Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Sangre de Bestia Review
It’s no great secret that I enjoy Arturo Fuente cigars, as the company has produced some of my all-time favorites. That’s why I was understandably excited to recently get my hands on one of Fuente’s newest releases, the Don Carlos Sangre de Toro, a cigar that was teased for quite some time before getting a later-than-expected rollout only in recent weeks. An addition to the already large Don Carlos line, the Sangre de Toro is the first of the Don Carlos cigars to feature a Mexican San Andres wrapper. Given that this happens to be one of my personal favorite tobaccos, I have a feeling that I’m in for a treat with this review.
For the review, I’m smoking the Sangre de Toro Sangre de Bestia, a 6.25×52 toro that was one of the first two vitolas to be released, with another two set to appear shortly thereafter. It’s interesting to note that the Sangre de Toro is being introduced in a major year for the line. Don Carlos Fuente Sr., father of current company head Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr., would’ve celebrated his 90th birthday this year. Another release that will appear before the end of the year, the Don Carlos 90 Años, will commemorate this milestone. For now, though, let’s keep our attention on the Sangre de Toro, which promises its own unique contribution to the Don Carlos line.
Critical Stats
- Vitola: Toro
- Size: 6.25×52
- Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
- Binder: Dominican
- Filler: Dominican
- Strength: Medium to medium-full
- Smoking Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
First Third
On the cold draw, the Sangre de Toro Bestia gives me hints of dark chocolate covered almonds and baking spices, as well as just a little bit of black pepper. There’s also a subtle earthiness reminiscent of damp soil after rain. There are multiple layers of flavor going on even before I’ve lit the cigar, which I’m taking as a good indication that I’m probably in for a complex cigar.
My first impression upon lighting is that the nut and baking spice notes are front and center, joined by a slight minerality. The draw is essentially a perfect medium of neither too tight nor too open, and the cigar produces prolific amounts of thick smoke. As I enjoy the first few draws, the cigar starts to present a more nuanced flavor profile that also includes some of the dark chocolate from the cold draw and a hint of tobacco sweetness, as well as a touch of a bready note. Tied together, the flavors meld into something that slightly reminds me of a spice cake topped with crushed nuts.
One thing that is a little surprising is how thoroughly the spice notes in this cigar include toward baking spices and away from pepperiness. While I can get a touch of black pepper on a retrohale, I’m really not getting much while smoking the cigar normally. So far, the most pronounced pepper flavor was the one I picked up in the cold draw, and even that wasn’t especially prominent.
A little further in, I am getting some more savory notes to complement the cigar’s initial slight sweetness. I would best describe the flavor as being like leather-bound books, but without the distinctive contribution of old paper. Here and there I can also pick up a whisper of dark fruit, though not clearly enough to label it as anything more specific than that. Black cherry is, perhaps, as close as I’ll get, though I don’t know that I think that fully captures exactly what I’m tasting.
Rather suddenly, the sweeter side of the cigar picks up considerably, presenting almost a butter cream frosting flavor (yes, this cigar sounds quite a bit like a cake, and is also making me hungry for cake). I have to say that I’m really enjoying the gradual push and pull between sweeter and more savory flavors, underpinned by a nice backbone of baking spices and, to a lesser degree, nutty flavors. This back-and-forth balancing act that the Sangre de Toro is pulling off keeps the cigar very engaging and creates subtle layers of flavor during transitions. This is the kind of complexity I’ve come to expect from upper-end Fuentes, and so far this cigar is holding up its family name nicely.
I’m also starting to pick up a distinct combination of the tobacco sweetness and a growing aromatic cedar note that tastes quite like a large walk-in humidor smells. I’ve actually encountered pretty much this exact flavor combination before in the Fuente portfolio, specifically from the Casa Fuente line. While I doubt this is intentional, I have to say encountering such a similar flavor in newest Don Carlos release feels like a great little homage to Fuente’s iconic brick-and-mortar store in Las Vegas that recently closed down and the cigars that, for quite some time, could practically only be purchased at that shop.
