A few weeks ago, I found a liquor store with a decent sized humidor tucked back into the corner. It had a pretty measly selection of about twenty differnt smokes–Macanudo, Red Dot Cohibas... There were two boxes of AF 8-5-8's though hidden in the shadows. Didn't spend very long looking but they appeared to have Naturals and Maduros. To my astonishment, they were priced just below MSRP.
"Yoinks!" I gasped. I had one of those (Naturals) once. I really liked it. I gotta come grab a couple. So I did, but a few weeks later, yesterday to be exact, they were down to one box. Oh, well–nats or maddies matters not to me. I reach into the box and pull out–"WTF?! It's green!" an 8-5-8 Candela.
"Damn" says I. Then, "Well, it's worth a try. I can't say I don't like 'em if I've never tried one."
I get home and decide to share the experience. Hence...
My First Ever Cigar Review: Fuente 8-5-8 Candela
Prelight
The stick feels firm, but gives slightly enough that I'm happy. What is odd though is the aroma. It takes me a good while to place the smell and I settle on "That tall straw-like grass I used to chew on while running around Oklahoma as an 11-year-old."
There's a pretty think vein running down one side but the wrapper is otherwise in tact. I forgot to take notice of how oily it was. As I cut the head with my double-guillotin, the wrapper splits along vein up to the band. "FACK!" As if it wasn't bad enough I was gonna smoke a green cigar, I had to deal with a torn wrapper. It turns out that the tear doesn't get any worse and hardly affects my puffing.
The First Inch
Mild, light-bodied flavor. There's no presence of the afformentioned "grass" smell. I think I pick up the taste of cedar. The burn quickly self-corrects for my poor lighting skills. I am surprised by an unexpected volume of smoke. I was expected less from this smaller stick. The ash is light gray with a few darker splotches along one side.
The following come to mind as I'm smoking
Granny Smith apples; the aroma of hay at a friend's horse farm in Vermont when I was a child, gummy and sour candy sold out of the back of a German dude's little hatchback on the American military base I lived on in Germany as a teenager. (German sour and gummy candy is so much better than I can get in the states)
Save the Powerbook
The flimsy ash falls off at about an inch and a half right onto my keyboard. So much for construction.
Two Inches In
The taste smoothes out and I realize I'm less 'wierded out' if I'm not looking at the damned thing and thus the taste and aroma become remeniscent of the other few AF I've had.
Through whole smoke there is a presence of natural sweetness in the taste. Not as obvious as a sugar-dipped tip (which I've had), but more like the sour sweetness from some kinds of fruit. I swear for a moment I taste cashews.
I can't get ash longer than inch and a half and it falls into my lap.
Finally, the gimmick wears off with about two inches to go. I can't help returning to the thought of "Jeebus, what I am doing? It's green!"
I knew I was taking a chance, smoking the stick straight out of the shop's humidor. Fortunately, they seemed to have a good seal and RH in the humi. I guess I lucked out in that regard.
I'll be happy to smoke the 8-5-8 again, but not with this wrapper.
In the meantime, I picked up another stick at the same shop that I know I'm going to have a good time with soon.
"Yoinks!" I gasped. I had one of those (Naturals) once. I really liked it. I gotta come grab a couple. So I did, but a few weeks later, yesterday to be exact, they were down to one box. Oh, well–nats or maddies matters not to me. I reach into the box and pull out–"WTF?! It's green!" an 8-5-8 Candela.
"Damn" says I. Then, "Well, it's worth a try. I can't say I don't like 'em if I've never tried one."
I get home and decide to share the experience. Hence...
My First Ever Cigar Review: Fuente 8-5-8 Candela
Prelight
The stick feels firm, but gives slightly enough that I'm happy. What is odd though is the aroma. It takes me a good while to place the smell and I settle on "That tall straw-like grass I used to chew on while running around Oklahoma as an 11-year-old."
There's a pretty think vein running down one side but the wrapper is otherwise in tact. I forgot to take notice of how oily it was. As I cut the head with my double-guillotin, the wrapper splits along vein up to the band. "FACK!" As if it wasn't bad enough I was gonna smoke a green cigar, I had to deal with a torn wrapper. It turns out that the tear doesn't get any worse and hardly affects my puffing.
The First Inch
Mild, light-bodied flavor. There's no presence of the afformentioned "grass" smell. I think I pick up the taste of cedar. The burn quickly self-corrects for my poor lighting skills. I am surprised by an unexpected volume of smoke. I was expected less from this smaller stick. The ash is light gray with a few darker splotches along one side.
The following come to mind as I'm smoking
Granny Smith apples; the aroma of hay at a friend's horse farm in Vermont when I was a child, gummy and sour candy sold out of the back of a German dude's little hatchback on the American military base I lived on in Germany as a teenager. (German sour and gummy candy is so much better than I can get in the states)
Save the Powerbook
The flimsy ash falls off at about an inch and a half right onto my keyboard. So much for construction.
Two Inches In
The taste smoothes out and I realize I'm less 'wierded out' if I'm not looking at the damned thing and thus the taste and aroma become remeniscent of the other few AF I've had.
Through whole smoke there is a presence of natural sweetness in the taste. Not as obvious as a sugar-dipped tip (which I've had), but more like the sour sweetness from some kinds of fruit. I swear for a moment I taste cashews.
I can't get ash longer than inch and a half and it falls into my lap.
Finally, the gimmick wears off with about two inches to go. I can't help returning to the thought of "Jeebus, what I am doing? It's green!"
I knew I was taking a chance, smoking the stick straight out of the shop's humidor. Fortunately, they seemed to have a good seal and RH in the humi. I guess I lucked out in that regard.
I'll be happy to smoke the 8-5-8 again, but not with this wrapper.
In the meantime, I picked up another stick at the same shop that I know I'm going to have a good time with soon.
