Cigar Czars

 

Review of Marrero Fuerte Cigar

By: Dr. Mitch Fadem

I heard about this cigar from by buddy Rob the Insomniac at Should I Smoke This. He reviewed the Tico which I already smoked, but I didn't keep good notes so I'm smoking their box pressed Fuerte Gran Toro (6.5 x 54). The BP Fuerte is blended by Joel Marrero (owner) of Marrero Cigars in Costa Rica, using an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper and a blend of Costa Rican filler tobaccos.

Appearance

This Habano wrapper has a little bit of sheen but much lighter than I would expect from an Oscuo. There are no soft spots at all. This stick is flawless, beautiful wrapper, perfect cap and a great looking band.

Pre-light Aroma

This cigar has a slight nutty aroma at the foot with a bit earthiness. The cap cut easily, showing nicely packed leaves. The pre-light draw was good without any restrictions but enough resistance. I could taste caramel and nuts, kind of like a Payday candy bar.

Lighting and First Draw

While toasting the foot, the nutty aromas were very evident. The first draw accentuated the caramel and nuts with a little bit of black pepper on the retrohale. This is a very smooth cigar right from the start.

First Third

The burn is fairly even and there is lots of smoke output. The nuttiness gives way to cocoa and espresso but the caramel is still present. This is definitely a full bodied cigar. If you are an adventurous beginning smoker, you could try this. There is absolutely no bitterness. This is a rich flavorful cigar that delivers you a mouthful of smoke and a little white pepper on the retrohale, instead of black pepper. I noticed a little sweetness but no longer any caramel.

You will notice in the photo I have a Stinky single ashtray. I got a chance to talk with William "Mr. Stinky" at the Las Vegas Cigar Company a few weeks ago. He is a retired engineer that came up with the idea of a deep bowl. I guess it might capture some of the unpleasant odors from cigar ashes. It is a really nice ash tray and I also added a very deep bowl design to my collection as well. If you like these, you can get them at stinkycigar.com for 25% off using the promo/discount code INSOMNIAC courtesy of Rob at Should I Smoke This. With the discount I got both of these for $38.

Coming to the end of the 1st third after 50 minutes, the ash is still holding on but a bit flakey. The flavors and aroma have remained consistent and still very smooth.

Second Third

The ash fell off at the start of the 2nd third and the burn is still even. The cigar smokes slowly but then again, I have a tendency to smoke slower than most.

There is still a bit of white pepper on the retrohale. The cocoa flavor is gone but the espresso is still there and a bit stronger. The cigar remains smooth. Even though the ring gauge is 54, that is only on the wider flat of the cigar. The thinner side is closer to 49, making this a very easy cigar to smoke, that is if you like smaller ring gauges. The smoke output is still excellent and no relights required. I took a big puff and then backed away from the cigar about 10 feet. At that distance the cocoa was very present as well as the caramel. These are also back in the flavor profile as well.

By the mid-point at 65 minutes, the burn is a little more uneven now and required a bit of a touchup. It is also smoking a bit faster. I'm not a big fan of the retrohale, but at this point there is barely any pepper left. I can catch a lot more of the nutty aroma and right now, it is like roasted cashews. The smoke output is still great and the cashew, cocoa and caramel flavors are a little like a Snickers. It's really nice. Now at 85 minutes into the cigar.

Final Third

This has been a very consist cigar with rich flavors and great aromas. It is one of the better cigars I have smoked lately.

You can buy these directly from Marrero. A box of 20 is $127.60 when on sale and with free shipping. That is $6.38 each and very much worth it. I enjoyed this so much that I am going to make room in my humidor for a box of these.

It gets colder during the winter, even in Las Vegas. Today, it's 49F and windy, so I am smoking in my garage with the door open and a jacket on. When I smoke in my garage, I always turn on my air filtration unit. This one is a Partu and got 4.5 stars on Amazon with nearly 500 reviews. It cost $45 and has a HEPA filter.

Review of Marrero Tesoro Mio Cigar

Marrero Fuerte Cigar
Marrero Cigar





Stinky Cigar Ashtray
Stinky Ashtray





Partu Air Filtration
Partu Air Filter

 



     

 



CigarCzars.com