Strength-wise, the Sangre de Toro feels like pretty much a dead-on medium up to this point. Considering the core Don Carlos line and the other offshoots of it, this seems extremely fitting. Fuente clearly didn’t try to give this the sheer punch that many of the cigars in the Opus X line feature, and I think that’s actually a great decision, as it makes it far easier to pick up on the subtle flavor shifts that have defined this cigar so far.
Second Third
Getting into the second third, there isn’t a gigantic flavor shift at first, but I do start to pick up a little bit of pink peppercorn that ties in nicely with the baking spices that are, even now, the backbone of this cigar’s flavor. The pendulum has also swung a little bit back to the savory direction, with that pleasant old book leather making a renewed appearance. The dark fruit note I got earlier is also starting to show back up, though this time I would call it closer to a hint of raspberry than a dark cherry.
With a little more progress, the peppery tones definitely build a little bit and the sweet, frosting-like flavor is in retreat. The strength has also picked up slightly, bringing the cigar to medium-plus, though I still wouldn’t call it medium-full. Soon, I’m getting a truer black pepper flavor, though it’s not by any means the star of the show.
While I do feel like we’ve been all over the place on this cigar’s flavor, the construction has been incredibly consistent. Perfect draw and burn, just as one would expect from a high-end Fuente. I’m even smoking the cigar outside on a fairly windy day, and that hasn’t negatively impacted the experience at all. Though I would happily give the cigar some room for error under those circumstances, it clearly doesn’t need the help.
Just when I think that the cigar is about to make the shift to being permanently drier, it surprises me with a touch of light, sweet, latte-like coffee. This is something I’m really enjoying, the move between different flavors that feels very much like a guided tour of the almost innumerable tastes tobacco can give you. At this point, I’m really doubtful that we’re going to settle into just one flavor profile and stay there, though as I’ve said before the combination of nuttiness and ginger/cinnamon baking spice has provided a very good framework for the Sangre de Toro to hang its many other flavors on. That’s fine, as I’m enjoying the trip and am in no hurry for it to end.
The second third closes with a fruity, peppery medley with a hint of coffee occupying the most obvious part of the flavor profile. I will say that the pronounced cedar I got later in the first third has really receded, though it did so very gradually and I’m not even really sure when I started to lose track of it. The strength has likewise continued to build at a very slow pace, now reaching almost what I would call medium-full. I still don’t get the impression that the Don Carlos Sangre de Toro is going to hit me like a freight train at any point, but it is a bit more potent than my initial impressions in the first third led me to believe it might be.
Final Third
By the time I’ve reached the final third, a more pronounced and slightly darker coffee flavor has started to take shape, accompanied by a tiny bit of a caramel sweetness. The wind-down of the Sangre de Toro feels sort of like having a nice cup of coffee after dinner and dessert, and I’m more than happy to let it gradually ease its way to the finish in this manner.
Another interesting development is a more forward and more distinctive nut flavor that almost gives the impression of peanut brittle. At the same time, a deeply pleasant floral tone comes in to keep things balanced. It seems that even in the trailing couple inches of the cigar, we’re still going to get plenty of interesting flavors and new developments.
With the end now firmly in sight, now feels like a good time to check back in on the subject of construction. Simply put, this cigar hasn’t needed touching up and has maintained a perfectly even draw the whole time I’ve been smoking it. Also, as expected, the cigar’s strength has never really exceeded a fairly moderate medium-full, and if anything has eased off a tiny bit as it winds down.
In the final inch, the Don Carlos Sangre de Toro produces darker notes of black currant, chocolate and coffee, though I’m still getting some nutmeg in the back. A bit of black pepper is also still evident on the retrohale, though not as apparent otherwise. This combination is a great way to finish what has been a great cigar, and it provides one final bend in what has been a really interesting exploration of tobacco flavors.
