Arturo Fuente Default Natural Short Story - BOX OF 25

There was a stretch in the late 1990s and early 2000s when this cigar was genuinely hard to find, boxes sold out fast, singles fetched up to $20 apiece, and more than a few longtime aficionados count this among the first cigars they ever chased down. That reputation was earned honestly. The Short Story is one of the smallest cigars Arturo Fuente makes, and it remains one of the most consistently loved.

Part of the celebrated Hemingway line, every size in the collection is a genuine Perfecto shape, a traditional Cuban figurado with two tapered, closed ends, a rounded head, and a bulge in the middle, and production is deliberately limited because only the factory's most skilled torcedores have learned to roll it correctly. After rolling, the cigars are left to age at Chateau Fuente until their release at the end of the year. Wrapped in a toothy, virtually seamless Cameroon leaf with a nice oily sheen over estate-grown Dominican binder and long-filler tobacco, this Short Story earned a 90-point rating from Cigar Aficionado, no small feat for a cigar this compact.

Despite its stature, this is genuinely one of the more complex smokes in the Fuente catalog. First light brings heavy top notes of earth and pepper as the flame works through the tapered tip, before the cigar opens into the barrel and reveals wood, cinnamon, leather, baking spices, and cocoa, with maple and nutty, walnut-like character running throughout and a citrusy brightness some reviewers specifically call out. The finish runs long and creamy, and the aroma alone is distinctive enough that people nearby will likely ask what you're smoking. At 30 to 45 minutes depending on pace, this is the size that made an entire generation of golfers, commuters, and anyone short on time realize a genuinely great cigar doesn't require a full hour to deliver.

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Flavor progression:

1. Opening: heavy top notes of earth and pepper from the tapered tip, with a subtle sweetness and touch of citrus on the wrapper's aroma
2. Mid-smoke: wood, cinnamon, leather, baking spices, and cocoa open up as the cigar reaches the barrel, maple and nutty, walnut-like character developing alongside
3. Close: a long, creamy finish carries the sweet tobacco aroma through to the final draws, the profile staying smooth without turning bitter

Key Features:

1. Brand: Arturo Fuente
2. Line: Hemingway
3. Vitola: Short Story (Perfecto)
4. Founded: 1912, by Don Arturo Fuente
5. Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia, Santiago, Dominican Republic
6. Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
7. Wrapper: African Cameroon
8. Binder: Dominican Republic (estate-grown)
9. Filler: Dominican Republic (estate-grown, long-filler)
10. Construction: Handmade, limited production, closed foot
11. Size: 4 inches x 49 ring gauge
12. Strength: Medium
13. Flavor Profile: Earth, pepper, wood, cinnamon, leather, baking spices, cocoa, maple, walnut, citrus
14. Rating: 90 points, Cigar Aficionado
15. Smoke Time: Approximately 30 to 45 minutes
16. Box Count: 25 cigars
17. Price per Cigar: approximately $6.50