More so than with any other form of literature except perhaps the novel, writer Ernest Hemingway is identified with the novella, or short story. Hence, “Short Story” is a fitting name for this diminutive but delectable vitola of one of Arturo Fuente’s most-beloved lines of cigars.
Like the economical and portentous sentences of Hemingway’s works, the Arturo Fuente smokes named after the man who called himself “Papa” can be summed up as surprisingly potent, bold, adventurous and colorful. And like Hemingway’s literary texts, the Fuente smokes too have a memorable format, embodying the classic shape of the Perfecto — a cigar style from the first half of the twentieth century incorporating a nipple-like protrusion at the foot of the stick. This old-fashioned form had almost died out when Fuente family boss Don “Carlito” Carlos Fuente Junior made efforts to revive it and keep the tradition alive for new generations of cigar lovers. In doing so, he helped revitalize Arturo Fuente as a viable cigar-making concern in the Dominican Republic.
In 2013, Cigar Aficionado accorded the Short Story a 93 rating, bestowing it with a 90-or-better grade on at least 13 other occasions. (Thirteen was late Fuente family patriarch Don Carlos Fuente’s lucky number.)
As the smallest vitola in the Hemingway line, the Short Story makes up for what it lacks in size with considerable power, complexity and balance. This perfectly drawing, medium-to-full-bodied, medium-to-full-strength smoke might not last a long time, but you won’t quickly forget its flavors. Rare Meerapfel Cameroonian wrapper surrounds aged Dominican long-filler tobaccos to furnish the smoker with a most favorable impression. Walnuts, almonds, cocoa, spices and woody notes saturate one’s palate, along with traces of caramel, coffee and a chocolate/vanilla finish thrown in for good measure, weaving a rich tale of import and romance, complete with a satisfying ending.