Cigar Weekly

Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia began offering the Fuente Sun Grown line in 1999 in three sizes: the Chateau Fuente (4 1/2 x 50), the Double Chateau (6 3/4 x 50) and the Royal Salute (7 5/8 x 54). In late 2000 the line was extended to include two new sizes: the Cuban Belicoso (5 3/4 x 52) and the 858 (6 x 47). (The 858 was a limited release and has sold out.)

The Fuente Sun Grown line uses a Sumatra-seed, Ecuador grown wrapper and the name is a bit of a misnomer. The wrapper tobacco is grown near Guayaquil, Ecuador in the foothills of the Andes mountains and because of the constant cloud cover, receives very little direct sunlight. This eliminates the need for the cloth shading used in Connecticut and Sumatra to keep the wrapper tobacco thin. The result is a more full-bodied taste.

The binder and filler tobaccos are grown in the Dominican Republic. Suggested retail prices are between $3.50 and $5.75.

Cigar Weekly reviews are blind taste tests conducted by our readers. Reviewers are sent three samples with all identifying marks removed. Reviewers are chosen randomly from the list of everyone that has signed the Cigar Weekly Guest Book. Their comments are below.

Pre-Smoke Comments

Henry Lach (hank164): A Maduro wrapper with a medium texture the pre light draw is perfect. Slightly oily on the samples, there was very slight veining that is not a problem at all. A well applied cap, it has a nice firm feel, overall it is a nice looking well-made robust.

Jim Lordan (Loyoyo): The two samples of this robusto I sampled varied in color, one being brown and the other looking much redder. The wrappers were smooth with a few small veins, although there were some lumps protruding from veins in the binder below. They both had a nice firm even bunch. I punched one and clipped the other and got a good prelight draw from both.

Joe Wagner (MetsFan): Both robusto-sized cigars were received with no damage. However, the color variation between the two cigars was quite significant. The first was quite a bit darker and more oily. Both samples were generally solid with one soft spot (the first near the foot, the second in the middle). The cap was applied nicely on both. The second had a large vein running the length of the cigar

Kenny Turner (Trainecho): Cigar #160 is robusto sized. The brown wrapper was veiny and rather unattractive. The bunch seemed to be hard to the touch, and noticed just one soft spot on one of the samples. The pre-lite aroma resembled ginger, and the draw seemed rather loose.

Rich Coughran (Zer000): This was a good looking robusto, slightly veiny and lumpy. A slightly bitter aroma, not a bad one, but not the nicest either. One of the samples had a large spot of glue on it. It had a easy pre-light draw.

Ron Sena (RonS): This cigar appeared to be a natural dark brown wrapper, veiny, but firm. I used a V cutter and found the pre-burn draw to be too easy.

Ross Frid (Ross): The samples were two different colors - one darker than the other. This implies they vary in the box. One (the darker) had 2 natural holes in the leaf wrapper. I have seen this also in the Padron line that these samples remind me of. The wrapper on the darker sample split a bit, but not bad enough to affect the quality of the smoke. It was a real rough, home-rolled look. It was easy to smoke, smelled like maduro and got good marks from my wife and my son who noticed it smelled pretty good - unlike some of the cigars I have smoked.

Smoke Comments

Henry Lach (hank164): Each had a nice even burn with no problems at all with a very solid, light gray ash, that draw perfectly. Which allowed a generous amount of vegetable, herbal taste to come through from the start, With just a hint of sweetness at the very end. The first sample had more pronounced tastes. And stayed the same to the end. The second sample had fewer amounts of the vegetable, herbal taste it started more subdued in the taste, and mellowed out even more as I got past halfway. It finished very nicely with more sweetness then the first sample. I found the first sample to be one dimensional. The taste just stayed the same from the state to the end.

Jim Lordan (Loyoyo): The cigar lit easily and although the first couple of puffs were harsh and bitter, it quickly settled down to a medium/full body. There was a tangy/spicy flavor with a slight metallic aftertaste causing a light burn in the throat. About halfway through, it mellowed more towards medium, which allowed more subtle flavors and richness to come through. The draw remained excellent throughout and provided plenty of smoke. The burn was somewhat uneven and required some fixing.

