The Best 25 Minute Smoke Around!!!

FINALLY - The legend makes it to Epinions... A special thanks to BruGuru for getting this wonderful cigar onto the database...The Short Story is no doubt one of the most elusive "little guys" on the market - fanatically sought after and highly coveted, Fuente's Hemingway line consists of some of the absolute finest Dominican cigars on the planet - and in fact, some of my favorite cigars OF ALL...

In a way, it makes perfect sense - the Short Story is, hard to believe as this may sound, probably the hardest Fuente Cigar to get get a hold of -- Even more difficult to find than many of the Opus X line. Sadly, the entire Hemingway line has also gotten drastically overpriced, due to simple supply and demand.

The Hemingway Short Story is a gorgeous little perfecto standing a diminutive little 4 inches long starting at a 43 ring gauge graduated out to a final ring guage of 48/64ths of an inch. Make no mistake, this cigar deserves every las drop of its fame and reputation -- In all my life out of God Knows how many I've smoked, every one has been fantastic, flavorful, perfect rolled and each one has its own distint character. The range of flavors is as broad as any complex cigar I've yet smoked, and THAT is saying alot. In this review, I'm drawing from literally generations and generations of Shorties strewn throughout countless entries in multiple cigar journals. This is because every single time I stumble across the opportunity I buy a box, AND, try to keep at least 40 on hand at all times. Hemingway shorts come in pyramid type double stack boxes of 25 cigars. Typically, they literally look identical in terms of wrapper - however like traditional Cuban fashion, when wrapper appearance varies (and only slightly) they are packed light to dark, just like to proper Cuban style dictates, although of course these are Dominican cigars, luckily for all U.S. citizens.

The Shorty is comprised of painstakingly carefully selected Dominican binder and a perfect blend of aged Dominican fillers jacketed in a darkish Cameroon wrapper. Once upon a time, by the way, Fuente cigars were "out of style" and simply too strong for most alleged cigar smokers. For this reason, the prices stayed rather fair AND though still sought after by those who knew, the Hemingways were more readily available. Now however, times have changed, and Fuente's are all the rage - Opus X and Hemingway being the two most popular and sold-out of the brand. The Short Story just MUST have a proper v-cut and the perfect construction means a perfect draw with LOTS of flavor. Pardon the metaphor, but this cigar really epitomizes the term "perfecto" because it is perfect in nearly every regard.

Flavor is what this little bomb is all about - strong leather and coffee notes are accompanied by an absolutely surprising and varied range of flavors, such as pine nuts, cinamon, pepper spice, spearmint and even hints of dark olives. Every Short Story IS its own little story and for this reason, I couldn't think of a better author's name to possess than Ernest Hemingway...Sadly, unlike the unabridge copy of Hemingway's "The Old Man in The Sea" (which seems to go on forever) the Short Story is just like its namesake - it is gone before you know it, and will leave you begging for more and aching in your finger tips. I'll be the first to admit, when I get toward the end of one of these cigars, I turn absolutely bitter, and if only they were just a little more available I'd smoke 2 per sitting...but alas, the good things in life are worth waitnig for, and fo this reason I stay patient and disciplined.

I'm sure this review has convinved you, but no exageration, this is just one of the best cigars to be had. Box prices in the "fair and reasonable" range fall between 95 and 115 per box, however I've seen up to 185 per box AND 11.50 per cigar by the stick- Sorry Charlie, but that is absurd for any 4 inch cigar!!! I would recomend however, that if you can buy these anywhere under 140 per box you jump, and at 150 (common price) you seriously think about it before saying no- it's just money, but this is hardly "just" any old cigar.