Flor Fina 8-5-8 Vertical Tasting (Updated 5-14-07)

[Phlicker]

When I first joined the board a few months back, I was reading through the Candela reviews thread, and became interested in joining a series of reviews where I compared various cigars against one another. It then occurred to me that I had the material for performing my very own series in my humidor. I actually have several of these planned for the coming months, but I decided to start with a classic cigar from a manufacturer we've probably all had some experience with at one time or another: Arturo Fuente and their flagship vitola, the Flor Fina 8-5-8.

From vitolas.net:
(This is a quote from Carlito which relates to the 8-5-8)

"The classic Arturo Fuente, the red-and-green band, comes from my grandfather's day. He had a red band, but there was a green tax seal placed under the band, and so the ring of green showed around the red band. When the tax seal practice ended after the embargo, we created a red-and-green band for the classic Fuente brand, which was the Flor Fina 8-5-8, which is the flagship of Arturo Fuente cigars.

"And the reason I say the flagship, it is because it was the blend that my grandfather created after the Cuban embargo. That was his personal blend. But it's sad, because my grandfather never saw that blend for sale on the market. It wasn't until after my grandfather passed away that my father brought out that blend in my grandfather's honor.

"The reason he named it Flor Fina 8-5-8 was because my grandfather was 85 years old when he passed away and my father wanted the name to represent something from beginning to end. It represents the heritage and the tradition that my grandfather left us through his lifetime."

From top to bottom: Natural, Maduro, Candela (Claro), Sungrown

The picture above shows the sticks I'll be reviewing for this thread. It includes all the 8-5-8s available (or at least attainable by mere mortals...sorry, but no Rosados...even if I had one, I probably wouldn't torch it for this thread). I'll be reviewing them in order of rarity/availabilty (for the most part), so the order you see them in in the picture is the order I'll be smoking them in. Searching this forum you'll see plenty of reviews of the various 8-5-8 incarnations, but none that I saw were quite like this one, so hopefully this will be a unique reference. I'll be updating this thread as things progress, so stay tuned...this should be fun!

 

[atuck]

I will look forward to see how this progresses. Good luck! Have fun! :thumbs:

 

[cody5thou]

cant wait to read your review, have fun.

 

[rbbrock]

I've only ever smoked the Nattie 8-5-8, and plan to try the Maddie (I anticipate liking it very much) and Claro (no idea what to expect) sometime soon. I've never seen the sun grown, though, and must admit I am intrigued...

edited to add: This is a great idea; thanks for sharing it with us!

 

[FlyFish]

I bet the Claro will surprise you! Yummy yummy with a nice coffee in the AM.

8-5-8 greenies, not just for St Patty's day anymore.........

 

[Shooter]

I smoked a greenie right out of the B&M.... ACKKKKK it was nasty. Maybe I need to revisit. I look forward the reviews.

 

[Phlicker]

Flor Fina 8-5-8 Natural

Ring Gauge: 47
Length: 6.0"
Country of Origin: Dominican
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

I purchased this particular example of the most readily-available of Fuente's flagship vitola (which I gauge to be approximately the size of a Corona Gorda) during the Holidays, so it's had well over 3 months to rest at 65% RH in my "ready-to-smoke" humidor. I expected that any unevenness in moisture would have had a chance to correct itself by now. Having Easter Monday off, I popped over to the Tinder Box at about 10:30 or so to chat with my friend John and enjoy this smoke. Any thoughts I might have had about smoking outdoors were quickly dashed by the unseasonably cold weather. I've cracked one too many fragile Cameroon wrappers in cold/dry conditions, and didn't want to risk that with the first of my 4 reviews. John and I shot the breeze for awhile, then I settled in downstairs to experience this cigar.

Prelight inspection revealed a toothy wrapper with noticeable veins running through it. Nothing I haven't seen on other Fuente Cammy sticks, but I've always felt that this particular wrapper, while tasty, doesn't have that polished "finished" look of say, a Davidoff or the like. No matter. The stick is well constructed, with a firm feel and slight give. The wrapper did have a couple small cracks/imperfections, but I didn't think they'd affect my enjoyment at all. I clipped the cap with my Xikar, and took a few draws, which were very nice, but didn't hint at any particular flavors, nor did the nose reveal any discernible scents. A quick toasting of the foot with my torch, finished off by a light with a cedar match, and we were off!

