Arturo Fuente King B
Thursday, August 27th, 2009I’m not a big Fuente guy, but I do enjoy one from time to time. I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad one, except perhaps an overpowering Opus X or two. But overall, I think they offer good stuff. Tonight I grabbed a glass of water and sat down with the Arturo Fuente King B.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian sungrown rosado
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: 6 x 55
Price: 8 – $9.00
Pre-smoke & Construction:
One thing I can say about Fuente cigars… They are usually consistent with great construction. This was no exception, and overall the construction looked good. The tan wrapper had small veins with no visible flaws. When I squeezed the length of the cigar, I could find no soft or hard spots. Sniffing the wrapper and foot, I only detected slight cedary notes. The pre-light draw was good, with slight resistance. When taking a pre-light draw, I could only taste subtle, sweet cedary flavors.
After about an inch in, the draw tightened up. I attribute this from me pinching the cigar in my mouth. A massage of the tip loosened it right up. The burn required several corrections, and the ash held strong for over an inch.
Flavor:
The first third went well, with deep woody flavors up front. Right behind that were smooth earthy notes combined with a simple tobacco taste. Smooth and easy…
The second third… There isn’t a lot I can say. The woody and earthy base flavors pretty much stayed the same. A hint of unidentified spice made it’s was into the flavor profile. It wasn’t sweet, but it wasn’t quite peppery. It was so subtle that I never figured it out. The overall combined flavors were deep and enjoyable.
The last third continued with that dominant woody flavor. The earthiness took a back seat, but it lurked. I noticed a slight bitterness, but it wasn’t strong or unpleasant. Overall, the body felt fuller or deeper. It was more of a texture or smoke feel. Those slight spicy notes still faded in and out, and I never did figure out exactly what they were. All in all, this third went well.
Conclusion:
Every now and then I’ll light up a King B. They are simple and easy to smoke. My main complaint is the price. For a fairly high dollar smoke, I would expect more complexities. Price aside, this is a good medium bodied cigar for any time of the day. Definitely worth trying.