In the cigar industry today, cigar geeks like myself chase limited edition cigars. Much was the same during the cigar boom for a different reason. People chased cigars that were hard to come by even if they were a regular release. One of those cigars was the Short Story from Fuente. It also led to a lot of gouging back in the day, where today’s cigar was often sold at double and triple the suggested retail price.
The cigar is no long considered geeky by today’s standards but those who chased them almost two decades ago still smoke them on a regular basis.
Cigar Review: Fuente Short Story
Size: 4 x 42/49 (Perfecto)
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Mild-Medium
The Look: The Arturo Fuente Short Story comes packaged in cabinet style boxes. Inside, the cigars are packaged under a black ribbon which coincides with the black on the classic Fuente band which also has red and gold. The Cameroon wrapper that adorns the cigar is flawless. In the hand the Short Story is firm with a nice weight for the size.
The Notes: Due to the small stature of the cigar I won’t break it down into thirds and review the cigar as it progresses. The wrapper has a subtle sweetness to it with a touch of earth and once we clip the cap the cold draw reveals more earth and a touch of nuttiness.
Once the tip of the perfecto cigar is lit, the first draw is sweet which is synonymous with a Cameroon wrapper. It almost reminds me of a sugar cookie with a touch of earth and raisin. Once we retrohale the raisin is more noticeable and there is a slight cinnamon along for the ride.
The second half of the cigar develops notes of well-defined cedar and the sweetness from the wrapper remains. The cigar is smooth with some pepper and earth on the retrohale that helps compliment the sugary sweetness experienced while smoking.
The Finish: The Fuente Short Story was built on its hard to find story. In my opinion it is probably one of the most popular cigars in the Fuente portfolio outside the limited releases. In addition to be hard to find, the cigar also delivered. Today, almost 20 years later the cigar still continues to please.