Title: Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Vintage 1960’s Séries Sophisticated Hooker Awarded #10 in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2022
Cigar Aficionado – The name is certainly curious. And if you’re familiar with Carlos Fuente Jr.’s sense of humor, it won’t surprise you that there’s a double entendre here. Sophisticated Hooker refers to the name of a fishing boat (“hooker” being a term for a fisherman) the Arturo Fuente owner and blender remembers from his younger days. It’s the largest size in the Rare Pink line, a series of shapely figurados, much like Fuente’s Hemingway series. Only this blend is completely different from that found in Hemingways. It’s also a cigar with a social cause. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every box goes to fund breast cancer research, hence the bright pink boxes. Pink is the official color of the breast cancer awareness movement.
The brand had only four sizes when it was launched in the spring of 2021, and this wasn’t one of them. Later that year, at the first Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest, the seminar audience puffed a sneak preview of the Sophisticated Hooker. It’s in the market now, but still in limited production. The cigar is as intriguing as the name. First puffs are cedary and herbal, but the cigar takes on a nutty, graham cracker sweetness showing big notes of red meat, black pepper and caramel before the sweet-and-nutty finish. READ MORE
Arturo Fuente Ships 2022 Batch of Rare Pinks Including Two New Sizes
Arturo Fuente has begun shipping the 2022 batch of its Rare Pink Vintage 1960’s line, which now has a total of six sizes.
The company has expanded the line with two new sizes—both of which were announced in 2021—the Queen of Hearts (3 3/4 x 54) and Sophisticated Hooker (7 1/4 x 53). Like the rest of the sizes in the line, both new vitolas are perfectos. The cigar uses an Ecuadorian wrapper from Oliva Tobacco Co. over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. READ MORE
A Tale of 2 Cigar Families
Cigar Aficionado – Like so many great ideas, the plan to combine the cigarmaking talents of the Fuente and Padrón families began over whisky and cigars. Carlos Fuente Jr., the man who runs Arturo Fuente, was visiting the Miami office of Jorge Padrón, his friend and competitor. It was early in 2020, and the two men lit up cigars. After the Scotch was poured, the two raised their glasses in honor of their fathers, men who had died not so long before, men who had run Fuente and Padrón before their sons.
As they spoke, an unusual idea was born: what if these two companies worked together to make cigars honoring their fathers, cigars that would be sold in the same box, the two names joined for the first time in history?
“We discussed Jorge blending a cigar in honor of my father, out of respect and gratitude,” says Fuente Jr. “And I was going to make a cigar that Mr. José Orlando Padrón would like.” It was a curious move, two rival companies, each a leader in the world of fine cigars, working together on a project that would bear both of their names. Coke doesn’t share the stage with Pepsi; Porsche and BMW don’t do joint projects; Rolex doesn’t make a watch with Patek Philippe. READ MORE
Liana Fuente, Vice President of Brand Development, is resigning from the company effective September 1st, 2022.
HalfWheel – My intent was for this post to go up a lot sooner, but things got complicated. Oddly, not because of the Arturo Fuente and Padrón Legends collaboration, which was the most talked about cigar of any trade show I’ve ever been to. From the time I first visited the booth at the start of Day 1 to my final time walking through it on Day 4, the Legends cigar had a certain fanfare that is completely unique.
