Stogie Reviews: Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story
8 Oct 2007
The temperature had dipped a little, and the humidity was down as well. It seemed like a good evening to enjoy a Short Story. I lifted one from the humidor. As I pulled the cellophane off, it dawned on me that I had never written about these wonderful little cigars. So, I hereby rectify the omission.
I’m always intrigued by the Short Story’s perfecto shape. From the nipple-end foot to the head is four and 1/2 inches, and along the way the ring gauge runs from 46 to 49. Introduced a few years after the 1983 debut of Hemingway, the Short Story has become the top seller in the line. All feature the same blend of West African Cameroon wrapper and Dominican filler and binder, but the various sizes and shapes do, of course, influence the taste of each.
Few cigar firms are as easy to get information from as Fuente, and for that I credit Darlene “The Cigar Girl†at the company’s Tampa Sweethearts retail operation in Ybor City. Her quick and thorough replies are unparalleled.
One question I had was whether it was the difficulty of rolling the cigars or the availability of suitable leaf that leads to the cigars being in short supply. (Even Tampa Sweethearts limits customers to two boxes of Short Stories.)
“It is a unique cigar and only so many are produced yearly because of the workmanship involved,†Darlene emailed. “The answer to this would be a combo of both that you stated above. Plus, we don’t rush making these cigars so they are aged properly for six months or more.â€
While lighting a Short Story is simple, it does require caution to avoid scorching. I used a match to first ignite a little piece of cedar rather than a lighter. The foot caught easily from the cedar’s flame, and the burn was nearly perfect throughout, as were all aspects of construction.
I paid $4.30 for this particular stick, which seems somewhat low to me, even in Florida. But the price tag was still on the cellophane.
The Short Story’s taste is refined and balanced. There’s a little cedar, some spice, a touch of leather, and nice tobacco. But if you don’t like Cameroon tobacco and what I’d call the combination of spice and sweetness that it imparts, you aren’t apt to enjoy this or any of the Hemingway cigars.
For me, though, this is an excellent cigar. I give the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story a rating of four and 1/2 out of five stogies.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by CigarsDirect.com which has an impressive selection of Arturo Fuente cigars. To purchase this cigar, click here.]
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
These were a lot better 7-10 years ago in my opinion… for me the flavor just isn't there anymore, they are still a good smoke but they use to be great.
$4.30 is a great price for this cigar! I remember really enjoying this smoke but it has been a while.
Without a doubt, this is one of my all-time favorite smokes.
Wholeheartedly agree with the review–this is a great little cigar.
@ my fav cigar bar right now trying the short story with flying dog old scratch. Nice cigar and a nice drink combo both alittle spicy.
To me this was a nasty smoke. I tried a couple and they taste like burnt paint chips. The Oliva Special G is WAY better and half the price.
@comment 14: I actually had the exact opposite experience; the series G was disappointing, but the Hemingway was amazing.
Love this cigar. One of my favorites.
This is a great little cigar. You can get it hot by smoking it to fast though. Take your time and enjoy 🙂
You guys are doing it wrong. Don't light your stick with a stove. Always use an odorless butane lighter or sulfur free matches only! Natural gas is not the taste you wanna experience in a cigar!