Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso Review

Certain cigars seem to carry a reputation before you ever light them, and the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos is definitely one of those cigars.

Between the Fuente name, the aged Dominican tobacco, and its African Cameroon wrapper, I went into this Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso review with pretty high expectations. The Don Carlos line has been around long enough to build a loyal following among cigar smokers, and I was curious to see how this particular vitola would hold up for me today.

After smoking two Don Carlos Belicosos for this review, I really enjoyed this cigar, especially its flavor. My first cigar gave me some unexpected construction issues, but the flavor was good enough that I wanted to smoke another before making up my mind. I'm glad I did, because the second cigar performed considerably better.

Here's how they smoked.

The Story Behind Arturo Fuente Don Carlos

The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos line was created as a tribute to Carlos Fuente Sr., the longtime patriarch of the Fuente family and one of the most important figures in the company's history. More than simply putting his name on the band, the Don Carlos blend was created around his personal tastes, using tobaccos he personally selected.

For the blend, Carlos Fuente Sr. selected vintage tobaccos from the family's reserves, with some of the tobacco aged for as long as 10 years. The cigars are finished with an African Cameroon wrapper, a leaf that has become closely associated with the Don Carlos line and gives it a different character from many of Arturo Fuente's other cigars.

Underneath that Cameroon wrapper are Dominican binder and filler tobaccos, with production taking place at Tabacalera A. Fuente in the Dominican Republic. The combination of the Cameroon wrapper and aged Dominican tobacco has remained at the heart of the Don Carlos blend.

The Don Carlos line is offered in several sizes, but for this review I'm smoking the Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso, a 5 3/8 x 52 figurado. It's also a vitola with some history behind it. The Belicoso was named Cigar Aficionado's No. 10 cigar of 2006 with a 90-point rating, then returned to its Top 25 list in 2015 at No. 4 with a 94-point rating.

With that kind of reputation behind it, I was curious to see how the Don Carlos Belicoso would perform for me and whether it still lives up to the reputation the line has built over the years.

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso Specs

Wrapper: African Cameroon

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler: Dominican Republic

Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cía.

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Available Sizes: No. 4 (5 x 43), Robusto (5 x 50), Belicoso (5 3/8 x 52), No. 3 (5 1/2 x 44), Double Robusto (5 3/4 x 52), Personal Reserve Robusto (5 x 50), Personal Reserve Eye of the Shark (5 1/4 x 52), No. 2 (5 7/8 x 44/55), Presidente (6 1/2 x 50)

Size Reviewed: 5 3/8 x 52 Belicoso

Notable Features: African Cameroon wrapper over aged Dominican tobaccos; some tobacco used in the Don Carlos blend is aged as much as 10 years

Flavor Highlights: Cedar, spice, cinnamon, sweet nuttiness, cream, wood, dried fruit

Price Point: Around $15 per cigar and around $13 per cigar when bought in a box of 25 cigars

Pre-Light & First Impressions

The Don Carlos Belicoso makes a really strong first impression. The Cameroon wrapper on mine was incredibly smooth with very few noticeable veins or visible seams, and the Belicoso shape itself was beautifully done. The tapered cap looked clean and precise, and paired with the classic Don Carlos band, this is just an elegant-looking cigar.

It felt equally good in the hand. The cigar had just the right amount of firmness from end to end with no noticeable soft spots. The aroma coming from the foot was excellent, with cedar and rich tobacco being the two notes that stood out most to me.

After my first cut, the cold draw was tighter than I would have liked. I took a little more off the cap, which opened things up quite a bit, although there was still some resistance heading into the light.

First Third

The tasting notes below are primarily from my first Don Carlos Belicoso, which is where I took the most detailed notes. My second cigar followed a very similar overall flavor profile, although cinnamon became much more noticeable during the first and second thirds.

Right away, I picked up a noticeable amount of spice along with a clear cedar flavor. There was also a combination of nuttiness and wood in the background that started to come through as I settled into the first third.

The spice didn't surprise me given the Cameroon wrapper, but I liked that it wasn't the only thing going on. The cedar stayed fairly consistent while the nuttier side of the cigar gradually became easier to pick out.

On my second Belicoso, cinnamon joined that spice early and became one of the more noticeable flavors through the first third. It added another layer to the profile without taking away from the cedar and nuttiness I enjoyed in the first cigar.

The draw on my first cigar remained slightly tighter than I prefer, even after making the second cut, but smoke production was still good and it wasn't enough to take away from the flavors.

Second Third

Moving into the second third, things really started to open up for me. The cedar and sweet nuttiness from earlier were still there, but another sweetness began working its way into the profile. I couldn't completely pin it down, but it reminded me of dried fruit. The cigar also became noticeably creamier as I smoked further into this section, with the smoke taking on a much smoother, almost creamy quality.

There was still some spice hanging around, but the increase in sweetness and creaminess changed the balance quite a bit from the first third. I also started picking up what seemed like a very light roasted coffee note on the retrohale.

