Arturo Fuente Añejo #77 (Original Maduro Variety)

Cigar name: Arturo Fuente Añejo #77 (Original Maduro Variety)
A.K.A.: "Shark"
Vitola: 5 5/8" x 54
Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf maduro (aged approximately 3 years)(aged/cured in cognac barrels for 6-8 months)
Binder: ?? unknown
Filler: Añejo blend

(with a little help from this site)

How fortunate that I get to smoke a Classic #77 while close enough that I still have the Cameroon version still fresh in my head. I already knew I loved these bad boys, so I can dispense with the formalities right away. Anyway, on to the review.

Construction: That beautiful dark wrapper. Dont you just wanna tear it off and eat it? NowI know that that would probably be gross, judging by looks alone, wouldnt you want to? This one was smooth and veinless and firmly wrapped in that fabulous characteristic half box pressed pyramid shape. Just a joy to behold.

Pre-Light: Clipped easily and as is my want with pyramid style cigars, drew quite easlit with a rather small hole, better to concentrate the flavors on my palate. Pre light was chocolate and cedar, and a little of that almost imperceptable note that I get from Añejos.

Burn/Flavor: Amazing as always. I will say you could tell that this was an '06 Shark, it was a little young, and maybe a tad vegetal tasting (raw), but that in no way detracted from the flavor experience for me. The cigar drew like a dream, with billows of flavorful fragrant smoke wafting all around me, and enveoping me in an intoxicating haze. Burn was fabulous, long (at least 95 minutes in duration), slow, cool, and razor straight, not need ing a touch up till the very very end, as I was trying to milk it to a nub. Flavor wise it was more ASSERTIVE than the Cameronn version, lots of cocoa and leather at first, the cocoa staying and cedar and that toungue lingering tobacco flavor wafting in and out. This one built a decent heat of steam, more so than I remember (though its been more than I year since I have had one, and the ones I had were aged), and reached a fabulous Mocha Esspresso white pepper crescendo about two third of the way through (rounded off on the toungue with that note that I still insist must be from the special aging Añejos get). The tang I experience in the Cameroon version must have been from said wrapper, because that was not present here. An experience to be sure.

Overall a command performance. The hype is real with these bad boys too. I was lucky to acquire another one with the stick I burned, and I plan to sit on it for a while to see how it develops. GOOD STUFF!

TomC