Smoke Blog: Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva

I should be in bed, but Enter the Dragon is on AMC again and has sucked me in, so here I am blogging and taking care of some odds and ends. I also wanted to get this Smoke Blog post up while the taste is still fresh in my mouth.

Tonight I finally got around to smoking the Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva I purchased from a small shop in downtown Peoria. After the rugrats hit the sack, I took the cigar outside, removed its cedar wrapper, and lit up.

The initial taste off the wrapper reminded me a bit of a light, semi-sweet chocolate; it was a light, heady flavor without the sweetness one would normally associate with candy. That faded into a smooth, almost dusty flavor carried by the wispy smoke. I did get a bit of an uneven burn, but it never burned out or got too hot. It also held together well, the ash only tumbling when I tapped it off the end.

The verdict: while I did enjoy it, there wasn’t any one thing that jumped out and made me want to run out and pick up a box. I’d have no problem grabbing one when the mood struck me or if a given smoke shop didn’t carry my favorites, though it’s also mild enough to recommend to a friend who doesn’t smoke cigars often (if at all).

Good stuff.