The cinnamon was much more noticeable in my second cigar and continued well into the second third. I liked how it worked alongside the sweetness and spice, and it gave that cigar a slightly different character even though the overall profile was very similar.

Flavor-wise, this was probably my favorite part of the cigar. Unfortunately, this was also where I started having more trouble with my first cigar. The burn became uneven enough that I eventually gave it a touch-up, and the draw would occasionally tighten back up. Gently rolling the cigar between my fingers near the cap seemed to help open it back up.

Final Third

Heading into the final third, the Don Carlos Belicoso picked up a little more heat, but the flavor never really dropped off.

If anything, this was some of the best flavor I got from the cigar. The dried fruit and sweet nuttiness worked extremely well together, with cedar still running through the profile and a lingering sweetness underneath it all. The spice was still there, but everything felt much more blended than it did early on.

What impressed me most was how well the flavor held up all the way to the end. Even as the cigar got shorter and a little hotter, I never reached a point where the profile became harsh or lost what had made the middle portion so enjoyable.

The construction problems with my first cigar were still frustrating, but purely from a flavor standpoint, I didn't want to put it down.

Construction, Draw, and Burn Performance

Construction ended up being the biggest difference between the two Don Carlos Belicosos I smoked for this cigar review. My first cigar looked and felt extremely well made before lighting it. The wrapper was smooth, the Belicoso shape was beautifully formed, and I couldn't find any obvious soft spots or problems with the pack.

Once I cut it, however, the draw was tighter than I expected. Taking a little more off the cap helped quite a bit, but the resistance never completely disappeared. The draw would tighten periodically throughout the smoke, and I found that gently rolling the cigar near the cap helped keep things moving.

The burn also required a correction as I entered the second third. Later in the smoke, the wrapper began giving me additional problems and eventually started to come apart more than I would expect from a cigar at this level. The flavor was so good, though, that I decided to smoke a second Don Carlos Belicoso before finalizing this review.

My second cigar was a much better experience from a construction standpoint. I didn't run into the same wrapper problems at all, and overall the cigar held together and performed considerably better.

It still wasn't completely perfect. The draw was a little firmer than I would have preferred, and the burn got slightly wavy at times. Neither issue became serious enough to take much away from the experience, though, and I didn't have anything close to the construction problems I experienced with the first cigar.

After smoking two, I'm much more inclined to view the more serious construction problems with my first Belicoso as an unfortunate outlier rather than something that defines the Don Carlos line. At the same time, both cigars gave me at least some resistance on the draw, so that's still worth mentioning.

Is the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso Worth It?

After smoking two of them, I understand why the Don Carlos has built the reputation it has.

The Cameroon wrapper and aged Dominican tobaccos gave me a medium-bodied flavor profile with plenty of complexity, but without relying on sheer strength. Cedar and spice started things off, followed by sweet nuttiness, creaminess, dried fruit, and in my second cigar, a much more noticeable cinnamon note.

My biggest hesitation after the first cigar was construction. The flavor was phenomenal, but the tighter draw, uneven burn, and wrapper problems were difficult to overlook.

Thankfully, my second Belicoso was considerably better. The draw was still a little firmer than I would have liked, and the burn wasn't perfectly straight, but I didn't experience the significant wrapper problems I had with the first cigar. More importantly, it delivered the same general flavor profile that made me want to smoke another one in the first place.

So, is the Don Carlos Belicoso worth trying? Absolutely. After smoking two, I'm comfortable saying the flavor of the first wasn't a fluke, while the more serious construction problems appear to have been the exception rather than the rule.

Final Thoughts

The best compliment I can probably give the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso is that the flavor of my first cigar was good enough that I smoked a second one before finishing this review. I'm glad I did.

My first Belicoso frustrated me from a construction standpoint, but the flavor was outstanding. I loved how it moved from cedar, wood, nuts, and spice into something considerably sweeter and creamier as the cigar developed. The dried fruit and sweet nuttiness through the second half were especially good.

My second cigar gave me a much better construction experience while still delivering the same general flavor profile. The stronger cinnamon note also gave me something I didn't pick up nearly as much in the first cigar, especially through the first half.

After two Don Carlos Belicosos, I understand the reputation behind this cigar a lot more than I did going into the review. It's complex without being overpowering; the Cameroon wrapper brings plenty of character, and the way the flavors developed throughout both cigars was probably my favorite part of the experience.

More importantly, I don't have to wonder anymore whether I'd smoke another one.

Ratings Breakdown

Where to Buy Arturo Fuente Don Carlos

If you're looking to try the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso, check out our current selection of Arturo Fuente cigars at After Action Cigars.

Availability of Don Carlos can vary, but we'll continue adding Arturo Fuente cigars as we can get them. You can also use our Cigar Finder to find something that fits the flavor profile, strength, and price range you're looking for.