Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Vintage 1960s Short Story Review

Arturo Fuente is a company renowned for its high-end rare offerings. Cigar lines such as the OpusX, God of Fire and Fuente Anejo are among the most sought-after smokes in the world, and with very good reason. Also included in this list of exclusive offerings from Fuente is the Rare Pink Vintage 1960s series, the smallest vitola of which we’ll be reviewing today in the form of the Fuente Rare Pink Vintage 1960s Short Story.

Before talking about the cigar, a tip of the hat to Fuente for its ongoing charitable outreach efforts. The Rare Pink series was created by Carlito Fuente with the express intent of raising awareness and funding for breast cancer research. Arturo Fuente is involved in several charitable enterprises, and it’s great to see a cigar company improving the industry’s image while also doing good in the process. Whatever the results of this review, I think we can all get behind Fuente’s involvement in such a worthwhile cause.

Now, on to the cigar itself. The Rare Pink Short Story is, as one might expect, the same small perfecto vitola that is more commonly seen in the company’s extremely popular Hemingway series of cigars. The blend, however, is very different from the Hemingway. In place of the Cameroon wrapper, the Rare Pink Short Story sports a very attractive Ecuadorian wrapper leaf. Fuente has also incorporated Nicaraguan tobaccos into the binder and filler.

This is my first time smoking the Rare Pink Short Story, and I’m quite excited going into it. Having smoked other Rare Pink series cigars in the past, I know I’m in for a complex smoke with a few unique flavors. The question now is whether the Short Story format can live up to the expectations I’ve formed after smoking larger vitolas.

Critical Stats

• Vitola: Perfecto
• Size: 4×42/49
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Dominican/Nicaraguan
• Strength: Medium
• Smoking Time: 35 minutes

First Third

The cold draw on the Rare Pink Short Story is heavily dominated by cedar. There’s also another note in there that I can’t quite identify, though I certainly sat there sucking on an unlit cigar for a preposterous amount of time attempting to do so. Once lit, the cigar continues to yield a strong, aromatic cedar note. This is joined by a chalky minerality that, while not unpleasant, makes for an unusual first few puffs. I also get a touch of a light fruit note that I can best describe as pear-like.

A little while in, the chalkiness dies down a bit and black pepper begins to reach my palate. The cigar also becomes a little more savory and takes on a mildly spicy edge. So far, this smoke is enjoyable enough, but there’s really nothing mind-blowing about it. I do get a touch of a black walnut note a bit later that’s quite interesting and makes a nice addition to the flavor profile, though.

As I get further into the first third, the minerality that’s been present to varying degrees since the initial puffs starts to turn bitter. This is a less than welcome development, since it overshadows some of the other interesting flavors I’ve been picking up on. At this point, I tried to slow my smoking pace in case puffing too vigorously on such a small cigar was the cause of the bitter flavor. Despite this effort, the unwanted bitterness persisted. Though it was far from enough to ruin the flavor for me, I could certainly do without it.

Toward the end of the first third, this bitterness does begin to let up a bit. The pear note is also still flitting around the periphery of the flavor profile. So far, that and the black walnut are the most exciting flavors I’ve found in this cigar. Cedar is still quite prominent, though it has backed off a bit since the first puffs. Construction-wise, the Rare Pink Short Story follows the rest of the upper-end Fuente portfolio in being very impressive. The ash is firm and holding well, and the draw is both open and consistent.

Second Third

Going into the second third, the Rare Pink Short Story is still slightly bitter. This situation improves, however, when a dark roast coffee note begins to make its presence felt. It doesn’t eliminate the bitterness, but it does give it something much more enjoyable to cling onto. The pepper is also still building, but it’s a long way off being overwhelming.

The cedar starts to draw back a bit, making room for a more floral and herbal flavor to show up. I get something that I want to label as dried parsley, but I don’t think that’s the ideal descriptor. In any event, the cigar is certainly still evolving and remaining interesting. While it’s had its ups and downs so far, I certainly can’t accuse the Rare Pink Short Story of being a one-trick pony.

By the end of the second third, the bitterness has become much less prominent and more intermittent. Things seem to be looking up a bit. My optimism is also bolstered by a shift in the coffee note, which now shows up as a hazelnut coffee that’s very enjoyable. The cigar’s heretofore firm ash sadly did give way in this third, but the construction remains very good and no touch-ups have been needed.

Final Third

By the start of the final third, I’m finally starting to really enjoy this cigar. That bitter note has largely receded, and the coffee flavor is picking up a bit to become the star of the show alongside the persistent cedar note. The pepper and spice are also gaining ground. On the back end of the smoke, I get a pleasant savory quality. This is the best this cigar has been up to this point.

To finish, I get a nice mixture of coffee, cedar, nuts, dry earth and a bit of a toffee note, albeit without much sweetness. On the final puff or two, I catch a distinct flavor of salted almonds. I can confidently say that this cigar came in for a good landing, even though the turbulence in the middle certainly detracted from the overall experience.

Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Short Story Review and Closing Thoughts

Flavor

To say that this cigar was all over the place in this category would be a bit of an understatement. At the beginning and the end, the Rare Pink Short Story proved very enjoyable. The weird bitterness in the middle really took some points off here, however. I also don’t feel like I ever got a great feel for what this cigar was supposed to be about, as the profile just changed directions randomly. Given what a small cigar this was and how little time there was for flavor transitions to take place, this made for something of a jarring and uneven experience.

Construction

Credit where it’s due, Fuente wins again with the construction on this cigar. After lighting up, I felt no need to reach for my lighter. The cigar burned evenly all the way down, leaving a firm ash behind it. I also had no draw issues whatsoever.

Value

At a normal retail price of $9-10, this cigar isn’t a bad value at all, especially when you consider that Fuente uses a portion of the proceeds from the Rare Pink series to fund an extremely worthwhile cause. Like many rare cigars, however, you’ll find this one marked up significantly at some retailers. If you’re seeing this cigar being sold for $20+, I would say stay away, as the price is just too high for the cigar to justify. At that price, and especially for a cigar of this size, get yourself a Hemingway Between the Lines instead.

Final Verdict

7/10

Acutely aware that I’m probably offending the sensibilities of the hardcore fans of rare Fuentes out there, I have to say that I think 7 points out of a possible 10 is the fairest rating for this cigar. The Fuente Rare Pink Vintage 1960s Short Story offers several complex notes I don’t typically get from most cigars, including flavors of pear, black walnut and salted almonds. For these and its good construction, the cigar narrowly edges its way into the top 30 percent.

However, the minerality-turned-bitterness that muddled the middle part of this cigar just makes a higher rating impossible for me. I’ve smoked other Rare Pink vitolas that didn’t have this problem, but the Short Story struggled to deliver the best version of its flavor. Without that issue, I suspect I could have assigned a 7.5/10, but the second third flavor problem was just too big to overlook. Fuente lovers should still try this one out, but make sure you get it at a halfway reasonable price.