A. Fuente Gran Reserva 'Shortstory' from a novice pov

W

weak_link

Lowland Gorilla
I was graciously gifted an A. Fuente 'shortstory' from Gamayrouge @ the Vacaville herf.

I felt the least I could do was write up a review with pics. I hear the lack of pics is a sure way to get gifted a box of black & milds at the next herf so I made sure to load up on the photos. Well, I think I did but you can decide for yourself in short order.

You should know I'm a re-entry smoker and have been away from decent smokes for about 10 years. Picked it back up a few months back but would still consider myself very much a novice. "Back in the day" my goto smoke was an A. Fuente robusto. Oddly enough, the last two I had smoked recently I didn't finish. One was gifted to me before I had a humi & it was dried out and just not very tasty. The 2nd one was a bit too peppry for my novice self.

Also, I fought the urge to do research on this smoke while I was burning it down because I didn't want to be influenced by someone else's impression.
I did do a search for it after I nubbed it to get the proper wrapper/filler info for you other novices like me.


So enough with the yappin' and onto the review.


-SMOKE: Fuente Gran Reserva Shortstory
-Nipple foot
-West African Camaroon Wrapper
-Dominican filler & binder

Cut perfect first try, sweet taste on the lips after a somewhat firm draw.
fresh.jpg
 
Fired right up and I may have actually over-toasted it.

I took a closer look at the wrapper which I should have done before I lit it. Nice smooth, oily wrapper with not too many veins and firm but not hard.

The first 1/3 started out a little tough to draw on but the smoke was very smooth and sweet. Almost immediately I thought I was getting a hint of a leathery taste with just a hint of pepper and what my novice pallete picked up as sweetness but I'm sure it's more complex than just 'sweet.'

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Easing into the second third, the pepper was just enough to be enjoyable for me. I tend to shy away from cigars that have a heavy pepper to them but this one was mild and the leathery taste had really picked up. Maybe some earthiness to it? I'm sticking with the leather and pepper for sure.
The draw is still a little tight but I probably need to just slow down and enjoy this nice smoke.
The ash is a solid light gray.


Turns out I was a little late on the photo action. I was enjoying all the smooth, full smoke and zoned out on the review for a second there.
5d.jpg
 
I should also mention that by the middle of the first 3rd the draw loosened up quite a bit.

So anyway, picking up about where the photo above is at, about the last 1/3, I kept getting hints of the sweetness creeping back up on me in between the predominate leather and pepper. It had built to a medium body smoke but was generating an incredible amount of delicious smoke for such a 'lil' guy.
The ash would not fall at this point.

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Coming down the home stretch on this one the pepper and leather really worked in tandem to build up to a rich, still smooth smoke.

I went to take a few more notes and the ash-a-thon finally came to an end.

7.jpg


At this point I was so relaxed I think it wore off on the dog. In this photo I have a huge smile on my face because I've found something I really enjoy.

It may be that I can't rush these little guys because I thought I was getting a bit of the tar and ash taste as it started to warm up my fingers.

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To conclude, I'd say I would buy this cigar again.

The pepper wasn't enough to overwhelm me considering this was a pre-lunch smoke for me.

lit @ 11:05 a.m.
nubbed @ 11:54

I give it a 7.5/10. It would have been higher if not for the initial tight draw and the tar taste at the end. Those could have been opperator error so ymmv.

Again, thanks for Gamayrouge for the smoke.

To prove I did my best to take this seriously, here are the notes. :r
notes.jpg
 
Yeah, but did the dog like it?
Comfy lookin dog cot!

Thanks for the review.:tu

I don't know why I've never bought any of these. I need to get some.
 
Thanks for sharing the review and pictures!

I've read about those dog cots, nice in the summer to stay cool and nice in the winter to keep them off the cold concrete floors.
 
K Baz said:
Great Review

Thanks for introducing the term "nipple foot" into my everyday speach
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:w I picked that one up when I was looking for the content origins after the fact and thought it was a great name for it, 'cuz that's exactly what it looks like. Boys will be boys. :chk
 
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Great review:tu I also enjoy those "lil" guys. Everytime I go to my B&M I cant help but get a 5'er. Again good review thanks!

Jon:ss
 
Nice review. It is the first cigar I ever reviewed online too, for my gun board last summer. Here's my review:
OK, just got finished with the Short Story. This was my second Hemmingway and I didn't like the last one but I was trying to go into this with an open mind.

Well, it seemed well made though truly short. Smell was OK but I could tell it wasn't gonna be as full bodied as I like. Construction was excellent and this proved true throughout the short smoke. Great draw, good burn, perfect ash.

As for flavor, it was a bit nutty and mild for my taste, but not altogether unpleasant. The smoke was nice and creamy, and it lasted longer than I thought such a short smoke would. It left a mild aftertaste as well. Overall people who like mild cigars should really like this smoke but I don't think I'll have another. :D
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I think yours was a bit better. :ss
 
Ratters said:
Nice review. It is the first cigar I ever reviewed online too, for my gun board last summer. Here's my review:


I think yours was a bit better. :ss
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Since wifey-poo came home early tonight I thought I'd squeeze in one more.

Working on the Gurkha Legend torpedo you gave me. I wish I could say I liked it half as much as the short story. The wrapper split on both ends and the construction is poor. :| It is mild which I don't mind but after that Shortstory...fergitaboutit. Not on the buy list but very happy to have had the chance to try it out.
 
weak_link said:
Since wifey-poo came home early tonight I thought I'd squeeze in one more.

Working on the Gurkha Legend torpedo you gave me. I wish I could say I liked it half as much as the short story. The wrapper split on both ends and the construction is poor. :| It is mild which I don't mind but after that Shortstory...fergitaboutit. Not on the buy list but very happy to have had the chance to try it out.
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Yeah, I'm not too fond of them myself. Odd about the construction though, the ones I tried before were actually put together pretty well. It's actually the Centurion. Funny thing is msrp on that thing is like $30. Just ridiculous.
 
Ratters said:
Yeah, I'm not too fond of them myself. Odd about the construction though, the ones I tried before were actually put together pretty well. It's actually the Centurion. Funny thing is msrp on that thing is like $30. Just ridiculous.
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That's what's great about being a novice...I had no idea I was burning down a fine log. I'm borderline putting this one down because it's been unraveling ...well EVERYWHERE so I don't know if I can man up and go the distance on this one.
 
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