The 1980s were lean years for the cigar industry in the United States, and for lovers of figurados, or shaped cigars, the situation was even more bleak. The perfecto, a classic shape with tapers on both ends of the cigar, had gone away. It was the 1983 revival of the Arturo Fuente Hemingway series of cigars that brought them back. Carlos Fuente Sr. found old cigar molds in an Ybor City, Florida, warehouse, brought them to Fuente's factory in the Dominican Republic and taught his master roller how to make the intricately shaped smoke. Even those completely ignorant about the difficulty of making a cigar by hand will recognize that the Hemingway Classic has a supermodel's curves. The sublime balance of ultra-thin and toothy Cameroon wrapper pairs exquisitely with Fuente's filler and binder blend, resulting in a complex smoke smacking of orange peel, cedar and coffee. If you've never smoked an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic, you're missing out on one of the cigar world's premier smoking experiences.

• Previous
• #3
• #4
• #5
• #6
• #7
• #8
• #9
• #10
• #11
• Next