The 8 best Arturo Fuente cigars I’ve tried and tested in 2024

Founded by 24-year-old Arturo Fuente Senior in 1912, Arturo Fuente is a West Tampa-born cigar company known for its sumptuously-flavored and luxurious cigars. In 1924, about 12 years after its founding, a fire destroyed the Fuente factory, forcing the brand into a production freeze for over two decades — 22 long years. Then, in 1946, after the company’s ownership was passed to Carlos Fuente, Arturo’s youngest son, limited production began again. From there, and spurred by the 1960 U.S. embargo on Cuban goods, the brand eventually grew into what we know today and now delivers some of the finest cigars on the market. In fact, it is one of the most popular and most recognizable brands out there, and for good reason. If you’re interested in a more detailed history, the Arturo Fuente official timeline is a great place to start.

Arturo Fuente blends are robust and flavorful and offer quite the experience for cigar enthusiasts, which is why many of the brand’s labels are rare or hard to come by — hello, Opus X . But like many big cigar companies, Arturo Fuente offers a wide range of cigar blends and labels including the Hemingway line, Sun Grown, Opus X, Especiales, and, of course, a self-titled line. In the interest of finding the best Arturo Fuente cigars, I’ve tried and tested a bunch, and, by and large, I’ve come to share my experiences with you, dear reader.

The best Arturo Fuente cigars I’ve tried and tested in 2024

I actually live in the Tampa Bay area and have visited the old local Arturo Fuente factory in Ybor City a few times. It has since been restored and is now the company’s headquarters. Mostly it’s available to look on from the outside, but there are a few great bars and cigar shops in the area. That’s also to say I’m quite familiar with the brand and have been a proponent and pseudo-solicitor of Fuente cigars for a while. Plus, it helps that Fuente smokes are plentiful where I live because some of them can be really challenging to find. You get the gist. Let’s explore some of the best Arturo Fuente cigars I have been able to light up. Before we begin, you should know that many Arturo Fuente cigars are either limited releases, only available at certain times of the year or, sadly, discontinued.

These are not listed from best to worst but alphabetically.

Arturo Fuente 858 Maduro

• Strength: Medium
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

The entire 858 line is a hot seller for Fuente because it’s reasonably priced, relatively accessible, and well-balanced. The Maduro has thick and creamy flavors with earth, some light spice, and tons of sweetness. If you like your cigars medium to full-bodied, this is one you have to try. I smoked it down to a nub and burned my fingers, but it was totally worth it.

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More Arturo Fuente 858:

Chateau Fuente

• Strength: Medium
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Cream, wood flavors, cocoa and nuttiness are the prominent tones in this cigar, and they blend beautifully to create a relaxing, medium-bodied smoke. While the Chateau Fuente Natural is the one I tried and loved, there are some additional options available, too, like a Maduro version. This is actually a pretty accessible cigar and one I like to keep in my humidor, so you shouldn’t have too much difficulty finding them out in the wild.

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Don Carlos

• Strength: Medium
• Wrapper: Cameroon

Featuring a vintage blend of Dominican tobaccos surrounded by an African Cameroon wrapper, this well-balanced cigar is super sweet but still offers the perfect amount of spice. Notable flavors include wood, like oak and cedar, espresso, and roasted chestnuts. As soon as I lit one up, the aromas had me feeling exhilarated and that was before I took my first puff. The few I’ve had have been well-constructed with a smooth, even burn.

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Especiales

• Strength: Medium
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Brimming with creamy, smooth flavors, the Arturo Fuente Especiales is a fantastic smoke. I grabbed several, and I can’t wait to light one up again. It’s covered in an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with Dominican fillers from the Fuente estate. Like many of the other Fuente blends, you’ll get some spice, sweetness, and woodsy flavors, with a bit of black pepper in there for a kick. It’s also well-constructed, as you can expect from anything Fuente, and I had no issues during my burn.

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Fuente Fuente Opus X

• Strength: Full-bodied
• Wrapper: Dominican Rosado

I’ll be honest: for this particular tasting session, I was not able to get my hands on the Opus X; they’re notoriously difficult to find. But I have had it before, and I couldn’t leave it off this list. It’s one of the most highly sought-after cigars in the industry, outside of maybe the Andalusian Bull . Fuente’s stuff is definitely more popular, though. It has a unique Rosado leaf wrapper, and you’ll get some strong flavors like leather, earth, and wood. A subtle sweetness sticks around until the end, too. Do note that most shops and online sellers limit how many you can buy at a time.

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Gran Reserva

• Strength: Medium
• Wrapper: Various

Made with a variety of wrappers, so you can choose your favorite, the Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva is the OG of the bunch. I went with the Maduro version, wrapped in a Broadleaf Connecticut Maduro. Dark chocolate, cocoa, licorice, cream, pepper, and earth flavors were what I recognized most. But that’s the best part about cigars: every time you smoke, you notice something different. If you want a unique blend of flavors, try this one. Heck, try them all.

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Hemingway

• Strength: Medium
• Wrapper: Cameroon

One of Arturo Fuente’s most well-known lines is Hemingway, named after the famous author. If you didn’t know, he dabbled in cigars. You’ve likely heard of the Short Story (Natural Figurado size) and the Best Seller (also Figurado). Wrapped in an African Cameroon leaf, they’re rich, smooth, and aromatic. I tasted some earth, spice, and brown sugar. I will warn you they can take a while to smoke because they’re packed tightly and well-constructed. Set aside some time if you’re planning to have one.

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Royal Salute Sun Grown

• Strength: Medium
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

While there are a few Sun Grown options in the Arturo Fuente portfolio, most of which fall under another label like Chataeu Fuente, the Royal Salute Sun Grown is one I want to call out specifically. It has a naturally sweet Ecuadorian Habano wrapper atop aged Dominican longfillers, which give it a smooth, chocolatey flavor with plenty of cream and spice.

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If you like these Arturo Fuente cigars, you’ll also like:

• Arturo Fuente Brevas It's a Boy
• Arturo Fuente Brevas It's a Girl
• Arturo Fuente Curly Head
• Arturo Fuente Cuban Corona
• Arturo Fuente Seleccion D'oro
• Montesino

Arturo Fuente actually makes many blends and labels for the J.C. Newman Cigar Company, which is based in Tampa. A great example of a brand they collaborate on is the Diamond Crown series .

Get to know our expert

Why should you listen to me? It’s a valid question. I smoke cigars all the time, and I have many recommendations and plenty of advice to share with others. But none of those things qualify me as an expert. Instead, it’s the years of experience, the time I’ve invested in the world of cigars, the excellent connections I’ve made with cigar makers and sellers, and the vast wealth of knowledge I’ve gained during that time. I know what goes into an excellent cigar, and I’ve certainly earned the right to recommend some to others, whether you’re a beginner and this is your first time smoking or have your own cabinet humidor stocked and maintained. Instead of waxing poetic, I’d rather let my recommendations speak for me.