Boutique Wednesday Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente Hemingway Between the Lines
Posted by toasted on Mar 17, 2010 in Reviews | 10 comments
Size: 4 1/4×46, Perfecto
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade and Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Mild/Medium
Price: $13/single (MSRP), sold in boxes of 25
Grade: 8.4
This review comes courtesy of Cigars Direct. The next time you’re looking for a rare cigar, check them out.
From the Hemingway line, the Between the Lines is a very unique and hard to find cigar. The perfecto shaped cigars from Arturo Fuente supposedly come from only one roller due to the difficulty of the shape and it is estimated that only 2,500 BTL’s are produced each year. The barber poll roll is great to look at and ads some great character to the already interesting shape. However, due to the cigar’s rarity, it receives astronomical price hikes online.
In my opinion, there is nothing more distasteful and harmful in the cigar industry than seeing a cigar soar up to three times its MSRP simply because of availability. A cigar created to retail at $13 is suddenly sold for up to $35 a stick, which causes expectations to be lifted beyond the manufacturer’s intentions. The whole cycle harms the industry in my opinion. During the review, I had to remind myself that I wasn’t smoking a $35 cigar, despite what online retailers charge.
Anyways, Arturo Fuente should not be blamed for creating a stick difficult to produce and thus limited in production. So, let’s get on with the toast, with the real price in mind.
Pre-light, 1.9:
What a beautiful cigar! The barber poll Connecticut wrappers created a great distinction in color and top each other fairly seamlessly. At the end of my smoke, I pulled the nubbed wrapper back and it revealed about a half inch overlay between the two wrappers. The single cap was a bit crooked, as was the final transition from the two wrappers at the foot, but overall it was a very clean cigar, especially considering the difficulty of the roll. The veins were minimal and there was one soft spot in the exact same place I identified in the Short Story (review), about a half inch long, vertically, in the middle of the smoke. The aroma on the smoke was very sweet and reminded me of maple syrup. The draw was very clean and open and the flavor was of dry wood, pencil shavings, and some dried fruit.
Burn, 1.9:
The draw was slow through the perfecto foot but opened up quickly. The burn line was razor sharp throughout and the ash created a very nice whitish-gray sheet with excellent hold, even after working through the unique foot. I probably could have held the ash to the nub but got tired of nursing it. The Fuente never got hot, even as I approached the nub, which is a great sign on such a thin smoke. The draw did tighten a bit in the final third, but it never went out. Overall, it produced an excellent burn.
Flavor, 2.3:
The flavor on the cold draw heightened my expectations; unfortunately, none of those flavors arrived. The Between the Lines remained bland throughout with no transitions whatsoever. The dominant flavors, which I had to fight to identify, were barnyard and wood, specifically hay and pencil shavings, and an almost cardboard taste stuck around for the entire smoke. The finish was also a bit dry and there was no creaminess in the smoke, which I always expect from Dominican filler. The cigar also went bitter toward the nub.
Overall, 2.3:
It is always unfortunate when you find a beautiful cigar with a near perfect burn that falls flat on the flavor. I am always more willing to overlook the exterior and burn if the flavor is there, but rarely do I see it the reverse way – I always look to flavor first. The Between the Lines failed to live up to its price, even the MSRP, and it definitely did not qualify as being worthy of a limited production cigar to me. I much prefer the Short Story to the Between the Lines. Rather than pick one of these up to smoke, I’d just stare at it a while at your local B&M, this is the best feature anyways.
(Total: 8.4)
Question of the Day: Have you had positive experiences with limited edition and hard to find cigars? Are they worth the money in your opinion?
10 comments
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I have had mixed experiences with limited edition sticks. I have a between the lines in my humidor and haven’t smoked it yet. It has two years age on it. Not sure why I just haven’t smoked it. Maybe this weekend. I think hype only gets you so far in the cigar world. I am not going to actively seek out any limited edition sticks but if I happen to find some then maybe I will purchase them.
Thanks for the review.
I’ve also had mixed experiences with hard to find & limited edition smokes. Some were worth every penny. Others were bitter disappointments. I guess the lesson is not to always believe the hype.
“Expectations Management”
Under-promise; over-deliver.
“Limited Editions” are often the opposite — they set expectations pretty high.
The Between The Lines normally show up around the Holidays. I like to pick them up and let them age a while in the humidor.
Too bad about the BTL. I might pick one up some day just for humidor decoration…lol
I’ve also had mixed experiences with HTFs and LEs. I’ve had some that were simply outstanding and others that were just “ok”. Luckily, I’ve never had one that I thought was actually bad.
My experiences with LEs have been mixed also. Some have been outstanding, while others have been a total let down.
Didn’t get to answer yesterday…My wife and I had our second child, a daughter at 11:27 yesterday. So, today we are in hospital getting ready to head home.
This is a cool cigar! To answer the question, I have never had a chance to try special editions…just getting in to the game! You can send me one if you want…haha! Have a great day!
Jason
My experiences like others with LE’s or small batch production cigars have been up and down. Some are amazing, and others fall short of the high expectation you have when you spend that extra chunk for something that appears to be “special”. Some of my favorite limited editions are the WOAM, Pepin My Father LE, La Verite 2008 Robusto, Gran Habano Gran Reserva 2008 and many others. However, I was somewhat dissapointed with some others like the AVO’s lounge, Graycliff Limitada 2010′s, Tatuaje Face, Viaje Summerfest and others.
Will I continue to seek them out? Yes, if they sound enticing…for me its worth the risk to spend the extra few dollars to try something special…this doesn’t mean its box worthy, thats why its important to purchase a single to see for yourself. Occasionally it will be an average smoke, sometimes it will be one of the best you’ve ever had and some you’ll regret spending your hard earned dollars on but I think the same goes for non-limited production sticks.
I like your site! The pictures are great and your reviews are spot on. I’ve had mixed experiences with limited edition and hard to find cigars. When you hear LE or HTF you expect to pay a premium price and have a “great” experience, however anything other than “great” leads to a bit of disappointment.
While, the BTL has always been a beautiful cigar with a razor sharp burn the flavor profile has been a bit inconsistent over the last couple of years. What’s funny is that I continue to anticipate the annual arrival in hopes of having the “great” experience I’ve had from time to time. Perhaps, I’m a sucker for this pretty cigar! Lol ; )
Bought half a dozen of these, and keep ‘em around for when time is short. They are certainly one of the prettiest cigars around, but there are other two-tones that are neat-looking, smoke well and cost less. Eye candy justifies one or two. As for having them around to smoke, I like them, and I’ve found them to be quite mild and burn almost perfectly. The flavor is really nice, though not very robust. So many reviews compare it to the AF Short Story, of which I’m a fan, and agree that the BTL is not as flavorful. Fuentes’ daughter says this is her favorite of the AF line from her visit here to New Mexico. I’d recommend having a few, and pulling one out at the end of an evening with a nightcap.