Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva Claro 85  
Low to medium bodied  
Cold aromas: cedar, nuts, hay, allspice  
First third: nuts, hay, cedar, sweet  
Second third: nuts, pepper, cedar, sweet\]  
Final third: nuts, cedar, vanilla

Intro  
I've sometimes dwelled on how much aging affects a cigar. And while this usually depends on the wrapper, especially ones like Connecticut or Candela. I wasn't very hopeful for this Gran Reserva Claro, a Churchill with a Connecticut wrapper, which has been aged for over eight years. The wrapper is described simply as Claro, and although I've searched on various websites, none describe it as a Connecticut, even though the official website doesn't explicitly state otherwise.

If there's one thing I've learned after smoking several cigars of this brand, where the bands are so similar, it's to read them carefully. Green bands, like this one, tend to indicate mild cigars. White bands are medium-bodied, and black bands are full-bodied, but it's not just that. Price and complexity also play a role, but the important thing is not to be misled by the wrapper color, as some cigars with aged wrappers are quite mild, while some with light wrappers can be very strong. For now, the wrapper of this Gran Reserva is covered in veins, but it's a fairly uniform color and has aromas of cedar and nuts. At the foot, the aroma is woody, while the cold draw gives me very subtle notes of hay, nuts, and spices like allspice.

1/3  
Smooth, very smooth. For a while, I wondered if it was really worth reviewing, but it's a Churchill with low strength and subtle flavors. Mild notes of nuts, hay, wood, and a bit of sweetness. Burns very well, but with a 48 ring gauge, I'm not going to demand that much ash density, so as soon as I approach the end of the first third, I let it fall into the ashtray. The intensity is low, with a medium-low strength.

2/3  
No big changes. Flavors all increase in intensity to medium, even bordering on medium-high. The burn has never been perfect, but its imperfection has at least remained constant. Past the halfway point, that stronger sensation becomes identifiable as pepper, and notes of peanut also appear, and a creamy sensation.

3/3  
Less pepper. Once was when I removed the band, the cigar became acidic and unpleasant, losing its shape and burning poorly. By this point, I had already been smoking it for two and a half hours. I let it go with a medium-high intensity and medium strength.

Conclusion  
There are very few occasions when I can say I haven't liked an Arturo Fuente cigar. This time, after so long in the humidor, the cigar seemed to have lost something, but it wasn't strength; perhaps it was a lack of flavor variety. Most of the Arturo Fuente cigars I've smoked have been between medium and full bodied, so a mild one seems strange. But as it was, it worked. 

Made by: Tabacalera Fuente  
Brand: Arturo Fuente  
Line: Gran Reserva Claro  
Size: 7¼ x 48  
Vitola: Churchill  
Origin: Dominican Republic  
Wrapper: N/A (Claro)  
Binder: Dominican Republic  
Filler: Dominican Republic  
MSRP: $9.30   
Score: 85

[Blog](https://humoytabaco.com/)  
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/robleytabaco/)  
[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@RobleyTabaco)

[Cigar Review #99] Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva Claro (Churchill) 85