Arturo Fuente Anejo No. 49

Description

The Arturo Fuente Anejo No. 49 carries one of the more remarkable origin stories in the entire Fuente catalog — a cigar born out of necessity that became one of the brand’s most coveted lines in its own right.

Construction & Origin

In 1998, Hurricane Georges devastated the Fuente family’s Chateau de la Fuente estates, where the wrapper leaf for Opus X is grown. Facing a severe shortage two years later, Carlito Fuente made a creative choice: he kept the same vintage Dominican binder and filler used in Opus X, but wrapped it instead in a specially aged Connecticut Broadleaf leaf — rested in oak cognac barrels for a full year to add sweetness and depth. This 7⅝ x 49 grand corona (double corona) is hand-rolled at Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia in the Dominican Republic, and true to the line’s tradition, it’s typically released only around Father’s Day and the holiday season each year.

Flavor Profile

Medium-full to full-bodied, this cigar delivers a signature “Anejo” character — cedar, red pepper, chocolate, and rum-like sweetness up front, developing into vanilla, cashew, black licorice, and molasses through the smoke, with a long, layered finish. Cigar Aficionado’s own tasting notes describe it as “big, dark and toothy,” pairing sweet molasses, cinnamon, and vanilla against bolder leather and spicy Szechuan peppercorn — “a tasty cigar that gets tastier.”

Why It’s Sought After

Anejo has gone on to command a covetousness of its own, comparable to Opus X itself — a genuine achievement for a line that began as a workaround during a shortage. With its seasonal, limited release schedule and a reputation reviewers consistently describe as hard to find but worth the wait, this remains one of the most respected maduro offerings Fuente makes.