The burn started off a little uneven, but quickly corrected itself. The draw was absolutely perfect, and continued that way from beginning to end. Initial impression was of a mellow, medium-bodied cigar with a pleasant, smooth taste and hints of cocoa and cedar, though no one taste really jumped out and grabbed me. The ash was a flaky medium gray with specks of black, and held on for a little over an inch before falling off. One minor touch-up was needed at this point. The middle third of the cigar picked up a little, as I started to feel a bit of twinge in the back of my throat, but all in all it remained remarkably consistent throughout the smoke. A poor labeling job caused me difficulty in removing the band from the cigar without cracking the delicate wrapper as I smoked it down to the final third. The nose of the cigar developed as the cigar burned, with a wonderful tobacco smell and whiffs of sweetness (cherry? honey?) peeking through. The burn, though not razor sharp, was fairly good from start to finish. Having only had a cup of coffee and bowl of cereal earlier in the morning, I was forced to let the cigar go out with about an inch remaining (a mistake I will not repeat in subsequent reviews). Total smoking time was approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

At $4 a stick (actually less than that as I bought it before the price increase), you really can't go wrong with this smoke. While not subtle or complex, this cigar is remarkably consistent and is really all about the blend (as opposed to power, spice, nic bombs, or any other effect cigar manufacturers shoot for). It's likely to find favor with those who enjoy milder and medium-bodied cigars, while also being sought as a change of pace to those who go for the big, powerful smokes. It's become part of my regular rotation. If you haven't tried one yet, what are you waiting for?

Thanks for reading my first in a series of 4 reviews. I'll be smoking the 8-5-8 Maduro this weekend. Be on the lookout for a review shortly thereafter.

 

[Phlicker]

Flor Fina 8-5-8 Maduro

Ring Gauge: 47
Length: 6.0"
Country of Origin: Dominican
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Well, it's been quite some time since I started this "series" of reviews, and while I've had a chance to enjoy several cigars over that time period, what I didn't have was a chance to sit down with the goal of taking time to actually review a cigar from beginning to end. This past Friday my wife was invited to a "Southern Living at Home" party, and asked if I would mind staying home with the puppies (10 months and 11 weeks). Heck no! So, as soon as she left, I opened the windows, faced the speakers outside, flipped on the radio and tuned in the Phillies, grabbed a few Yeunglings from the fridge, and went out to the deck with the boys to enjoy a relaxing evening of playing fetch, listening to Harry Kalas, and enjoying this cigar.

Overall, the construction on this stick was very pleasant. It was slightly firm, with no discernible soft spots or tunnels, and had a beautifully toothy and veiny Connecticut broadleaf wrapper. It wasn't quite as oily as other maduros I've had (LGCs being one example that comes to mind), but this particular specimen hasn't seen too much down time, and I suspect it would develop a nice sheen over time. I was really looking forward to this smoke, and being a maduro fan in ge neral, I suspected that I'd like this one best of the four. I used my pocket knife to carefully slice off the cap (a product of my leaving my Palio behind on a recent vacation ), torched the foot, finished it off with a cedar match, and got down to business.

One of the first things I noticed were the many little mottled bits throughout the surface of the wrapper. It didn't affect flavor or burn at all, but I can't recall having seen anything like this before.

As excited as I was to enjoy this cigar, I think I did myself a disservice. The last two cigars I smoked before this one were a Hemi Sig Maduro and a LGC Reserva Figurado Felicia Maduro. By comparison the 8-5-8 was decidedly underwhelming to me. The cocoa and creaminess I expected from the maduro wrapper wasn't present, and truthfully it tasted more like a cameroon-wrapped natural to me. That's not to say it was an unpleasant cigar...far from it. The draw was absolutely perfect and produced volumes of thick smoke with each pull. It had the characteristic Fuente flavor, very well balanced and smooth, with just a hint of harshness that I assume will mellow out over time. I believe my comments regarding the natural are also applicable here: this cigar, as the flagship of the line, is really all about the BLEND, that is to say, no one flavor really dominates the profile. There were subtle nuances of a variety of tastes, but I don't think Carlos intended a particular one to stand out. It's a wonderful example of how a good blend can really accentuate the qualities of good tobacco.

The burn was relatively sharp throughout, and never needed a touch-up. The flaky medium-gray ash held on for about an inch and a half or so before falling off each time. As the evening wore on and the sky grew darker, I found myself not focusing on the cigar anymore. The perfect combination of baseball, fetch with the dogs, Yeungling (which for some reason I find really goes well with cigars...give it a shot!) and a pleasant cigar just put me in a state of utter relaxation. A perfect way to end the week.

