cuppajack
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2006
- Messages
- 741
AF Hemmingway Work of Art Maduro
Years and years ago, among the majestic redwoods of Santa Cruz, I attended the University of California. This was during the heady days of the boom, both cigar and internet, and it was a glorious time to have no responsibilities other than Film School and cashing checks. I was just getting into cigars because, well, who wasn’t in 1996, but most every line of premium cigars was having shortages or QC problems. Around that time USENET was all abuzz about Fuente Products (wow, so much has changed…) and I soon developed a taste for the Hemingway line. This was problematic because even the Short Stories were going for $8-$9, if you could find them. I think one of the main reasons I enjoyed the Hemingways so much was that I really loved the “Cuban perfecto” shape; the way the flavors blossomed and developed in the first 1/3 and then intensified in the final 1/3 is really unique. I rode out the boom smoking Hemingways when I could find them and Puros Indios and ERHs when I couldn’t.
Fast forward nearly 10 years and here I am, back among the convivial folds of the an internet cigar community, and what do you know? Fuente cigars are still the most talked about and difficult to get a hold of smokes around. When I found CP in August of last year I had never even heard of a Maduro Hemingways, let alone a Work of Art or a WOAM. But I did discover that you could get Hemingways (comparably) easier over the internet so I bought, and smoked, a few. I also discovered that I had developed a distinct distaste for the Cameroon wrappers Fuente uses. Ugh. I’d rather smoke a Te-Amo than something wrapped in Cameroon leaf.
So it was with great delight that I selected my first and only Hemingway Maduro last night to celebrate the breaking of a week-long cigar fast imposed by SRLS* (namly moving.) There are a dozen reviews of the WOAM of this site, so I don’t have to go into great depth on the flavor-profile and the reputation and scarcity of the Vitola speak volumes about its level of craftsmanship and flavor. This WOAM was no different. Flawless construction and burn and a deep and full-bodied flavor with the nuances you expect from the top-tier Fuente products.
The stubby perfecto was dense and oily. Perhaps a hair over-humidified, but I just couldn’t wait to smoke it any longer. I was a bit surprised by the pointed head and I didn’t quick chop enough off on my first cut, resulting in a tight and thin draw through the “nipply bit.” I cut an additional 1/8” off and then the draw was perfect. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the flavor, having never smoked a Hemingway Maddi before and I thought that the WOA is the stick in the line blended by Carlito (right?) The smoke was thick and heavy, laced with spice and dark wood-tones, and with a remarkably tangible mouth-feel. There was a certain bitterness on the back of the pallet that suggested the stick was indeed a little too wet, but nothing that distracted from the really wonderful cigar. It tasted like the creamy and complex Hemingway with a more back-of-the-mouth “roundness” than the Cameroon versions.
My first WOAM, and the first cigar smoked on the patio of my new apartment in Hollywood, was exceptional and memorable. Things have changed a lot in 10 years, but really things are still the same. I have more worries now than I did “back in the day,” but really I don’t have any worries when I’m relaxing with a nice smoke. And therein lies the power of the leaf: the way it grounds you (re)connects you to the order of things. Forces you to slow down and focus on the moment and what you body and senses are telling you. And the way it can bridge the span of time or distance in a very intangible and ephemeral way. We, as individuals, are as different as all the vitoas that beckon to us, yet we are not really all that different from one another, and we all yearn for that same moment of connection that a good cigar can facilitate. This is the very heart of things.
-jmv
Hollywood
2.2.07
*Stupid Real Life Shit
Years and years ago, among the majestic redwoods of Santa Cruz, I attended the University of California. This was during the heady days of the boom, both cigar and internet, and it was a glorious time to have no responsibilities other than Film School and cashing checks. I was just getting into cigars because, well, who wasn’t in 1996, but most every line of premium cigars was having shortages or QC problems. Around that time USENET was all abuzz about Fuente Products (wow, so much has changed…) and I soon developed a taste for the Hemingway line. This was problematic because even the Short Stories were going for $8-$9, if you could find them. I think one of the main reasons I enjoyed the Hemingways so much was that I really loved the “Cuban perfecto” shape; the way the flavors blossomed and developed in the first 1/3 and then intensified in the final 1/3 is really unique. I rode out the boom smoking Hemingways when I could find them and Puros Indios and ERHs when I couldn’t.
Fast forward nearly 10 years and here I am, back among the convivial folds of the an internet cigar community, and what do you know? Fuente cigars are still the most talked about and difficult to get a hold of smokes around. When I found CP in August of last year I had never even heard of a Maduro Hemingways, let alone a Work of Art or a WOAM. But I did discover that you could get Hemingways (comparably) easier over the internet so I bought, and smoked, a few. I also discovered that I had developed a distinct distaste for the Cameroon wrappers Fuente uses. Ugh. I’d rather smoke a Te-Amo than something wrapped in Cameroon leaf.
So it was with great delight that I selected my first and only Hemingway Maduro last night to celebrate the breaking of a week-long cigar fast imposed by SRLS* (namly moving.) There are a dozen reviews of the WOAM of this site, so I don’t have to go into great depth on the flavor-profile and the reputation and scarcity of the Vitola speak volumes about its level of craftsmanship and flavor. This WOAM was no different. Flawless construction and burn and a deep and full-bodied flavor with the nuances you expect from the top-tier Fuente products.
The stubby perfecto was dense and oily. Perhaps a hair over-humidified, but I just couldn’t wait to smoke it any longer. I was a bit surprised by the pointed head and I didn’t quick chop enough off on my first cut, resulting in a tight and thin draw through the “nipply bit.” I cut an additional 1/8” off and then the draw was perfect. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the flavor, having never smoked a Hemingway Maddi before and I thought that the WOA is the stick in the line blended by Carlito (right?) The smoke was thick and heavy, laced with spice and dark wood-tones, and with a remarkably tangible mouth-feel. There was a certain bitterness on the back of the pallet that suggested the stick was indeed a little too wet, but nothing that distracted from the really wonderful cigar. It tasted like the creamy and complex Hemingway with a more back-of-the-mouth “roundness” than the Cameroon versions.
My first WOAM, and the first cigar smoked on the patio of my new apartment in Hollywood, was exceptional and memorable. Things have changed a lot in 10 years, but really things are still the same. I have more worries now than I did “back in the day,” but really I don’t have any worries when I’m relaxing with a nice smoke. And therein lies the power of the leaf: the way it grounds you (re)connects you to the order of things. Forces you to slow down and focus on the moment and what you body and senses are telling you. And the way it can bridge the span of time or distance in a very intangible and ephemeral way. We, as individuals, are as different as all the vitoas that beckon to us, yet we are not really all that different from one another, and we all yearn for that same moment of connection that a good cigar can facilitate. This is the very heart of things.
-jmv
Hollywood
2.2.07
*Stupid Real Life Shit
