Alan Britt and I recently sat down to chat about a few of the most underrated Arturo Fuente cigars we think you should give a try.

[Tyler Caldwell]: Today we want to talk about Arturo Fuente and some cigars that are often overlooked in their portfolio.

[Alan Britt]: I think anyone who has been smoking cigars for any amount of time is familiar with Fuente. In the smallest of humidors in smoke shops, they're gonna have some Fuente cigars. Once you get into the hobby, you smoke a lot of these cigars and you might nerd out and get deeper into it, but if you're anything like me or Tyler, I'm sure you can overlook some of these classics. It's good to come back and revisit old friends.

[TC]: Absolutely. Working in the retail side of this business for way too long, I've always noticed two types of Arturo Fuente cigar smokers: You've got the guy who wants that budget-friendly, everyday smoke. They're leaning towards the Brevas, Curly Head, Curly Head Deluxe, which are very incredible cigars for what you pay for them. But then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, you've got the guy who wants the Opus X in all their iterations. Opus X smokers are the only type of consumers I've ever seen walk into a shop and say, "Oh, you don't have Opus. Well, have a nice day," and leave.

With that being said, Arturo Fuente has such a massive portfolio that there are so many cigars that are underrated over time.

[AB]: Yeah, everything in their portfolio is great, and I don't say that lightly.

Gran Reserva Flor Fina 8-5-8

We're both smoking versions from the Gran Reserva line, which I think is safe to say is Fuente's flagship line. They're typically available in multiple wrappers, a Natural, which I believe is Cameroon, Claro, which has Connecticut Shade, Maduro, Sungrown, and sometimes a bit harder to find, the Rosado Sungrown.

[TC]: If you can ever get your hands on the Rosado Sungrown, it comes out fewer and far between within releases, but it's absolutely box worthy.

[AB]: Yeah, that cigar has kind of grown its own Opus X following.

[TC]: Sure. You could say it's like the Opus X of the 8-5-8 line.

[AB]: I have a personal history with this cigar. Long before I ever dreamed I'd sell tobacco for a living, I was an electrician. I had an hour-ride home and I would stop at this little smoke shop that barely had anything, just Fuente and Drew Estate products. That was what I was cutting my teeth on when I started smoking cigars. I would smoke these 8-5-8 Maduros on the way home, and back then I smoked like a freight train, so I killed it in an hour.

I haven't smoked one in years. It's gotta be 6, 7, 8 years. Man, this immediately took me back, it's so good.

[TC]: There's something nostalgic about it, for sure.

Gran Reserva Seleccion Privada #1

I am smoking the Seleccion Privada #1 in the Shade-Grown variation, and I actually smoked one of these for the first time last week doing our research. I gotta say, I've been hankering for another one since then. I'm really glad that we're doing this video so I can smoke another one.

I hope this makes sense, but this is what I think of when I think of the phrase "back in the day." We've all been in cigar lounges where you're around the old timers who had "back in my day" conversations. For example, "Back in my day, cigars cost this amount" or "Factories didn't make all these fancy, intricate cigars back in my day like they do now." This is what I feel like they're talking about, back in the '80s and '90s. There wasn't as much variety.

This cigar gives me a nostalgic feeling for them. If this is what it was like to smoke cigars, especially during the cigar boom in the '90s, I would've been very happy with it.

Underrated Smokes to Revisit or Discover

[AB]: Yeah, I get the same vibe, and I'm sure it's more prominent in the Maduro than the Shade Grown. It tastes rustic, in a good way. It's not super complex, but it's delicious. It has that quintessential Dominican essence of floral sweetness, but then that Maduro wrapper is so roasty and dark in tone overall. It has this chocolatey, rich note to it. This is killer. It's one of those that you immediately smoke and you're like, I should smoke more of these.

[TC]: Yeah. That's how I feel about this. It's more of a, why did I not tap into this years ago? And why am I not venturing into the other cigars by Arturo Fuente that I've overlooked all this time?

[AB]: Yeah. I recently saw a mutual friend of ours on a social media post say that he was almost exclusively smoking Fuente regular-production stuff, and he used the phrase, "There's no frills; it's just really good cigars at a good price."

[TC]: Exactly. There's no nonsense to it. Just a perfect, well-affordable, everyday smoke. I will absolutely be getting a box of this one and I'm very much looking forward to diving deeper into the Arturo Fuente portfolio and seeing what other hidden gems I've been missing this whole time.

[AB]: Yeah, there's so many. I look back to my older days with Gran Reserva, and of course there's Chateau Fuente. I've got specific memories of years ago sitting in my backyard smoking like a King B or a Queen B and just going on that journey of finding out what I like.

Revisiting those cigars is, I think, important for your journey as a cigar smoker because the things I liked back then, I'm not super fond of now. And things I love now, I maybe would've not enjoyed 10 years ago.

[TC]: Absolutely. It makes a lot of sense. For you guys watching, let us know in the comments what your favorite Arturo Fuente cigar is. If you are not familiar with Arturo Fuente, they have a lot to choose from, so don't be afraid to try out all their cigars. They've got inexpensive, they've got luxury status, and everything in between. Check 'em out.