By the time I nubbed this utterly enjoyable smoke, nighttime had definitely taken over, the dogs were at my feet exhausted, the porch lights were on, and the Phils were winning in the 7th. At about the 90-minute mark, I let the last half-inch or so die peacefully, and went back inside to catch the last 2 innings on T.V.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this cigar, although not as much as I had hoped, and not exponentially more than the natural. I have heard that these REALLY blossom over time, so I plan on purchasing enough that I can let nap for a few years to see how they fare, but for the time being I'd probably reach for my go-to Serie R maddies or a Hemi Maduro if I'm in the mood for that creamy cocoa flavor I love so much.

Thanks for sticking with me for so long. Up next (and hopefully with less of a layover), the Candela!

 

[denverdog]

Very nice job on these reviews Phlicker. I have a few 858's but never seem to reach for them, I may have to change that. I look forward to the next two and keep up the good work!

 

[tomthirtysix]

I have an 858 Maduro sitting in my humidor, and some Yeunglings in the fridge at the moment... I will have to try it soon. Thanks for the review.

 

[mrjinglesusa]

YOU STOLE MY IDEA!!!

:sign: :laugh:

Nice reviews and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the remaining two 858s. I finally acquired an 858 Rosado and planned on a vertical tasting as well. :thumbs: I may just do the Sun Grown, Rosado and Maduro. I've had the Claro and Natty before and didn't care for them.

 

[CigarStone]

Awesome reviews of my favorite go-to cigar

 

[Phlicker]

YOU STOLE MY IDEA!!!

:sign: :laugh:

Nice reviews and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the remaining two 858s. I finally acquired an 858 Rosado and planned on a vertical tasting as well. :thumbs: I may just do the Sun Grown, Rosado and Maduro. I've had the Claro and Natty before and didn't care for them.

If you have a Rosado and burn it for something like this vertical tasting, I will come FIND you and smack some sense into you! Save that red-banded beauty for a super-special occasion! :thumbs: As I mentioned in my first post, even if I had one (which I don't), I definitely wouldn't be smoking it for this.

 

[CigarStone]

YOU STOLE MY IDEA!!!

:sign: :laugh:

Nice reviews and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the remaining two 858s. I finally acquired an 858 Rosado and planned on a vertical tasting as well. :thumbs: I may just do the Sun Grown, Rosado and Maduro. I've had the Claro and Natty before and didn't care for them.

I would be curious if you can remember the details of why you didn't like the natural, as I find it one of the best go-to smokes out there. Too mild?

 

[Seth]

The 858 is the cigar that got me hooked. I have not had one in a while. Time to stop in for a visit.


Seth

 

[mrjinglesusa]

YOU STOLE MY IDEA!!!

:sign: :laugh:

Nice reviews and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the remaining two 858s. I finally acquired an 858 Rosado and planned on a vertical tasting as well. :thumbs: I may just do the Sun Grown, Rosado and Maduro. I've had the Claro and Natty before and didn't care for them.

If you have a Rosado and burn it for something like this vertical tasting, I will come FIND you and smack some sense into you! Save that red-banded beauty for a super-special occasion! :thumbs: As I mentioned in my first post, even if I had one (which I don't), I definitely wouldn't be smoking it for this.

Cigars are for smoking, not collecting. There isn't a single cigar in my collection that I wouldn't light up at any given time.

YOU STOLE MY IDEA!!!

:sign: :laugh:

Nice reviews and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the remaining two 858s. I finally acquired an 858 Rosado and planned on a vertical tasting as well. :thumbs: I may just do the Sun Grown, Rosado and Maduro. I've had the Claro and Natty before and didn't care for them.

I would be curious if you can remember the details of why you didn't like the natural, as I find it one of the best go-to smokes out there. Too mild?

Yes. Too mild for me - I prefer full bodied, complex cigars. From my recollection, the Natty 858 was too mild and one-dimensional for my taste. I don't even like natural Hemingways...

 

[humboldtflyer]

The Natural 8-5-8 is a great smoke for a reasonable price. Its right there with my onyx reserve as a daily go-to cigar for me. :thumbs:

 

[rectifythis]

I just tried the Flor Fina 858 Maddie that had been sitting in my humi for a few months and I thought it was one of the nastiest cigars I've had in a while. I usually like the Hemmingway smokes. Do I need to revisit or has anyone else found that this wasn't a very pleasant smoke?

 

[moki]

Smoke the Rosado!!

 

[rbbrock]

I just tried the Flor Fina 858 Maddie that had been sitting in my humi for a few months and I thought it was one of the nastiest cigars I've had in a while. I usually like the Hemmingway smokes. Do I need to revisit or has anyone else found that this wasn't a very pleasant smoke?

Though I have only smoked one of these, I thought it was a very pleasant smoke. (I plan to pick up several more the next time I see them in stock at my B&M.) The review in this thread is spot on, IMO. I would recommend trying another; there was probably something wrong with your first one.