Fuente Hemingway Untold Story Maduro
Tobacco: Dominican
Price: $22

This cigar came to me from my friends at CigarsDirect.com. & wow, it did not disappoint. I enjoyed it during a boys' poker night last Friday, paired with Rusell's Reserve 10-year old bourbon.

According to Cigars.com: "The maduros in [the Hemingway] line are some of the hardest to find non-Cuban cigars in the world, particularly the Untold Story and the Between The Lines."

Appearance: This cigar features the unique perfecto shape common to all Fuente Hemingways, distinguishable by the little nipple at the foot of the cigar. The wrapper was a dark, lush shade of brown, with few veins and no blemishes. It was heavy, and obviously a well-constructed cigar.

Burn/Construction: I've never had a bad Hemingway, but this one set a new bar. This cigar burned slow and cool, with mouthfuls of smoke, for a whopping 3 1/2 hours! It held a great 2" ash, and didn't extinguish even when left alone for 10 minutes. It wasn't perfect: It did need a slight correction about 2 minutes in, as a small canoe was forming due to a hairline crack right at the foot. But I can't remember any cigar smoking as well, for as long, as this one did.

Taste: If there was a negative to this cigar, it was the taste profile. While many cigar aficionados love maduros, I prefer EMS, cameroon, and corojo wrappers. In particular, I enjoy the African cameroon wrappers on Hemingways because they are spicy and biting. This maduro was heavier, but also sweeter, more mellow, and with less finish. Excellent, but not the taste profile I enjoy the most.

Overall: I highly recommend this cigar. 8/10