Arturo Fuente Anejo extra #48

This 7 X 48 dark dark brown cigar is a little rustic looking.  It has some water spotting and slight tears.  It almost appears that the outer wrapper is dry, even  though I know its not.  It almost has the feel of paper mache in my hands.  The cigar came with a long cedar sleeve that covered 3/4 of the cigar.  The cigar smells of cedar and aged tobacco.  I have had this cigar resting in my humidor for around a year and a half.  This cigar is said to contain the same filler and binder as the famous OPUS X, although this has never been confirmed.

The cigar starts off with a huge sweet smokey oak flavor, its mild to medium in body.  After a few more draws a nice pepper flavor starts to come into play.  The pepper is spicy, giving me a 6-10 on the pepper scale.  Its a black pepper but very soft and very smooth.  The overall flavors are extremely smooth and creamy, no creamy flavor, but a creamy feel in the mouth.

After the first inch and a half the cigar is burning very well, razor sharp in fact.  The sweet oak stays on the palette and the black pepper is still there, although it has gone down to a 4-10 on the spice scale.  A really nice coffee flavor has taken over and is mixing really nicely with the sweet oakyness.
The smoke continues to be very creamy and smooth but is at a solid medium in body and is starting to turn up to a full.  There is no strength present at this time.

Now I'm down about four inches or so and the burn time has bee absolutely outstanding.  As I said I'm down about four inches and I am an hour or so in.  The flavors continue to be a sweet Oak, with a dominant coffee and pepper flavor burst.  The pepper is still at the 4 out of 10 on the scale.  A very nice salty coco has come into play.  It bounces between a coco and a salty caramel.  Its very, very nice and I am thoroughly enjoying this cigar. I'm also very impressed how easy the flavors are to pin point and how long they are lasting.  The flavors are playing off one another and are very complex.  The smoke has moved to a solid full body.

With about 2 and 3/4 inches remaining, the salty caramel and spice have taken over the draw and after taste flavors.  A medium strength is now present.  I dont usually feel an strength effects from cigars, but this one is starting to give me a bit of a buzz and a light headed feeling. The flavors remain very delicious and desert like.  Smoke is billowing off of the tip of the cigar and smoke production has increased dramatically.  The burn has stayed razor sharp all the way through the cigar giving me the best burn line I have ever experienced.  At about two inches the flavor started getting washed out by a warm nuttiness and I sat it down, reluctantly.  I wish I could have kept smoking this cigar for days.  But it did smoke for just over TWO HOURS!


Price: $12.50
Appearance: 88
Draw: 97
Burn: 98
Flavor: 98
Burn Time: 98

Overall Score: 96