Tasting Note

The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos line of cigars is a testament to excellence. Carlos Fuente Jr. blended the cigar to honor his father, Fuente patriarch Carlos Fuente Sr., for whom the cigar is named. The cigar has long been prized for its flavor and consistency. Unlike the company's spicy Fuente Fuente OpusX brand, Don Carlos cigars are nuanced. The cigars are wrapped in toothy Cameroon harvested from Western Africa. The filler and binder leaves include some of the oldest tobaccos in Fuente's extensive and massive tobacco inventory. The No. 2, which first hit the market in 1997, is a considerably fat pyramid, with a portly 55 ring gauge. As with most Don Carlos cigars, the smoke is a slow starter—it takes some time before the full flavors emerge. When they do, the reward is a pleasant mix of nut and cocoa notes with a tiny bit of spice and sweet cedar. Like a person steeped in confidence, the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos No. 2 is a cigar that doesn't raise its voice, because it doesn't need to. This is the second time this cigar has been named a Cigar Aficionado Top 25 smoke.