

The band came off cleanly without any issues. On a side note, I love the extra-thick paper that Fuente uses on their bands. It makes it incredibly easy to pull off the band without tearing it (although the amount of glue they use sometimes makes it difficult to protect the wrapper).

Towards the end, the fruit flavors disappeared completely, leaving the aged tobacco and honey flavors as the primary notes. In the nub, a new, rosary flavor emerged, tasting like buttered toast.

Just when I was about to put it down too, causing my interest to renew and making me nub it out until I singed my fingers.

Notes

Draw: Open

Open





Body: Full

Full





Primary Flavors: Black pepper, tart cherry, honey, aged tobacco

Black pepper, tart cherry, honey, aged tobacco





Smoke Output: Full

Full





Smoke Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Overall

The flavor of this cigar reminded me very much of an Opus X, particularly in the first half. The Cameroon wrapper lent a little more complexity at the cost of spice (though not strength). Personally, I prefer the Casa Fuente profile to the Opus X one, but not enough to pay double and have to hunt down a cigar that is exclusive to a single shop. I was expecting a sort of 50-50 combination of the Don Carlos line and Opus X lines. It ended up being more like a 90-10 split in favor of Opus in the first half, gradually transitioning to about 70-30 with Don Carlos dominating. The construction was fantastic and it smoked beautifully, even on a rather windy day. I would definitely recommend trying one of these just to try it, especially if you are a fan of Cameroon wrappers, Opus X, or especially if, like me, you are a fan of both. This was a fantastic smoke, with the long smoking time and heavy strength making it perfect for a special occasion. My only gripes are the price and the limited availability, otherwise these would find a regular home in my humidor for certain.

Rating