Arturo Fuente Hemingway Between the Lines Personal History and Review
8/1/2014
I remember the first time I saw the Hemingway line. I was at BevMo, the regional wine superstore, and I had just entered into this glorious (though not, if you ask my wallet) hobby. I'm looking around their meager humidor, seeing the typical RyJs, Macanudos, and Rocky Patels, when I spotted a brand I only had vague familiarity with. Arturo Fuente, the sign stated. Hemingway Short Story, it continued. Color me intrigued.
I fancy myself a bit of a writer. A few published works, nothing major, or that paid, so I'm far from a professional. However, I couldn't pass up the chance to smoke a cigar named after such a great writer. (And the fact that short stories are my forte solidified my decision to purchase.) And, it didn't taste half bad. In fact, it tasted god-damned delicious!
I heard of the BTL right here on Puff and knew I had to get one (or a dozen). My now-fiancée was kind enough to track down a sampler including some Work of Arts as well for Christmas. I smoked one as soon as I could and stashed the other for another day. Seven months later, with a review award looming, it has become time.
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The barber pole wrapped cigar is truly evidence of the craftsmanship of cigar manufacturing. The perfecto shape further compounds the beauty and function, as lighting this cigar is as easy as the prom runner-up.
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A peppery cedar comes through immediately through the perfect draw, but as the Maduro wrapper battles for recognition, an earthy hay flavor reveals itself. I spin the cigar in my fingers, losing myself in the hypnotic twirl, until I notice the amount of glue near the band. It is quite a lot, but I make excuses for the Fuentes given the shape of the cigar and the skill it must take to create such a work of art. Dried fruit and some cream are also noticeable in the profile and I kick back to enjoy this beloved smoke.
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The burn line seems to follow the wrappers, but not enough to worry, and I remark at the undulating flavors: pepper and cedar, then earth, then a grassiness, back to cedar. The smoke is complex, but not as one might expect; there is no clear delineation of thirds, as the flavors change at will, but nothing new is added past the first inch. What you get at the beginning will rear up at the nub.
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Maybe I am biased, given the clever naming of this cigar. Yet, I haven't been tempted to have a Mark Twain yet, so there is more to it than that. This is more than a cigar, it is proof that cigars are art. By any name, this cigar is exquisite. I have only one problem with the cigar I smoked: it is the last of its kind in my humidor. If you have not experienced this cigar, you are missing a vital part of what this hobby has to offer. It is beautiful in its juxtaposition of simplicity and complexity. Perhaps those are the lines this cigar lies between
