Arturo Fuente Anejo

Arturo Fuente Anejo

• Strength: 5 /  5
• Size: 6 x 52
• Origin: Dominican Republic
• Price (local): $14.00
• Wrapper: Dominican
• Flavor Text:

In 1998, the OpusX’s downfall was to cigar smokers’ benefit: After Hurricane Georges created a shortage of wrapper tobacco, the brand switched to Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper aged in Cognac barrels, and the Anejo was born. The OpusX returned, of course, but the Anejo stuck around, treasured for the sweetness that wrapper layered atop the spicy, robust binder and filler.

It's a rare find, but when you do uncover one, it's one of the best Dominican cigars ever created.

The story behind the Anejo is actually pretty bizarre: one year, a hurricane took out a ton of wrappers that would have been typical for the Fuente Opus X. In return, Fuente and Company responded with new wrappers, aged in barrels, and created the Anejo. The tobacco blends are pretty close to the same, but with the different wrapper between them, Fuente was able to continue not only their tradition of Opus, but to create a new fan favorite in the Fuente. A cool piece of cigar lore, if nothing else.

Just because it's cheaper than the Opus, don't let that fool you: the Anejo is jam packed with flavor and intensity, and while it's sort of a harsher version of the Opus, it packs a lot of it's own personality in it's own right. There is a ton of spice to this cigar through the first half of the cigar, but think more along the lines of your own personal spice rack. Earthy spices as opposed to something like black pepper or chili powder. As you go into the cigar, there is a certain leathery note that I've never quite experienced before, and it is a lot more pronounced than what you would normally find in other cigars. The smoke is aromatic with a bit of a kick to it, but it does have it's own toastiness in it's own way. To top it off, this cigar picks up a bit towards the end in terms of strength and intensity, but you will be sure to find these textbook earthy flavors throughout this one. There's a touch of white pepper to be found, as well. It's brilliant.

These cigars are rare, only releasing a few times a year a la the Opus X, so you need to be on your A-game to find some of these, or have the right connections. Both are difficult to obtain. However, searching your local shops around Father's Day and before Christmas could yield some good results if an Anejo or an Opus are your targets. And they should be; they are both excellent cigars that should be used to celebrate these special days. I'd definitely try one of each, just to say you did. 

Happy smoking! CB