Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Natural

Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Natural
6 3/4x 50

Wrapper: Conneticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

While it may be a mediocre cigar at first appearance, the Double Chat has a few little surprises along the way that help it out quite a bit. The packaging includes a lovely cedar sleeve, which is nice for a purist for lighting purposes, but it hides a wrapper that tends to be a bit veiny. Despite this, the cigars are constructed well and rarely will they burst or crack if kept properly humidified. The construction is moderately firm consistently throughout the cigar, with nary a soft spot. The draw can seem a bit tight before you light, but as it burns billowing clouds of white are constant. A cigar that I come back to often, it has a firm ash that is a bit more white than grey, with a spatter of pepper. The Double Chateau has a surprisingly medium body, though its flavour smacks a bit of paper. It lacks the solid earthy tones I find in the higher end Fuentes, and its price (around $6.20USD) is just out of the bargain range, making it a bit over-valued. Perhaps the biggest saving grace of this smoke is the fact that although it starts out a bit weak in taste, it does build a bit in intensity and complexity if you are willing to stick around for the finish.

As far as a whiskey pairing, the nondescript taste is best paired with a bold bourbon, and Buffalo Trace fills this bill quite nicely.

In the end, though it remains an old friend in my humidor, I give the Arturo Fuente Double Chateau a 3.6 out of 5. Its lengthy start up time and relatively mundane flavour are helped out a bit by its wonderful draw and good ash, but at over 6 dollars for what turns out to be a surprisingly fast smoke, its not quite enough to push it over the hump into the 4 rating. That coupled with the difficulty in consistently being able to rely on Fuente's shipping schedules make this old favourite of mine unlikely to become one of yours.


Final Rating 3.6/5

Padron 5000 Maduro

Padron 5000 Maduro
$6.25 USD

5 1/2x56

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

At first glance, the Padron 5000 Maduro is a little intimidating. It should be. If there is one thing that that the Padron family knows, its how to build a heavenly maduro. This baby's hefty 56 ring gauge will turn some folks off, but I encourage those who hesitate to give it a try. Its absolutely amazing draw produces volumes of billowing white clouds unthinkable to those who favour smaller ring gauges. This stogie's body falls into the medium category, with full flavour ranging from the expected coffee and leather that define Padron to a sweetness bordering on milk chocolate, with a nice cedar underbelly. The burn is fantastic, nice and even all the way to the little brown band (and beyond for those who like to enjoy every inch of a good cigar like I do) with no tunneling or canoing at all.

My whisky pairing for the 5000 is an Arbelour 12 year old malt. This relatively simple, yet very pleasant scotch won't mask any of the complexity of the cigar, and in fact, the slight hint of apple may even enhance it a bit.

I give the Padron 5000 Maduro a 4.6 out of 5. An excellent smoke all around, and a long, slow, methodical burn make this an excellent cigar for a very reasonable price.

Final Rating 4.6/5