Stogie Reviews: Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8
Thursday, June 21st, 2007The Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8 is one of Fuente’s most reasonably priced smokes, and often cited as a bargain that gets you a lot of bang for your buck.
While Fuente’s Hemmingway, Anejo, Don Carlos, and Opus X lines all regularly sell in the double figures, this six inch by 47 ring gauge smoke can be had for around $3 in many local cigar shops – far closer to the price of Fuente’s mixed-filler cigars like Brevas Royal and Curly Head. Yet the Flor Fina features a Cameroon wrapper around a binder and long filler from the Dominican Republic.
One thing I’ve often heard about this cigar is that it really benefits from some aging. So, due to that suggestion – and the fact that these 8-5-8’s remained at the bottom of my humidor where they were less able to tempt me – the two cigars that are the basis of this review had nearly a year of age in my humidor before they were smoked.
When I did finally retrieve these cigars, I found a rough and rustic Cameroon wrapper with a lot of veins. The classic Fuente band is reassuring around an otherwise unimpressive looking cigar.
After clipping the head and lighting up, I noticed a loose, easy draw. The toro-sized cigar started out with some nice nut, pine, and herbal flavors, but the finish was harsh and bitter. As the cigar progressed, the spice from the Cameroon wrapper came to the forefront as most of the nut and pine flavors faded, but unfortunately, the bitter finish remained.
This is one of the most aromatic cigars I’ve ever had; a spicy, toasty aroma radiates from the warm and bountiful smoke. And despite the persistent loose draw and dark gray ash that was a little flaky, this grand corona kept a razor-sharp burn.
Overall, the Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8 is a solid medium-bodied cigar that yields delicious smoke and has a complex blend of flavors. Unfortunately, due to its underwhelming looks and bitter finish, I can only give it a rating of three out of five stogies.
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Tags: Cigars
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If I’m not mistaken MSRP is $4, I also find them to be average smokes
Having just returned from China where I was able to spoil myself with real Cuban cigars I picked up a handful of 8-5-8’s at Bevmo.
No time to age so smoked one right from the store wrapper. My first one had a firm draw, solid whitish ash and thin smoke, agree with the complex flavors and the bitter finish. After a spell RyJ #1 and Short Churchills in abundance I thought I might be disappointed but this is really quite a decent smoke.