Cigar Name: Uhle’s Honduran Corona

Brand: Uhle’s

Price Point: Budget, $3.25-$4.25

Origin: Honduras

Wrapper: Honduran Connecticut Seed

Shape: Corona

Length: 5.25”

Gauge: 45

Strength: Medium

Flavoring: None

Taste: Dry twigs, oak spice, light earth

Room Note: Light and pleasant

Smoke Time: Somewhat quick

Bottom Line: An excellent value cigar that holds a quality well above its price range. Full-bodied and flavorful, it would serve as an excellent gift or a quick smoke on a cool evening.

During my trip to Uhle’s, I picked up this cigar as an affordable house brand cigar that I could smoke in the lounge while preparing my article. Before I left, I ended up purchasing a few more. You can also purchase these cigars on Uhle’s website.

Cigar Shop Scott commented on my choice, “It’s very easy-going. Nice, good smoke. Corona size is probably our best-seller. It’s nice and crisp. Smoke it at 95° outside, 80% humidity, it’s not gonna make you sweat.” And I must say, his upsell was spot on.

This cigar was surprisingly flavorful for the price and maintained a very nice quality with a solid construction. The smoke was full-bodied with a forestry taste like dry twigs and earth enveloped in a spicy oak. There was a very light sweetness to it that I pegged down as vanilla.

The cigar burned smoothly and evenly throughout my smoke and remained cool, just as Scott had said it would. It didn’t deviate from its flavor for the half an hour I smoked it for and provided a mild nic hit.

I highly recommend trying these cigars. They are a great value and make for an excellent gift – or just keep a few on hand and offer one to a guest to smoke with on a cool summer evening.

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The first thing you need to cut a cigar is a cutting tool. The most commonly used cutter is a guillotine cutter, which can be bought at any tobacco shop or online for fairly cheap. When I was a child, my dad would always jokingly ask me and my brother to stick our fingers into his guillotine cutter with the intention of cutting off our fingers. I suppose that instilled in me a healthy fear of blades.

No matter what shape your cigar is, your cutting practice will remain the same. The part of the cigar that you want to focus on cutting is the cap. The goal here is to cut off enough material to allow for proper draw but not so much that it will compromise the construction of the cigar. As Archer would say, “Just the tip.” When cutting, I also like to think of leaving a small taper on the head of the cigar to allow the smoke to funnel slightly as it enters my mouth.

When you have your cutter positioned properly, make sure you cut down firmly. A cut made in hesitation will cause tearing. It’s common to have a few flakes of tobacco fall out, but you don’t want the wrapper to start unravelling.

Another common way to cut a cigar is to use a cigar punch. Cigar punches are also fairly cheap and can be convenient, as they can often be attached to a keychain. Punches are circular blades that are inserted into the cap of the cigar and pulled out, leaving a small hole. The upside to a punch is that there is a lower risk of destroying the construction of the cigar. The downside is that the draw will not be as great.

There are other fancy tools you can get in order to get a perfect cut every time, but using a guillotine or punch should get you by just fine. In a worst case scenario, you can just use a pocket knife to cut a cigar – and if you screw up your cut, you can always smoke your cigar backwards.

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Brand: Arturo Fuente

Price Point: $5.85-$7.50

Origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Cameroon

Shape: Robusto

Length: 4.5”

Gauge: 50

Strength: Light to mild

Flavoring: None

Taste: Spicy oak, cedar, floral, bitter fruit or herb

Room Note: Sweet and pleasant

Smoke Time: Quick to medium

I pulled this cigar out on a cold winter day as I bundled up and sat on my deck while my dogs played in the backyard. This cigar comes wrapped in a thin cedar sleeve with a green ribbon and is constructed quite nicely, as is expected from Arturo Fuente. As I cut the cigar and smelled it, it had a honey-sweet scent to it that mixed with the cedar. I was expecting a full-bodied, spicy-sweet, relaxing smoke. Well, I will fully admit, there is much more to this cigar than my first impression made me believe.

This thing has layers. When you smoke one of these, I fully encourage you to give it your undivided attention and nurture it. It may not grab your attention immediately, but it will open up and you will be surprised.

When I first torched this cigar, the sweetness of the scent gave way to an immediate oaky spiciness. The spiciness prevailed through the foot, giving notes of oak and cedar. Once it had established a steady burn, it opened up to a very light sweetness with floral and berry notes. The floral notes are complex and fun to pick apart, but I will admit that I was almost disappointed at the lack of fullness of the flavor.

As I worked my way through the cigar, the flame picked up and really started to provide a full-bodied, full-flavored smoke that was savory, nutty, and slightly sweet in nature. This is the flavor I am used to getting from Arturo Fuente, and this is where the cigar definitely provided.

The last third of the cigar settled down on the sweetness and instead gave a light herbal or fruity bitterness. The profile on this part of the cigar tied me back to the light floral notes, but stood alone as its own flavor. This bitterness was quite unique and I immediately thought that it would pair well with a straightforward, sweet bourbon like Maker’s 46 or Bulleit.

Throughout the smoke, the cigar provided a sweet and pleasant aroma. The full circle of individual flavors and profiles in this cigar make it unique and fulfilling. It still provides the consistent and fortuitous flavor of Arturo Fuente but with something a little extra. This is a great choice as a day smoke but can definitely stand up as a special occasion cigar. Chateau Fuente is a staple of Arturo Fuente, and I can certainly see why.

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