CRQuarto
Brrraaaiiinnnsss.....
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2009
- Messages
- 1,850
Arturo Fuente Anejo No. 77 "The Shark"
Size: 5 7/8" x 64 rg
Wrapper: Connecticut Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium
Well, here it is, the third and last of the Anejo's Greg was kind enough to send me! I've been chomping at the bit to fire this baby up, and of course the week that I had my heart set to do the review I came down with a nasty cold, thus rendering me unable to taste anything. I patiently...ahh who am I kidding, I was extremely eager to get over the bug and smoke this thing!
Today I went out and picked up a new french press, grinder, and a nice breakfast blend of beans to enjoy with this cigar. When I got home, after cleaning everything, I brewed a fresh cup of coffee, grabbed my instruments of destruction, "The Shark", and headed outside. It was a beautiful late afternoon, and the temperature had dropped enough to be pleasant, especially with a nice breeze blowing keeping it cool. I began my inspection, and was immediately struck by how unique the shape of this vitola is. The foot was well bunched, contained by a beautiful, dark, leathery maduro wrapper that had an array of veins and very little tooth. This was punctuated by a sharply pointed tip of impeccable construction, that I cut at an angle a-la Greg. I smelled the foot and got a huge whiff of barnyard! Whew! I like it! The prelight draw didn't reveal any discernable flavors, but was slightly on the tight side, so I clipped another small bit off and it was perfect after that. I slowly roasted the foot until it was evenly lit, then took a couple quick puffs over the flame to get it burning nice and strong. On exhaling through the mouth and nose, I was greeted with a wonderful black coffee (I hadn't taken a sip of my coffee yet even!), vanilla, rich tobacco and what I thought might be a burned hickory. Delicious! :love: The body was not full as I expected, but a perfect medium, and the finish was long and rich. The burn going into the first third was slightly wavy, but self corrected, and revealed a tight, light gray ash that held on perfectly until knocked off at an inch. The amount of smoke produced was fairly light, but packed with flavor so I won't ding it for that! 
As I reached the beginning of the second third, I started to taste the cognac from the barrels these are aged in, it was very subtle but definitely there. I was still surprised at how mellow and smooth this cigar was, as I had believed it would lay me out. I kept thinking, "Ok, it must be building up to jump up and bite me..." This is a very, very good cigar! I can see the hype surrounding this stick is very much deserved. The flavors were slowly evolving with every inch burned, with notes of chocolate, walnuts, and a delicious cinnamon sweetness. The finish was still rich, long, and lip smacking good! I was also surprised that I found very, very little spice on both the palate and when exhaling through the nose. Not a bad thing, just surprising. The smoke was very sweet and I found myself constantly taking small whiffs of it.
As I progressed into the final third, the flavor profile kept changing back and forth between the first and second thirds, with not a bit of harshness ever rearing its ugly head. I took it down to less than an inch, and it stayed incredibly cool, though I finally had to put it down as I had to start getting ready to leave for work. All in all, I would have to say that this stick definitely beat the 50 and 55 hands down, though at the price point comparison I would favor the 55. This is certainly something I will be keeping a few of in the humidor to enjoy when the mood strikes me. Thank you very, very much Greg for taking me on this journey through the great Anejo line. You are a true botl, and I hope I can repay the favor someday. :thumbs:
*Edit* Grr, too many pictures!
Size: 5 7/8" x 64 rg
Wrapper: Connecticut Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium
Well, here it is, the third and last of the Anejo's Greg was kind enough to send me! I've been chomping at the bit to fire this baby up, and of course the week that I had my heart set to do the review I came down with a nasty cold, thus rendering me unable to taste anything. I patiently...ahh who am I kidding, I was extremely eager to get over the bug and smoke this thing!
Today I went out and picked up a new french press, grinder, and a nice breakfast blend of beans to enjoy with this cigar. When I got home, after cleaning everything, I brewed a fresh cup of coffee, grabbed my instruments of destruction, "The Shark", and headed outside. It was a beautiful late afternoon, and the temperature had dropped enough to be pleasant, especially with a nice breeze blowing keeping it cool. I began my inspection, and was immediately struck by how unique the shape of this vitola is. The foot was well bunched, contained by a beautiful, dark, leathery maduro wrapper that had an array of veins and very little tooth. This was punctuated by a sharply pointed tip of impeccable construction, that I cut at an angle a-la Greg. I smelled the foot and got a huge whiff of barnyard! Whew! I like it! The prelight draw didn't reveal any discernable flavors, but was slightly on the tight side, so I clipped another small bit off and it was perfect after that. I slowly roasted the foot until it was evenly lit, then took a couple quick puffs over the flame to get it burning nice and strong. On exhaling through the mouth and nose, I was greeted with a wonderful black coffee (I hadn't taken a sip of my coffee yet even!), vanilla, rich tobacco and what I thought might be a burned hickory. Delicious! :love: The body was not full as I expected, but a perfect medium, and the finish was long and rich. The burn going into the first third was slightly wavy, but self corrected, and revealed a tight, light gray ash that held on perfectly until knocked off at an inch. The amount of smoke produced was fairly light, but packed with flavor so I won't ding it for that! As I reached the beginning of the second third, I started to taste the cognac from the barrels these are aged in, it was very subtle but definitely there. I was still surprised at how mellow and smooth this cigar was, as I had believed it would lay me out. I kept thinking, "Ok, it must be building up to jump up and bite me..." This is a very, very good cigar! I can see the hype surrounding this stick is very much deserved. The flavors were slowly evolving with every inch burned, with notes of chocolate, walnuts, and a delicious cinnamon sweetness. The finish was still rich, long, and lip smacking good! I was also surprised that I found very, very little spice on both the palate and when exhaling through the nose. Not a bad thing, just surprising. The smoke was very sweet and I found myself constantly taking small whiffs of it.
As I progressed into the final third, the flavor profile kept changing back and forth between the first and second thirds, with not a bit of harshness ever rearing its ugly head. I took it down to less than an inch, and it stayed incredibly cool, though I finally had to put it down as I had to start getting ready to leave for work. All in all, I would have to say that this stick definitely beat the 50 and 55 hands down, though at the price point comparison I would favor the 55. This is certainly something I will be keeping a few of in the humidor to enjoy when the mood strikes me. Thank you very, very much Greg for taking me on this journey through the great Anejo line. You are a true botl, and I hope I can repay the favor someday. :thumbs:
*Edit* Grr, too many pictures!
