Big thanks to my buddy Andymiami for the opportunity to try a new cigar . Thanks Andy

Appearance & Construction: 12 of 15
This 4x44 cigar was severly pressed and had a very nice looking Maduro wrapper with good sheen and small veins. The cap however, did leave something to be desired.

Smoking Characteristics: 20 of 25
The cap on this cigar was difficult to clip, but with some care is workable. The draw on this little cigar is amazing producinglush, voluminous clouds of smoke which were suprisingly cool for such a small cigar. The burn was uneven and needed to be touched up a few times and the cigar held its ash for a solid inch.

Flavors: 20 of 25
Initially, this cigar had a nice baked cinnamon flavor with a slight glazed sweetness and a very creamy smoke. After abou the 1st half inch though, the flavors pretty much dissappeared. The creamyness of the smoke stayed throughout and a hint of the sweetness but overall there was not much flavor to be found. Near the end it also had a mineral note to it. Deffinately a mild cigar.

Overall Impressions: 30 of 35
Overall this cigar was just too mild for me. It was deffinately made well, especially for its small stature, but lacked too much in the flavor department. because of the mildness, it would probably be a good maduro for a newbie.

Total Score: 82

Nice review Smokie. You'd imagine with a name like "Fuerte" that it would be a little stronger than you described...

Good job Smokie, I have a African Fuerta that Im going to review later.

I think these would be a little better with a little more humidor time...say at least a couple of months. From what Andy tells me the store's humidity just didn't seem to be right, so I'm going to give me some time to even out.

Mike

Yup, I would agree with what Mike said. Now, I don't know if that would make it any stronger, but it would definitely give it a chance to balance out. Between the state they were in at the shop and the mailing, they were definitely not at the top of their game.
I'm gonna let mine sit for a while too.

C'mon Smokie!!! You gotta postpone that gratification for a bit!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by andymiami:
Yup, I would agree with what Mike said. Now, I don't know if that would make it any stronger, but it would definitely give it a chance to balance out. Between the state they were in at the shop and the mailing, they were definitely not at the top of their game.
I'm gonna let mine sit for a while too.

C'mon Smokie!!! You gotta postpone that gratification for a bit!!!!

I'm a glutton with no will power, what can I say?

quote:

Originally posted by Bluesky5553:
I think these would be a little better with a little more humidor time...say at least a couple of months. From what Andy tells me the store's humidity just didn't seem to be right, so I'm going to give me some time to even out.

Mike

Some emore humi time would have probably drummed up a couple more points in the burn department, but my main issue was not the balance of flavors, just the seeming lack of them.

That's not even close to how I would describe the maduros. It's not their best, but they are usually hefty on flavor.

The problem with many perceptions of "flavor" is that it is often associated with the tar sticks that most NC maduros are.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sobek,

Great review smokie. Too bad about the smoke though. I hear those are supposed to be very good. Maybe it was just a bum stick or something. It could also be that poor storage at the shop ruined them. Doesn't smokeall carry those from time to time?

Could have been a bum stick or that it was a good stick that was ruined at the shop. Either way, when I smoked it that's exactly how I'd describe it and I'd have no problem doing so again. There's no confusion at all about what "flavor" is .

Well I won't get into the fine points here, but i think some of you cc smokers will agree that perceptions of flavor for many NC smokers is more about total sensation (the slight burn rather than spiciness + the char taste + sooty taste) rather than the actual flavors.

I smoked the African Fuerte last night and it was full of flavor, but rather mild and had a very short finish. The aroma was great and construction was perfect. Cedar, chocolate, and that soft spicey taste of Cameroon wrapper. Very tasty, but just wish that taste would have lasted a bit longer. I have another one I'll revisit in a couple months.

Thanks Andy

Ive yet to dig into mine yet, this sickness has postponed my cigar smoking. I have a review on this stick coming up if PMP dont beat me to it.