Arturo Fuente Anejo Xtra Viejo Reserva No. 8-8-8 | Cigar Reviews by the Katman
Wrapper: U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro (Aged 1 year in cognac barrels)
Binder: Dominican (Aged 3-4 years)
Filler: Dominican (Aged 3-4 years)
Size: 6.875 x 44 Lonsdale Figurado
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $15.00-$20.00
Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia Dominican Republic
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Rated 90-92 by Cigar Aficionado.
Aromas are tempered. I inhale with husky derring-do. I smell faint floral, oak, barnyard, spirits, and dark chocolate.
The airflow is a dead stick. The cigar is packed like my Uncle Larry who loves matzoh balls without the soup. It’s like #5 rebar. I use my PerfecDraw very carefully because this is a skinny cigar…and with two screws and a stab, I am now able to proceed.
First up are extreme flavors of bitter baking chocolate, spicy red pepper on the tongue, toast, and strong black coffee. There is an aftertaste of sweetness that I find typical of a maduro wrapper.
Going into this review, I was very familiar with this chestnut. The Shark (5.875 x 56) has proven to be the most popular vitola.
The strength is a solid medium body.
The liqueur aspect is a nice push behind the flavor profile. Salty pretzel appears.
The cognac is strong but smooth. The wood is lovely as well.
The spiciness is now so strong; it is making my eyes well up.
An orange sweetness shows up for the first time. And then a just a touch of cocoa and coffee.
Here they are: Spice, earthy tobacco, cocoa, coffee, oak, cognac, licorice, brown sugar, herbal notes, mesquite, vanilla, and a warm bready element. Exceptinally rich and balanced.
Complexity begins to settle in. Nice balance. And a short, but tasty, finish.
Charlotte is watching the news and doing a crossword when she says, “What is that smell?” I ask her to describe it. “It smells like flowers and Gran Marnier.”
The old bird is finally catching on.
Creaminess shows itself for the first time along with a stronger sweetness of orange citrus. The woodiness is super potent now. In fact, everything gets a kick in the pants.
The Arturo Fuente Reserva Xtra Viejo Añejo No. 48 (2009) needs a lot of humi time in order to blossom. I think a minimum of a year is appropriate.
Dreaded nicotine arrives. And with it a stronger depth of field. It is now medium/full.
The char line has required a few minor touch ups. I didn’t think dry boxing was required, but maybe I should have.
The oak and cognac have become very potent now. It is like licking the inside of an oak barrel.
This blend is a masterpiece. The complexity is rich and nearly overwhelming.
The complex nature of the blend puts the flavor elements on a spinning carousel. Each puff delivers another group of flavors.
This was a fun way to spend an hour and 45 minutes.
You can purchase Arturo Fuente cigars from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.
RATING: 94
Las Calaveras Edición Limitada 2023 | Cigar Reviews by the Katman
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5 x 50 Robusto
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $12.95
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Las Calaveras has been released yearly since 2014. I’m sure you know that this limited-edition cigar is hit or miss every year. With that, let us proceed…
This cigar once was snapped up immediately and with excitement. Over the last couple years, not so much. I’ve reviewed them all. Some were great and others didn’t tickle my nose hairs. I have smoked a couple early and I like this new release. But it’s been a month since my last stab at the cigar, so fingers crossed that this year’s release is a winner.
Aromas are typical of these leaf stats…baking spices, espresso, dark chocolate, black pepper, malt, cedar, mint, barnyard, and a touch of vanilla.
Good start. Complex notes slam into the wall and explode like sticking your head inside a hornet’s nest.
Creaminess dominates other notes of espresso, dark chocolate, malt, lovely vegetal varieties, and a wonderful tobacco symmetry.
Normally, I’m not much of a fan of Connie Broadleaf. I don’t know why but the broadleaf spectrum is too easy for a blender to use due to its plentiful availability.
But this baby is impressing me. Of course, the innards have a lot to do with this so the broadleaf may have little impact.
The char line is a thing of beauty…like a glistening ferret after it’s bath.
Strength is medium. At this point, a very nice cigar to start your day.
Despite the cigar feeling light, the burn is slow. Mikey likes.
Transitions begin with ¾” burned. 10 minutes burned.
The finish is flush with balanced richness due to smart and lucky blending of tobacco.
Flavors are creamy with just the right amount of peppery spiciness.
The flavor profile sprawls: Egg Cream (Fox’s U-Bet chocolate flavored syrup, half & half, and seltzer water), chocolate covered raisins, graham crackers, buttery Ritz Crackers, black pepper, and a very nice leavening of rich tobacco leaves doing their intended job.
My first impression of the cigar a couple weeks after receipt is holding up. This is a very nice edition of Las Calaveras. Huzzah.
Can’t tap the ash. Strong as dirt. And then it falls into my boxer shorts clad lap. It doesn’t find my slightly organic naughty bits as I keep them hidden. Still, that was close.
A very buttery cigar experience. Very creamy. A charming cigar. Nicely moderated complexity with just the right amount of depth and richness. Not even close to being a flavor bomb. It doesn’t need a bouquet of essences to be enjoyable. This is the perfect cigar for those that don’t care about deciphering the laundry list of explicit flavor notes. The cigar was born to run on just its overall presentation. Very nice.
Strength hits medium/full at the halfway point. 45 minutes.
The burn line is regimental.
I hear that Walt Disney’s frozen head will be coming up for auction. I might place a bid. Maybe price the empty cryogenic chamber as well.
Flavors are canonized. But the complexity keeps on sailing. A stream that continues to seek new depths. I’m in love.
The heat of the burn has fattened up the stick. My worries of a fast burn because of a faulty assessment detected as an under-filled cigar are exempt from common sense.
That last sentence is what happens when your brain is fakakta.
Strength hits full tilt at 3” burned. Yikes. I love a good swoon in the morning.
Every time I say Okie Dokie, young’uns look at me like I’m 300 years old.
I’m going to snag another fiver. The Pompatus of Love
.
Great cigar. 5” burned in 90 minutes.
The cool thing and totally surprising is that the price has not moved an inch from 18 months after its release.
Remember…if you buy them now, you get cigars that have been box aged for nearly two years. And only $11.66 after promo codes. Good deal.
You can purchase Crowned Heads Las Calaveras from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN,
RATING: 95
Check out Katman’s Kartel at Small Batch Cigar and score deals on cigars from My Top 32 Cigars of 2023 ~ Rated 96 or Higher! Use promo code: KATMAN for 10% off.
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
I have smoked a few of the 2024 Las Calaveras and enjoyed them. Have you smoked the 2024 edition and if so, how does it compare to the 2023?
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I have the 2024 version in queue. I smoked one too early and decided a few months naked humidor time would suit it before I review it.
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