Joe Wagner (MetsFan): Both cigars started out quite harsh. The draw of the first was quite tight and produced only thin wisps of smoke. Smoking this cigar was work. The second drew much better and produced nice mouthfuls of smoke. After the first quarter, both cigars lost the harshness but kept the strength. Neither cigar burned all that well.

Kenny Turner (Trainecho): Upon lighting the cigar, the draw had improved immensely to where I would describe it as almost perfect, and was able to pull in a large volume of smoke on every puff. After about the first 1/4" the flavor picked up with some noticeable spice that stayed with it almost to the end. I would describe the flavor overall as predominantly cedar with a hint of earthiness. At no point did it become bitter. The cigar produced a solid, grayish-white ash that even made it to about two inches before I flicked it off. The burn stayed relatively even throughout the whole smoke. I would describe this cigar as a solid medium strength performer and med-full flavored.

Rich Coughran (Zer000): This cigar was a stovepipe, producing lots of smoke. This was a full-bodied cigar, peppery with nutty undertones. There was a slight burn on the tongue, not unpleasant though. This cigar almost reminded me of an Opus, but without the complexity. It was pretty one-dimensional. One of the samples burned horribly uneven, even a few blasts from my torch didn't help. Both cigars burned a little hot.

Ron Sena (RonS): The burn was uneven until I was almost finished, then it evened out. The ash was white and very solid. The beginning aroma was nonexistent until 1/3 into the smoke. Then it gave some pleasing billows of smoke and flavor.

Ross Frid (Ross): Rich nutty-maduro flavor/aroma reminds me of the La Escepcion line or even Padron Maduros. It was not a strong aroma (to me), but was consistent through the burn. It was very pleasant, but I'm not ready to make this my favorite smoke.

Summary Comments

Henry Lach (hank164): These two cigars were very different from each other in taste. I did not like the taste of the first sample, and enjoyed the second very much, which makes me a little concerned about consistency. I definitely will try a few of these again, once the identity is revealed, if the taste stays more consistent with the second sample I would add a box of them to my humidor.

Jim Lordan (Loyoyo): This was a good medium/full bodied cigar that I would like to smoke again. I'm guessing that a little more aging might help to cure the initial bite and mellow the first half a bit so that the richness and complexity of the blend could be enjoyed.

Joe Wagner (MetsFan): The flavor of both cigars seemed fairly one-dimensional. While they started out harsh, they smoothed out a bit. For some reason, I kept expecting this cigar to change into something wonderful. It felt good in my hand but never really delivered anything to my mouth. Since I don't get to smoke everyday, I'll pass on these.

Kenny Turner (Trainecho): Overall I really enjoyed this cigar. The only downfall comes aesthetically, since it isn't that pleasing to the eye, but once you get past that it's smooth sailing. I know I can't wait to find out what this cigar is, and would definitely smoke more in the future if they come at a reasonable price. If everyone else had a similar experience, I wouldn't be surprised to see this one end up with 4 out of 5 stars.

Rich Coughran (Zer000): This cigar was a little too strong and simple for my taste. I wasn't terribly inclined to finish it. I probably won't be buying any of these, but I would recommend that someone who prefers strong smokes to try one. I might want to try one with some serious age on it.

Ron Sena (RonS): This smoke may have promise given some humidor time. But for this review I would pass on buying any of these smokes unless they are at a giveaway price. IMHO

Ross Frid (Ross): This cigar is probably Nicaraguan in origin and Nics and Hons are my favorite non-ISOMs. It wasn't very powerful, but not mild either. After smoking the first sample, I really looked forward to trying the second. It was very consistent with the first. I tried a La Escepcion immediately after the second one and it was similar, but that wasn't a match. I'm curious as to what this smoke can be!

Scores

 Review Results
Final Score: 33.7 out of 50

3 1/2 Stars -- Above Average

This happens to be a cigar I enjoy and I expected it to score higher than it did. It lost some points for it's rustic exterior and for a lack of consistency and some found the flavor to be one-dimensional. Most called this cigar medium bodied with flavors of earth and cedar. A few reviewers also noted some pepper and spice. If you enjoy the Sun Grown Chateau Fuente, it's a good value at only $3.35. However, like many Fuente cigars, these cigars can be difficult to find.

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