Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso - Box of 25

A figurado shape within a line already known for its refinement, and one that more than one longtime Fuente smoker specifically names their favorite size across the entire Don Carlos family. At 5⅜ x 52, the Belicoso carries the same African Cameroon wrapper and ten-year-aged Dominican binder and filler found across every Don Carlos vitola, with a tapered head that concentrates the wrapper's contribution through the opening draws before the cigar reaches its full ring gauge.

The foot delivers hazelnut and leather with a hint of black pepper before the cigar is even lit, and once fired, that hazelnut and leather character carries through the first third with pepper building slightly more than the pre-light aroma suggested. As the smoke enters its second third, a cashew note joins the hazelnut for a genuine mixed-nut character, with leather and light cedar developing alongside a pepper finish that mellows into better balance. By the close, cedar moves to the front, the nutty notes recede slightly, and a mix of black and white pepper rises gradually, closing on a medium to medium-plus body that several reviewers specifically note stops just short of full.

Reviews describe a wide range of flavor impressions across different sittings, sweet cardamom, cinnamon, and pastry on one occasion, orange cream and subtle spice on another, maple syrup and cedar with creamy smoke on a third, a genuine reflection of how much this blend can shift depending on the individual stick and the smoker's own palate. Construction earns strong praise overall, flawless burn and an even draw are the norm, though it's fair to be direct about the exceptions: multiple reviewers over the years have specifically flagged excess glue from the band tearing at the wrapper leaf, and at least one recent buyer described a genuinely poor draw and highly uneven burn on a particularly disappointing stick. Most experiences, though, land closer to what one longtime smoker called perhaps Fuente's best line altogether, a complex, well-balanced cigar built for smokers willing to slow down and actually pay attention to it.

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Flavor progression:

1. Opening: hazelnut and leather lead the way from the tapered foot, a hint of black pepper building as the cigar settles into its full ring gauge
2. Mid-smoke: cashew joins the hazelnut for a mixed-nut character, leather and light cedar developing as the pepper finish mellows into better balance
3. Close: cedar moves to the front as the nutty notes recede, black and white pepper rising slowly through a medium to medium-plus finish

Key Features:

1. Brand: Arturo Fuente
2. Line: Don Carlos
3. Named for: Don Carlos Fuente Sr., Fuente family patriarch
4. Blender: Carlito Fuente
5. Recognition: Top 25 Cigars of 2015 (94 points); #1 Cigar of the Year, 2017 (line-wide)
6. Founded: 1912, by Don Arturo Fuente
7. Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente, Santiago, Dominican Republic
8. Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
9. Wrapper: African Cameroon
10. Binder: Dominican Republic
11. Filler: Dominican Republic (aged 10 years)
12. Construction: Handmade, figurado (tapered head)
13. Vitola: Belicoso
14. Size: 5⅜ inches x 52 ring gauge
15. Strength: Medium to Medium-Full
16. Flavor Profile: Hazelnut, leather, black pepper, cashew, cedar, cream, toast, cocoa
17. Smoke Time: Approximately 60 to 70 minutes
18. Box Count: 25 cigars
19. Price per Cigar: approximately $15.00