Stogie Reviews: Arturo Fuente Casa Fuente Double Robusto

29 Jul 2008

As with many of Fuente’s high-end cigars, the Casa Fuente line carries with it a certain mystique. This blend, for instance, is available only at the Casa Fuente store at the Caesar’s Palace Forum Shops in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the cigar lounge’s house blend, positioned and priced to rival the OpusX as Fuente’s most exclusive consumer offering.

Recently, Patrick S. and I smoked a few while kicking back with some surprisingly manly tangerine mojitos at the Casa Fuente bar. A quick word about those mojitos, actually: They’re quite strong, and it’s entirely possible that they may have affected my ability to judge the Casa Fuente double robusto accurately and clearly. Fortunately, the mojitos also compelled me to buy a few more sticks on my way out the door—so I’ve been able to smoke some later on, in the clear light of sobriety.

At any rate, this handsome cigar sports a leathery Cameroon wrapper and a secret blend of what I believe to be Dominican binder and filler leaves (reportedly the same binder and filler as the Opus X). It is impeccably constructed and rolled, as one might expect from a rare Fuente cigar. Smooth, firm to the touch, and oily as sin, this 6.5 inch by 52 ring gauge cigar exudes luxury. The pre-light smell is deep, rich, earthy, and slightly sweet. The cap clips easily, and the draw is firm but forgiving.

Upon lighting up, I detected a lot of earthy flavors and some faint pepper in what I’d call a medium-bodied smoke. Occasionally I’d get some leather notes, and every so often I’d encounter a cinnamon-sugar sweetness that was quite fascinating. This sweet-spicy profile was much more evident in the cigar’s aroma; its intoxicating smoke carried that mysterious “Fuente smell” that only seems to show up in high-end Fuente blends. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s got some cinnamon, some leather, and some vanilla to it.

While these flavors and smells were complex and enjoyable, they never varied. And that’s unfortunate. Many of the best Fuentes I’ve had wove different flavor profiles on and off the palate as they progressed. This cigar, however, played a much more consistent (and persistent) tune. Ordinarily I wouldn’t fault a cigar for lack of flavor transition. But when a stick carries a $25 price tag and is this hard to find, I expect not just good, and not just great, but practically sublime things.

For flawless craftsmanship, great flavor, and a beautiful nose, I’d be inclined to award the Casa Fuente double robusto a perfect five stogies. But I’m taking one away for lack of nuance. On the balance, this lovely stick gets four stogies out of five.