What’s crazy is that is hardly the end of Arturo Fuente’s other collaborations, there’s also the $80,000 Elie Bleu humidor and a plethora of new items for Manny Iriarte Enterprises’ The OpusX Society. But this post is about Fuente, the mothership, and it had plenty of new items. In traditional Arturo Fuente fashion, good luck finding details about just about any of the cigars, but if you wanted information about dog bowls, I found that wasn’t that difficult to come by. As you’ll read below, for some of these cigars, a lot remains unclear. READ MORE
Fuente & Padrón Legends Cigar Project To Be Unveiled July 10, 2022
Miami, Florida – Carlito Fuente and Jorge Padrón are proud to announce the release of their Legends cigar project. Please join the Fuente and Padrón families Sunday July 10, 2022 at 3:30 pm at the PCA Trade Show, Booth # 1321 for the unveiling of these extraordinary cigars. Carlos A. Fuente, Sr. and José O. Padrón were friends and colleagues for over 50 years. They shared common bonds – a passion for the finest Cuban cigar-making traditions and deep respect for their family names. They passed these values on to their children. Their sons, Carlito Fuente and Jorge Padrón, together with their families, have partnered to honor and remember the Fuente and Padrón family patriarchs. For the first time, the families are collaborating on a joint project, a commemorative 40-cigar box in honor of their fathers and their legacies. The box is detailed with colors, symbols and photographs illustrating the rich family histories and contributions to the cigar industry made by both families. Inside, there are two trays of 20 hand crafted cigars. One tray features cigars made by Padrón in honor of Carlos A. Fuente, Sr. The second tray features cigars made by Fuente in honor of José O. Padrón. Specially designed bands honor both patriarchs with family symbols and the words the two men lived by – “Familia,” “Perseverancia,” and “Legado” (Family, Perseverance, and Legacy). Both families have selected rare and beautiful tobaccos to create legendary cigars worthy of the extraordinary men they honor. In keeping with their fathers’ tradition of giving, a percentage of the proceeds from the sales of this collaboration will be donated to the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation and the Padrón Family Foundation. Contact: Liana Fuente (lfuente@arturofuente.com) or Jeff Padrón (jeffpadron@padron.com)
Fuentes Breaking Ground On Nicaraguan Factory
Cigar Aficionado – Four and a half years—nearly to the day—after Carlos Fuente Jr. announced plans to build a grand factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, his company is about to formally break ground on the site and begin construction. On Thursday, the inauguration of the factory will occur.
“Many years in the works,” Fuente Jr. said to Cigar Aficionado. “The day is finally coming.”
The event will include, according to Fuente Jr., “The whole construction company, government officials and colleagues.” Read More
Prime Time Awards 2021: Large Factory of the Year – Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia
“We will never rush the hands of time” is the mantra of Arturo Fuente Cigar Company. It’s no better personified than in the excellent products that have come out of its Dominican factory, Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. It’s a big reason why it wins the 2021 Prime Time Award for Large Factory of the Year.
There is such a wide variety of cigars produced from this company, from regular production to limited editions to uber-limited editions; from mild cigars to powerhouse blend; from tried and true vitola sizes to artisan shapes. The factory has executed flawlessly on so many levels over the years, and 2021 was one that really shined and showcased the versatility and consistency of quality. Most importantly, the end products delivered were outstanding.
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2021 Smokin Tabacco Awards: Woman of the Year – Liana Fuente
Like her family before her, Liana is a professional with love and passion for the business of premium handmade cigars. She is the Vice President of Brand Development of Arturo Fuente and also oversees all of their charitable efforts. She takes after her father, Carlito, in the way she represents such a storied and historic brand with a reputation for high class and consistency. When her father created the new “Rare Pink” line, she was the one who decided to use that to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Rare Pink was introduced in 2020 when it was shipped to retailers for the holiday season. It uses Ecuadorian wrapper over a mixture of tobaccos including Nicaraguan tobacco from the Fuente farm in Estelí, Nicaragua. All of the vitolas are perfectos, with two new sizes introduced at PCA 2021 this year: Queen of Hearts and Sophisticated Hooker. Arturo Fuente announced in addition that $13 from each box would be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation after the American Cancer Society refused to accept money from a company associated with tobacco. In 2020, Liana told us they raised $107,000 for Breast Cancer Research.
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Liana Fuente -Ash Quarterly Woman of the Year
Ash Quarterly First ever award for Woman of the Year goes to Liana Fuente. Liana is the Vice President of Brand Development for Arturo Fuente and oversees all its various charitable endeavours. Speaking of Charity, Liana has made it a point to do extensive fundraising for Breast Cancer Awareness. Part of this initiative saw the launch of the Arturo Fuente Rare Pink series in which the company donates money to the American Cancer Society for every box sold. With all that Liana does, it is no wonder that she was voted Woman of the Year by consumers.
Congratulations Liana!
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