Cigar Weekly

The Arturo Fuente line is the backbone of the Fuente cigar business. Well-made cigars in popular sizes for a reasonable price define the line. The line is named for Arturo Fuente, who started in the cigar business at the turn of the century. Carlos, Sr, his son and Carlos, Jr., his grandson have built Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia into the largest privately held cigar company in the world.

The proof is in the cigars. The filler and binder come from the Dominican Republic. The natural wrapper is Cameroon, while the maduro wrapper is Connecticut Broadleaf.

Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia makes the Arturo Fuente cigars in six different factories in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Pre-Smoke Comments

David Dean (ÞYogi): Medium brown corona with a veiny wrapper and a firm roll. Pre light aroma was not particularly appealing.

David W. Strickler, Jr. (The Grand Wazoo): #126 was a brown sort of pyramid 5.25 X 44 to 50. The wrapper was quite veiny, but otherwise smooth with an oily feel. The cigar was very firm and well packed. The cap looked like an afterthought. The pre-smoke aroma was very pleasing, which worried me somewhat, as many good smelling cigars don't smoke worth a hoot and many horrible smelling cigars smoke excellently. The construction was excellent except for the veiny wrapper and the funky cap.

Glen Pirnie (LabRat367): Rough, numerous blemishes, irregular cap, and pronounced flaring at the foot stands out right away. Not a real beauty to look out. A firm, but not hard roll. Both samples were the same. Dull looking texture and sheen(or lack of sheen).

Jeffery Scharn (Iron Bar): The appearance of the cigar was nice. A corona with very small veins, no soft spots, and a nice rich EMS to maduro looking wrapper with a light sheen. The cap was a tad ragged on both samples but I can overlook this. It has a nice pre-light aroma.

Richard Lambert (Double Maduro): Interesting looking cigars nice even color, little veining and decent cap. Not much prelight aroma. One of them was very hard the other had some soft spots, especially at the foot.

Richard Tear (slugbugman): A little smaller than I usually smoke. 5 1/4 X 42 veiny, oily wrapper. One had a smooth cap, one rough. They both had a firm feel. Good construction.

Robert Short (BogieMan): One cigar was beautiful and the other was pretty ugly as cigars go. Both were deep brown with one having a bit more veins than the other. The cap on one was imperfect while the other was much better condition. I measured these at just about 5 1/8 inches long and I would say 46 to 48 ring size. Construction was pretty good all but the one cap and had a nice firm feel to it.

Smoke Comments

David Dean (ÞYogi): One dimensional, Bitter, with a hint of woodiness that was soon smothered by the bitterness. I would guess an Indonesian wrapper or binder.

David W. Strickler, Jr. (The Grand Wazoo): The very 1st puff had an excellent taste to it that immediately backed off for the first 1/3 of the cigar before mostly returning for the remaining 2/3. The burn was excellent as was the draw and the volume of smoke was ample. The grey ash held together very well for 2" and any ash under 1" had to be coaxed off. It's a medium bodied cigar that left a little bite on the tongue when it got short. It had no objectionable qualities but lacked some flavor that could've made this a must have.

Glen Pirnie (LabRat367): Good light, excellent burn, excellent draw, and volumes of smoke. Smokes way better than it looks. Not gonna bowl you over in the flavor department, but keeps you interested. One dimensional, but still overall finish is not totally disagreeable. Definitely for the mild mannered smoker. Good morning or mid morning cigar.

Jeffery Scharn (Iron Bar): Lighting was easy and it drew very well throughout. The burn was very even. Ash was medium gray and flaked easily. Coal burned flat on both samples. No problems with burn at all and they stayed lit quite well. Aroma and flavor were agreeable but a tad on the harsh side. It was also a little one dimensional. It was very earthy with a slightly woody aftertaste. Classic "cigar" flavor all the way down, but lost points due to the harshness that came with it. The wrapper had a slightly sweet taste.

Richard Lambert (Double Maduro): The first cigar was so tight that it was hard to smoke and provided very little flavor and the flavor was grassy. The second cigar had some runners and the wrapper split at the foot. The flavor while being grassy was also extremely bitter.

Richard Tear (slugbugman): both smoked a little too mild for me, but both had a good flavor and a nice firm ash. One had a good even burn and one was somewhat uneven, but not too bad.

Robert Short (BogieMan): I liked this cigar. It started out with an herbal sweetness that developed nicely into a spicier second half. It had plenty of smoke with a medium strength that was full of flavor. Just over half way it run a bit on one side but evened out nicely. It held its firmness nicely. The only thing I did not like was that the ash, which was gray in appearance, was a bit on the flaky side. I could fit this cigar into my morning rotation for my breakfast smoke.

Summary Comments

David Dean (ÞYogi): Began with a hint of woodiness that was overwhelmed by a bitter taste and aftertaste, burn was excellent, 2 inch solid white ash, too bad the taste was so bad for a well made cigar.

David W. Strickler, Jr. (The Grand Wazoo): Enjoyed the 2nd sample more than the 1st. The 1st seemed to have a bit of a grassy taste that I didn't notice in the 2nd, but this could've been due more to perception on different days than any inconsistency in the 2 samples. Construction was good and consistent on the 2 samples (veins and cap notwithstanding). This cigar didn't excite me, but it didn't offend either. A little more fullness of flavor could make an exciting cigar. It was an above avg. cigar, but not too far above avg.

Glen Pirnie (LabRat367): No where near a great cigar, but adequate in the flavor department for a mild side smoker, who doesn't mind the somewhat less than premium looks. Far better cigars out there

Jeffery Scharn (Iron Bar): In summary this was an average cigar for me. It wasn't totally unpleasant, and with both samples I smoked them both down quite a ways before laying them aside. Character was rather common, body was medium, and overall I'd rate it a good cigar. Probably not something I would smoke in the regular rotation though. I wonder if this cigar would improve with some age.

Richard Lambert (Double Maduro): With the consistency problems I encountered and the lack of good flavor, I doubt that I would buy these.

Richard Tear (slugbugman): Not a powerhouse of a cigar, but they were both good cigars, construction was good and the flavors were not outstanding. I would smoke this cigar to mow the yard or cooking on the grill, but I wouldn't want to spend 30 minutes relaxing pool side with this cigar.

Robert Short (BogieMan): I found this cigar to be a pretty tasty. I liked the almost elegant bouquet when I lighted the cigar and the way it developed to more robust spiciness. This cigar supplies the change needed in my rotation to keep the variety in there. I would recommend this cigar for even the hardiest of smokers, even though it is not hi on the strength list, as well as the folks who like a milder cigar. I do not think you will be too disappointed!

Scores

Review Results
Final Score: 33.2 out of 50

3 1/2 Stars -- Above Average          

The Fuente Cuban Corona usually offers that classic spicy and sweet flavor combination typical of Cameroon-wrapped Dominican cigars. However, only a couple reviewers enjoyed this cigar. Most found it too mild and one-dimensional -- when it wasn't bitter, that is. The construction and appearance also left much to be desired, with rough, irregular caps and numerous blemishes. The Gran Reserve line is one of the least expensive of the Fuente lines and the Cuban Corona doesn't receive the very best tobaccos available, nor the most expert rollers. I can't argue with the construction problems, but as someone that has literally smoked hundreds of Cuban Coronas, I don't believe this particular box was representative of the Fuente Cuban Corona. While always a mild cigar, they are usually much more flavorful.