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Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente Short Story

Size: 4×42/49, Perfecto
 

Wrapper: African Cameroon

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

Strength: Medium

Price: Box of 25, $129.99

Grade: 9.1

A part of the Hemingway line of cigars from Arturo Fuente, the Short Story has emerged as their bestseller and, at 4×42/49, you can bet it’s an even stronger seller in the winter months that are now upon us. The Hemingway is not always the easiest cigar to come across; according to their website, this is in part due to the difficulty of rolling most of the sizes in the line and their mandated aging process. You can learn a bit more about Arturo Fuente here.

The Hemingway line is a go to for many smokers and I was happy to be gifted this Short Story by my review partner, JJ. Discussion regarding winter smoking has been abuzz on Twitter, with the Short Story coming up quite often as an excellent alternative to the usual 1-2 hour smoke. This stick took me around 35-40 minutes to burn.

So, without more detail on a stick you’ve all heard of and most likely smoked, let’s toast that foot.

Pre-light, 1.9:
This short, perfecto shaped stick is beautiful to look at and fun to hold. It has minimal veins and is excellently rolled. The foot is nicely pointed though a bit uneven. The medium dark Cameroon wrapper is highlighted by the classic Arturo Fuente red and black band. The deduction in this category comes from a soft spot that ran 1-2 inches vertically, which, in such a short stick, is a good portion. We’ll see how this affects the ash. There is a sweet cocoa aroma to the stick with a slight hint of peppermint. I’d say the Short Story has a medium to strong roast. The cold draw provides a perfect draw with a very clean and fresh tobacco taste.

Burn, 1.8:
The Short Story lit well and burned through the Perfecto foot quite nicely; I thought it was going to jag, but once it moved into the body it straightened up and maintained a razor sharp ash throughout. The ash was a pleasant white/gray color and stacked tightly until it hit the soft spot mentioned earlier. From about one inch into the smoke, the ash began to loose its hold. The draw was perfect throughout and it never burned hot, which is incredible for a thin stick that was smoked to the edge of my fingers.

Flavor, 2.7:
Cameroon wrappers are quickly becoming one of my favorite due to their combination of sweet and spicy. Up front, the Short Story produced the lightest bit of pepper with a very nice sweetness through the nose. The dominating profiles during this short toast were a sweet and clean tobacco taste with background notes of cocoa. It also had a pleasant citrus zest on the finish.

Overall, 2.7:
As the winter months approach, everyone is looking for ways to get in a smoke without committing to 1-2 hours in the elements. Having recently smoked the Oliva Special G, I’d say between the two of these smokes, I’ll be in good hands this winter. At around $5 a stick, this is a pretty good way to spend 45 minutes. The appearance was excellent, the draw was perfect, and the flavor was consistent, though I wished it had been a bit more complex. Overall, at 9.1, this is a great smoke—go toast a foot!

(Total: 9.1)