I threw two reviews together. The plan was to make them short. Maybe next time…

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Bull | Cigar Reviews by the Katman
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: 3.5 x 55 Short Robusto
Strength: Medium
Price: $12.80 in 2023

My cigars received 6 months of naked humidor time.
Who has them? PCA retailers.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:

The wrapper’s aromas are heady with limber notes of soothing floral, sautéing butter, hot cocoa, and a touch of barnyard.

I am averse to cutting such a fine-looking cap. But since this isn’t an art show, I use my PerfecPunch to get me a souvenir of that itty bitty bull’s eye. No idea how I’m going to hold my elongated nutsack and take a photo simultaneously, but I’ll figure it out. This flagrant plug cost Dr. Rod a measly $1.37.

The cold draw is full of black pepper, peppermint, cotton candy, and more dark chocolate.

You must be exceptionally careful when lighting a cigar only 3” long. My Macaw sized nose hangs in perpetuity.

The cap is sweetened…a nice surprise as Welch’s grape jelly, geraniums, and caramel snag a bite of my palate.

I never use the term ‘nice smoke output’. I’m engulfed in what seems like the aftershock from a smoke grenade. Nice smoke output.

Delicious from lift off. Earthy in a good way, not like your grandson telling you that your bathroom smells like day old marmot schmaltz.

Immediately, I wish I bought more.

It has been reported that the North Korean soldiers, sent to Ukraine to help their ally, Russia, have been going bat shit crazy over their first time freedom to access the internet. Porn sites are crashing because the Pyongyang military boys have gone gaga over something they feel is sorely missing in their lives. Do I sense mass quantities of asylum seekers are in the making?

This is the perfect ceegar for a short review. Peppery with Jewish rye overtones…I crave good corned beef. Not much of a pastrami fan…too salty. But I do love good mustard. My favorite mustard was the kind generously squirted on our Dodger dogs when we were kids.

A good balance of sweet v. savory. Errorless. The Fuente folks know how to farm that Dominican tobaccy. Too many cigars at twice this price are only half as good.

Surprisingly slow burn. Like Steve Martin being told his nose is a huge probascunoid.

I’ve been to only one bona fide rodeo. It was in Dodge City, Kansas. It wasn’t for tourists. It was for, and by, the locals. It was very cool…until a bull collapsed and went silent. You could hear a pin drop. Vets attended the still animal. A long couple of minutes passed…and then the defiant bull rose to its feet with snot flying a country mile. Its human helpers scattered. Huge applause. I felt relieved that the bull would fight another day…with its nuts tied up to his asshole to get him to buck. You do that to me…I pulled into Nazareth.

The stiff cigar band comes off easily. I dislike the thin rice papery ones that cause minor disturbances.

Halfway through, the complexity reaches ne plus ultra. The medium strength makes it a perfect Sunday morning cigar. I miss the ability to dangle this participle, but I make do.

The balance of this curated shrub is in full swing. Not enough length for real traction of transitions, but there was definitive forward progression…it did not dillydally. A chockablock approach to richness. And just enough complexity to make this very snobby reviewer happy as a clam.

There is minimal interference from untoward rank reducing incidents that might otherwise affect the balanced flavor profile. Transitions are slow but accurate. My palate is wide awake. It soaks up platitudes like bread soaks up gravy. Very free and easy blend.

Despite being short in the pantywaist, the cigar is an excellent 60-minute smoke. I would certainly not choose to smoke this diminutive cigar in a vehicle because God gave you the fore knowledge that it will eventually slip from the lips and into your lap.

Great cigar.

RATING: 93

Southern Draw Decennium | Cigar Reviews by the Katman
Wrapper: Brazilian Arapiraca
Binder: Dominican Criollo ‘98
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 46 Lonsdale
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $15.00
Quantities Released: 15,000 Three Packs.

BACKGROUND:
From Southern Draw:
“Introducing the splendid – DECENNIUM, Latin for a ten-year period and our first milestone cigar release since the very popular LUSTRUM in 2019. An amazing new blend featuring a carefully selected dark Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper (known as “Green Gold” in the municipality that produces this wrapper), a rare collaboration that has been produced under the watchful eyes of Ms. Sandy Cobas and Mrs. Giselle Herrera at the award winning and highly acclaimed El Titan de Bronze factory in beloved Little Havana. Bunched and rolled by select Level 9 rollers, you know what that means – simply the best cigars we can produce – only the most experienced hands have constructed this perfectly blended offering. DECENNIUM is more than worthy of celebrating our 10 years of service. Having personally known Ms. Sandy since her factory opened, we have taken the last 10 years to plan and execute this production and we are honored to finally share it with you.”

