Top 10 Arturo Fuente Cigars
The Fuente family has maintained a leading presence in the premium cigar industry for generations. Their legacy began in 1887 in Cuba with the birth of Arturo Fuente. Fuente immigrated to the States in the early 1900s, eventually settling near Ybor City in West Tampa, Florida. There, Arturo established his cigar business, which by the 1920s employed 500 people who crafted cigars with Cuban tobacco. In 1924, a fire consumed the company’s cigar factory, putting Fuente out of the cigar business for the next two decades. The tragedy would interrupt but not end Arturo’s destiny as a cigar-maker.
Resilience is a considerable and recurrent theme in the family’s history. Arturo’s son, Carlos Fuente, would fundamentally revive the Fuente name and build its status as one of the most recognized brands in the premium cigar world today. Carlos Fuente, known as “Senior,” passed away in 2016, but for many decades he served as patriarch of the Fuente family. The brand’s greatest strides arrived in Carlos’ partnership with his son, Carlito Fuente, as the two advanced Arturo’s legacy and established themselves as the most prominent father-and-son cigar-making team in the world.
Today, the Fuente name appears on a portfolio that includes some of the most sought-after cigars ever created. Few connoisseurs are unfamiliar with the brand. But, if you’re a newer cigar lover or you’re curious which Fuente blends belong on your radar, we’ve outlined the top 10 Fuente cigars below.
#1 - Fuente Fuente Opus X
Fuente Fuente Opus X has been Carlito Fuente’s pride and joy for decades and for good reason. The brand debuted with immeasurable anticipation in 1995 following a wave of cigar-making naysayers who proclaimed Carlito would never succeed at growing quality wrapper in the Dominican Republic. Years of trial and error went into making Fuente Fuente Opus X. The ultra-rare cigar is procured from an all-Dominican recipe of premium aged binder and filler tobaccos beneath a coveted Dominican wrapper cultivated on the now-legendary Chateau de la Fuente estates.
#2 - Arturo Fuente Anejo
In 1998, Hurricane Georges cut a destructive swath through the Dominican Republic which took out many tobacco-curing barns at Chateau de la Fuente. The barns housed precious wrapper leaves for Fuente Fuente Opus X. Fearing a gap in Opus production, Carlito re-blended his much sought-after Opus brand with a dark and lustrous Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and dubbed the temporary replacement, Arturo Fuente Anejo, as the wrappers had been aged in cognac barrels.
Although Anejo was originally conceived to tide over Opus X fans until production levels recovered, the new Connecticut Broadleaf edition gained a tremendous following in its own right. The ultra-rare cigar delivers a rich and buttery profile of dark chocolate, molasses, and cognac tasting notes with chewy Dominican spices. Arturo Fuente Anejo is released in allocated quantities once or twice per year – usually around Father’s Day and Christmas.
#3 - Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark
The original Arturo Fuente Don Carlos debuted in 1976 and rose to become a key blend in the Fuente family’s portfolio. The cigar is named for Fuente family patriarch Carlos Fuente Sr. In 2017, a proprietary edition called Don Carlos Eye of the Shark scored 97 points and another ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title for the Fuentes. The partially box-pressed, partially rounded Belicoso is very unique and mirrors the contours of a great white shark, hence its name.
Although exact details of the blend remain undisclosed, Eye of the Shark is drawn from a toothy Cameroon wrapper leaf and a premium aged marriage of Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. Copious notes of almonds, chestnuts, leather, and cedar concentrate with sublime aroma and balance.
#4 - Arturo Fuente Hemingway
The iconic Arturo Fuente Hemingway line has been a top-selling premium cigar for many decades. The entire collection is handmade in array of intricate Figurado shapes that few brands can make at the same scale as Fuente. A Cameroon wrapper leaf enrobes a consistent core of Dominican long-filler tobaccos in the Natural version.
Cedar, coffee bean, and cinnamon notes mingle with a touch of baking spices and black pepper. The petite but bulbous Hemingway Short Story has been capturing the palates of premium cigar lovers since the 1980s. In 2018, the slightly chunkier Work of Art scored 94 points and a ‘Top 10’ ranking in Cigar Aficionado.
