CigarSnob_1014 - page 3

sept / oct 2014
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Cigar Snob
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33
Carlos Fuente, Jr.
President
Arturo Fuente Cigar Company
arturo Fuente rosado sungrown MagnuM r
Vitola 58
the release of the Arturo Fuente Rosado sun-
grown Magnum R in late 2009 went completely
against the grain. the cigar market was in the
midst of a surge in power and you launched a
creamier, more balanced and nuanced cigar. What
kind of smoker were you targeting with this brand?
Honestly, I don’t think that way. I just try to make a
great cigar. Magnum R was something that I thought
there was a need for in the market at that time. I
just thought that, with the great tobaccos that we
had, and with the experience that I’d had up to that
point, Magnum R was a cigar that was important to
introduce. It was different than anything else I had
done. It was an accumulation of all of the teachings.
When you said you “thought there was a need”
for Magnum R in the market at that time, what
did you mean by that?
The market was going toward very, very young
tobacco. Very strong. Like you should get a buzz
after the first three puffs. The market went that way,
but my teaching was always that a cigar needs to
be balanced. It’s a cigar that doesn’t bite you, and
it’s just enjoyable. So when I saw the market going
to strong, strong, strong, I thought, “that’s not good
for the business.” It’s not good for the retailer and
it’s not good for the manufacturer.
I also think about farming; the plant gives you only
so many leaves. Whether it’s 12, 14, or 16, depend-
ing on how you harvest and what you do, there
are only so many of the leaves that really give you
that strength. And those leaves have to be aged for
many years for them to reach their optimal taste and
sweetness, otherwise it’s “crudo” (raw).
There’s a reason why the old school cigars are
blended a certain way. It’s part of our philosophy
and our teaching, which was taught to me by my
father and my grandfather, which was taught to them
by the previous generation. That’s why I wanted to
do Magnum R.
You also said that the Magnum R was unlike any-
thing else you had done. How so?
The idea of that cigar was to have something bal-
anced and flavorful, but different. With a little spice
and everything that I find in another brand we make
but not as “in your face.” You get all the flavors
you’re looking for but when you finish that cigar,
you want to smoke another one. It leaves you with
that, “I want more.”
I compare it to women. You know how when you’re
young and you’re in love and you… you know what
I mean? If, afterwards, you say “I don’t want to see
you for a week,” that’s not good. But if you say,
“let’s have a glass of wine and go for some more”…
I think, in a cigar, that’s ideal.
I think we get it.
Now, on the surface, the biggest difference with
Magnum R is that the wrapper is incredibly thin.
What is the reason for that?
It is very thin and delicate. It’s very fragile. It’s an
Ecuador Habano that is grown for us by the Oliva
family (Oliva Tobacco Co.).
The Oliva family, John and Angel Oliva… their family
has been our backbone for generations. They grow
that tobacco for us, but in order to get the proper
balance for the Magnum R, we have to re-select
the tobacco and try to find the leaves that are not
as hearty, a little thinner. Not the heavier leaves
like we use for the Sun Grown or brands like that.
Now, keep in mind these are all judgment calls by
humans as they go through all of the tobacco by
hand, but that’s what we try to achieve. And I find
that, for that blend, that works a little better.
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