I decided to walk down to the community park and enjoy the nice weather with one of the Anejo's I purchased from my local B&M.
Name: Arturo Fuente Anejo Reserva #49
Size: 7.6 x 49
Country: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Wrapper: Connecticut Maduro
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This cigar has excellent construction with a dark and toothy wrapper with minimal veins. On the pre-light draw, I only really tasted a sweet tobacco flavor. It's difficult for me to detect some of the flavors from the smoke itself, let alone anything from the raw tobacco.
The cigar began with a strong pepper flavor, but mellowed out quickly into a flavorful creamy and buttery taste. Some hints of leather and sweet tobacco also came through. The burn is razor sharp and the fine white ash held for 2 inches before finally giving way.
The second 3rd mellowed even more and now produced mostly a creamy buttery flavor, almost toffee like in nature due to the sweetness of the maduro wrapper. I also detected some subtle notes of coffee. The burn started to become slightly uneven and the ash continued to hold until about 2 inches before dropping off.
On the final third the cigar picked up in strength and body, and I started getting more of a leathery tobacco flavor again, which was competing with the buttery cream that was predominant in the 2nd third. The coffee notes were still coming through, but not as often and not as strong. The burn had been at about a constant 45 degree angle for the last half of the cigar, but didn't really require any touching up. Not quite as clean as it was in the first half, but very acceptable nonetheless. Total smoke time was about 90 minutes.
In conclusion, the Anejo #49 is an excellent cigar. I also had an Opus X Belicoso last night, which was arguably slightly better flavor-wise, and a little more full in body, but can't compete in terms of value. Although different than the Opus X, the Anejo was nearly as good at a much better price point. I will definitely be selecting these over the more expensive offerings in future releases. I still have a few in my humidor, which I look forward to smoking over the next few days.
I gave it an overall score of 9/10 due to the quality and flavor of the cigar at a good value. As of right now, it's one of the best cigars I've ever had, but this could change as I increase my exposure to other brands and types of cigars. I have a God of Fire Carlito waiting for me tomorrow, so we'll see how that compares.
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Good review!
:-)
Over the course of a year, I probably smoke two, maybe three Anejos. While I don't consider them overly complex, they always boast impeccable construction and tend to be very smooth.
I've come to prefer the 49's. If you have the time, and a good friend or two to smoke with, they can be pretty enjoyable. I usually get at least two hours out of them.
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