Arturo Fuente Hemingway Maduro is also available and features a succulent Connecticut Broadleaf. The result is a medium-bodied profile with sweeter notes of earth and dark chocolate before a vibrant, chewy finish. Add this hard-to-find Fuente to your collection when you find them for sale as they tend to go fast.
#5 - Arturo Fuente Don Carlos
The original Arturo Fuente Don Carlos set the precedent for cigars blended with Cameroon wrapper back when there were far more Cameroons on the market. The rich, complex, and medium-bodied cigar is made exclusively from a premium well-aged recipe of Dominican long-fillers underneath.
A bouquet of nougat, cinnamon, cedar, and cocoa comes out in collection of classic shapes. Indulge in a blend that’s been at the bedrock of the Fuente portfolio since the mid-1970s. The 94-rated Belicoso earned a ‘Top 5’ ranking from Cigar Aficionado in 2015.
#6 - Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva
The original Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva is handmade in a wide variety of traditional Cuban shapes in both Natural and Maduro wrapper varietals. Select sizes like the iconic Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 are also available in an oily Sun Grown wrapper leaf cultivated in Ecuador. The classic Natural edition is drafted with a Cameroon leaf while the Maduro features a dark brown Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. All three embrace a magnificent interior of signature Fuente binder and filler tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic.
Notes of cinnamon, coffee beans, and baking spices characterize the Natural blend. Dark cocoa and molasses notes emerge in the Maduro, while an amplified profile of leather, licorice, and black pepper distinguishes the Sun Grown wrapper. All three represent an excellent range of versatile Dominican tastes for an unrivaled value.
#7 - Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente
Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente is a universal must-have for every premium smokeshop. The ultra-popular blend is handmade in several formats in a range of slightly thicker ring gauges than the original Arturo Fuente line. Three wrappers are available: Natural (Connecticut Shade), Maduro (Connecticut Broadleaf), and Sun Grown (Ecuador). Every edition of Chateau Series is cedar-wrapped for enhanced aging and flavor.
In the Natural wrapper, Chateau is creamy, nutty, and approachable with notes of almonds and vanilla beans. The blend is an exceptional choice for the golf course. Chateau Maduro delivers a woody and sweet profile. Chateau Sun Grown presents peppery notes of cedar and cocoa with a medium-bodied finish. Chateau Fuente (4.5 x 50), Double Chateau Fuente (6.75 x 50), and Cuban Belicoso (5.75 x 52) are among the bestselling sizes. Chateau Fuente also reflects an amazing value at $5.70 to $8.30 per cigar.
#8 - Arturo Fuente Casa Fuente
Arturo Fuente Casa Fuente is an exclusive cigar released for the Fuente family’s Casa Fuente lounge in Las Vegas. On very rare occasions, Casa Fuente cigars can be found at special Fuente cigar events, like our annual Fuente Mania celebration at Holt’s.
Only the oldest Cameroon wrappers in the Fuente family’s possession adorn the Casa Fuente blend. A proprietary recipe of premium Dominican tobaccos rests beneath. Milky notes of cedar, cinnamon, black pepper, and cocoa mingle before an unrivaled aftertaste emerges. Cigar lovers visiting Vegas should add a visit to the Casa Fuente cigar bar to their itinerary for one of the establishment’s famous mojitos and the chance to indulge in an ultra-rare Casa Fuente cigar.
#9 - Arturo Fuente Magnum R
Arturo Fuente Magnum R is drawn from some of the Fuente family’s oldest stores of tobacco. A reddish, gingerbread-hued Sun Grown Rosado wrapper grown in Ecuador embraces an ample core of aged Dominican tobaccos.
Notes of sweet wood, chestnuts, and leather develop with luscious taste and aroma. A handful of traditional shapes offer a refined profile with a wrapper leaf with nearly a decade of age.
#10 - Arturo Fuente Casa Cuba
Blended by Carlos Fuente Sr., a dark, golden-brown Cuban-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador harbors a luscious interior of Cuban-seed binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic to create Arturo Fuente Casa Cuba. The well-rounded profile is handcrafted in a handful of classic formats.
A sweet and spicy profile of leather, cinnamon, wood, and fresh ground coffee measures up in an original and complex profile. Casa Cuba is an excellent value in the $9-10 range, but you’ll have to visit a top-tier Fuente store to find it, as the blend is not sold online.