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
The million ways to enjoy a cigar starts with shoveling schnoz to wrapper and breathing deep. There is a mallard’s worth of dark caramel, darker honey, darkest blackberries, the darkest chocolate, and the wild flapping of my spice cabinet’s wings. This is one of the best smelling cigars I’ve huffed. Amazing.

Excellent resistance when lips dry inhale the punched opening. I kick my PerfecDraw to the curb. $1.37 removed from my account. I taste homemade brownies.

Fire away and fall back.

I’m home. I love Robert Holt long time. I recognize this flare. I recognize this serious awareness of what a smoker craves. First puffs can be grandiose in the right hands. The man never runs on empty. Am I right or am I right?

Strong dark chocolate. Trying to edge out first impression is rich espresso, smoked almonds, a strong nougaty presence, burnt caramel, clotted cream, bright tart lemon rind without being sour, and the slightest aroma of honeysuckle.

Drummer Hal Blaine sat down at his kit. He reached into his stick bag and pulled out sheet music. He motioned with his head for me to step into his private space. “Phil, take a look at this.” It was a drum chart for Hal, written in Paul Simon’s hand, for ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water.’ I looked up at Hal. Big smile. I stared without blinking…I couldn’t believe my blind luck that I was about to record an album with this legend…a bassist’s dream come true…the man was brilliant. He requested that I let go of his chart…I eventually complied.

Spicy cigar. But with a counterbalance of sweet creaminess. My lips sting from the rich flavor of the wrapper. A wonderful woodiness that reminds me of being in the wild where you put a small twig in your mouth to pass the minutes…it tastes like everything you’re eagle eyeing in the mountainous expanse of Wyoming.

The spiciness mellows nicely after the first couple of inches. It splits like an atom and shares the collider with cinnamon and nutmeg riding the back of sweet almond. This is exceptionally nice. Red pepperiness engages in a seductive way that welcomes the debut of subtle creaminess.

This blend embodies complexity. The mouth feel is luxuriant.

The dark chocolate is masterful. Coffee with amaretto is amused. The lemon tartness becomes candied. Cinnamon and caramel are Mutt & Jeff. A toasty spiciness akin to rye dipped in chili crisp. A tiny hint of honey smeared over a Nilla Wafer slants the profile towards a sweeter savoriness.

Someday, when your grandkids ask, “Grandpa. Do you remember when you could buy a cigar for less than $100?” You remove the $50 Quorum from your lips… ‘Nope. Who exactly are you?’

Construction is perfect. The burn line is constitutional.
The whole exceeds its parts. Just lovely.

I would smuggle half an ounce of hashish in the electronics recess underneath the pick guard of my Fender Precision bass guitar. But I was smart. I never carried the bass across the border of Holland or France. It was in the 18-wheeler with all the gear. At the end of one English Channel crossing, I misguidedly let the roadies in on my evil deed. The ensuing firestorm simulated Dresden on a bad day. I promised not to do it again. Ha. I did do it again. A lot. For personal use only…last thing I needed was to get nabbed selling hash in a foreign country…they don’t fuck around. Stewart Copeland and I were high all the time. Good times. It was the 70’s.

The second half is all about carrot cake from the gods. This blend is manna.

Sassafras…the beginnings of root beer. This is the morphology I taste. Knott’s Berry Farm. On my break from driving the Cordelia K steamboat, I’d run over to the candy shop and buy sassafras licorice. Damn. 1969. Raucous times. Unrest. Outcries. Not a great time for this great country. My father was a WWII D-Day vet, and yet he refused to allow me to fight in Vietnam. He sent a doctor’s report to the draft board explaining I had suffered from gout since the age of 13…I truly spent my teen years crippled from the disease. When the Selective Service letter arrived after finishing college, I knew I’d be assigned 1A status. Instead, I was designated 4F. Serving is honorable but being sent to die needlessly for distorted political reasons can never be forgiven…we were supposedly stopping communism. My Vietnam vet friends that are battling multiple cancers from Agent Orange and tormented by PTSD will avow to this. To everything, turn, turn, turn.

Imagine how good this cigar will be after another 6 months of humi time.

Robert Holt has again shown that he understands art. This is a helluva blend. There’s time to get more. But I shan’t shillyshally.

You can purchase the Southern Draw Decennium from sponsor Small Batch Cigar (10% off with promo code KATMAN).

RATING: 93

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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar reviews, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, Double Trouble ~ Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Bull & Southern Draw Decennium | Cigar Reviews by the Katman, katman, phil kohn