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Bestia Review and Closing Thoughts
Flavor
The Don Carlos Sangre de Toro is, without a doubt, a deeply complex smoke that takes the smoker on a journey through many of the flavors of fine tobacco. At times, it flirts with almost being too complex, giving me so many different changing flavors to keep track of that it can be a bit tricky at times. With that said, any tiny bit of frustration there is entirely unique to me, as I’m trying to write everything down as I’m tasting it for this review, which neither most smokers nor even myself on future smokings of the cigar will have to contend with. Bearing that in mind, the complexity is actually a huge positive, as it keeps the cigar incredibly interesting from first light to final draw.
I also have to give a massive amount of credit to how the Sangre de Toro seems to handle the changes in flavor. They’re neither too abrupt nor clumsy, always seeming to take place at just the right time and in just the right way. This is really a hallmark of masterful blending, and I can’t say enough how much this impressed me.
A final though on the flavor is that this is, despite being deeply unique, a very appropriate addition to the Don Carlos line. As much as it meandered, the Sangre de Toro almost always maintained a backdrop of nutty notes and baking spices that remind me of other Don Carlos blends. I think Carlito Fuente made a perfect decision in adding this to the Don Carlos line, as it’s both a fantastic tribute to Carlos Fuente himself and a clear evolution of the line of cigars that have come to bear his name.
Construction
As I mentioned throughout the review, the construction on the Sangre de Toro Bestia was, for all intents and purposes, perfect. Great burn, completely even draw, and no touch-ups required despite adverse outdoor smoking conditions. Granted, this is what I would expect from a cigar in the upper end of the Fuente portfolio, but it’s always nice to see a new cigar meet the expectations one has for it.
Value
Thanks to my attempt to value-adjust the cigars I review here, plenty of wonderful cigars get downgraded for being too expensive. Those who’ve read my review of the Arturo Fuente Opus X El Escorpion may also recall that I’ll ding a cigar if it’s only available at prices well above MSRP due to extreme rarity, as that’s the price that a smoker will realistically have to pay to get his or her hands on one.
I bring this up to illustrate how I’m thinking about value as it relates to the Sangre de Toro. Demand for new Fuente products can be intense, and I paid a significant premium to ensure I could get one of these cigars from the initial release so I could review it (and, to be honest, simply because I was incredibly excited to try it). However, this one isn’t going to fit under the rule I had to apply to the El Escorpion outlined above. I’ve seen these cigars crop up as low as around the $28 mark, much less than I paid for the one I smoked in this review. While they’re selling out incredibly quickly at this price, the fact is that I think a smoker with a little bit of luck and some patience will be able to eventually score one at a much lower price point than I did. In my case, I paid a premium for convenience and the certainty that I would be able to get my hands on one of the first Sangre de Toro cigars to hit the market.
Keeping this in mind, I think the Sangre de Toro Sangre de Bestia is a fair value for the price I believe smokers could get it for. Nearly $30 is still a rather high price for a cigar, but smoking this one convinces me that the Sangre de Toro is, in fact, well worth it. Clearly these won’t be everyday cigars for much of anyone, but I think as a special occasion smoke there’s nothing egregiously wrong with the price.
Final Verdict
9/10
With value being neutral and great construction being expected from a high-end cigar from Arturo Fuente, this cigar’s rating really comes down to the depth and complexity of flavor it offers. While it’s rare for me to rate a cigar this highly, the Sangre de Toro just worked all the way around and presented no downsides while delivering a consistently excellent and extremely interesting taste experience. There aren’t many cigars that have this much going on, and even among those that do, it’s rare to find one that never has an off moment or a point where flavors clash in a less-than-optimal way. The Sangre de Toro avoids these pitfalls, leaving me with an overwhelmingly positive impression.
All told, this cigar feels like a fuller and more modern blend that almost perfectly complements the Don Carlos line we all know and love. I think Carlito and the entire Fuente team deserve a round of applause on this one, and I will definitely be coming back to the Sangre de Toro in the future when I can put some more in my humidor at a more reasonable price. In the meantime, I would encourage other smokers to do the same, as the Sangre de Toro is well worth adding to your collection. It may take a bit of effort to find them, especially right now with it still being an extremely new release. The effort, however, is well worthwhile.
