Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Belicoso

Good smoke, but not a $7-$8 stick by a long shot. Good construction and burn, nice enough flavor, but just not enough "wow" to make me shell out the dough. I like the sungrown line better.

I enjoy the Hemingway line so I figured I'd give the DC's a shot. The Belicoso is just, meh. Grassy, has a pretty bad bite on the back of the tongue and just all around not nearly as good as the Hemingway's. I kept waiting for some caramel or cream or something in teh cigar but it never really showed up. For the money, stick with the Hemingway's.

A well-made shaped cigar with a lightly toothy and oily Cameroon wrapper. No. 10 in Cigar Aficionado's top 25 cigars of 2006. It draws a bit on the firm side but it burns consistently. The characteristic Don Carlos flavors of wood, cream, and dark tea are present but are kind of muddled, and the finish is a bit rough. I didn't like the No. 2 of this line but I've liked the others so I guess there's something about the figurado versions, or it's just bad luck.

I'm pretty fond of Fuente cigars, but not this one. Appearance and construction are up to the usual standards, but a grassy taste was a let down.

I bought a box of these in july 2004 and right out of the box at that time they were lackluster and a huge disappointment. I only smoked 4 or 5 of them the first year and gave more than that away. After tucking them away for a couple years without touching them they have become absolutely incredible. They were so devoid of character initially I had little hope that age would do anything for them but I was very wrong. I now wish I had all the one's I gifted back! The appearance and construction are flawless (part of the original disappointment). I only have 10 of these left and they are going quickly. They have settled to a solid medium body with great complexity and spicy/woody/creamy flavors down to the nub. Does this do anybody any good? Who knows; but I had to comment as this went from crap to cake for me.

Flawless construction, easy draw and burn with a beautiful ash. The flavor is very smooth and creamy, though a bit acrid toward the nub. A good reminder of why the Fuentes are among the best in the business.

This stick is indeed one fine smoke. Smooth and suttle. This is a cigar for the vets not the noobs. I found this smoke to have that classic Fuente flavor profile of class and quality. I like the DC line the most. The construction is alwayse top notch, with a perfect burn a nice ash and great flavor. I love cammies. This is my cammie goto smoke. A little pricey though.

For a long time I have been a fan of Fuente products, but I must say they all seem to have a similar taste. It's kind of boring when you spend a little extra for these and they taste the same as a Rothchild or similar from the Fuente line. Taste is spicy, that's it. Leaves my mouth and palate extremely dry and the morning after I actually feel dried out (sinuses and mouth) Burn has been extremely uneven and draw is either hit or miss. Try one if you must, but there are better cigars out there for the same money or less.

this is a decent smoke but overpriced. Wrapper is nice and has a nice burn. No draw problems. Good taste until about the last 2 inches . Then is got sour. I have smoked the Don Carlos Robustos and they were great . Nothing like this one Maybe I got a bad one. It happens.

Nice Cameroon flavor, but still somewhat harsh. I thought the CAO Cameroon was much better in fit and finish. The burn was exceptional though and the ash was solid. I wouldn't recommend buying this stick, way overpriced for the flavor.

Similar experience as my last review. Flavors this time were more pronounced, deeper, and creamier. Overrated. Overpriced.

Typical top notch Arturo Fuente quality regarding appearance, burn, and draw. Some smooth, mild, and nice, woodsy flavors with some "cammy twang "but it was one dimensional and not worth a $10 MSRP.
I scored a fiver for $35 on cbid. At $7 a throw it's still overpriced. I aged this stick for about 6 weeks. I'll age the rest a lot more with some stronger sticks in hopes of marrying some complexity to these. If you like your cigars very mild and smooth this may be for you but a well aged cameroon Compay, H Uppman, Vegas de Fonseca, or COA L'anniversaire would provide you with a similar or better flavor profile for nearly half the price. With any of the well known brands (AF, Ashton, Graycliff, Montecristo) you are paying an extra $5 for the priviledge to take the label off.

In Jul 06, I focused on smoking 5 different cigars, all of which were aging in my humidor for at least 6 months. I only smoke about 15 cigars a month, so value isn’t that important to me, but I’ll rate each cigar that way on this site. However, just so you know, value aside, the overall standings for the month were, 1. La Gloria Cubana Torpedo (maduro); 2. God of Fire by Carlito 2005; 3. Don Carlos Belicoso, 4. CAO Brazilia Samba; 5. Montecristo Platinum Mini Belicoso (tubos).

The Don Carlos Belicoso is a well constructed cigar with some good cedar notes. I've never been disappointed with one of these, although they may be a little over-hyped. As I said, the La Gloria Cubana Torpedo was more appealing to my full flavor taste for less money, but this is still a great cigar.

medium to strong, but no bite. good flavor, even burn and good ashe.

Fuente's are usually alot of sizzle and no steak to me but this belicoso was actually a treat. A plethora of interesting and deep flavors came forth and the construction was among the best. A tad bit pricey, but an overall very good experience.

I just smoked this incredible stick over a cup of expresso. How wonderful and complex. Construction was that of the Diamond Crown line, which in my opinion is better then the Opus X line. Mild floral fragrance with a medium body of Almonds and cocoa.

Out of a wooden box, "Reservo Superior Limitada." Reminded me right away of a Trinidad. Great unlit aroma. Outstanding construction, with dull appearance. First draw is great, with definite flavors of toasty cocoa, hiti of cedar and great vanilla. Not mild, but extremely pleasant. Very slightly uneven burn, but not distracting and recovered on its own. Offer this cigar to your afficianado friends and they will think it is a Cuban. In my opinion, this cigar is better than the Trinadad Double Robusto (I have smoked three of those in the last month). Exceptional cigar, well worth the price. I plan to buy another box at my next trip to the cigar store.

A great midday cigar, a full flavored and smooth cigar that has a clean cedary taste that is silky and satisfying.

I'm a big Fuente fan. Hemingway's and OpusX's are my favorites, though I have been trying some of their other blends lately.

I smoked two of these and will say that they are milder than a Hemingway. To be more specific, the Hemingway is spicier, stronger, and a little "edgier" when compared to this Don Carlos.

I would say that this is medium-bodied, with a light creamy sweetness, accompanied by floral notes. I'm not a fan of the floral taste, though I could tolerate these once in a great while.

The draw was really tight. Sometimes I felt like I had to draw fairly hard to get enough smoke. Despite that, the burn was excellent and required only a couple minor course corrections.

If you like the flavor I just described, I'm sure you'll enjoy a Don Carlos. Personally, I'm sticking to the stronger blends.

At the conclusion of a taxing business trip I stopped in at a local cigar shop on the way to dinner and decided to treat myself to a DC. I have a box of #4s, but had never tried the Belicoso, and it delievered everything I was hoping for--and more. Beautiful appearance and construction, near-perfect burn that required no mending. But best of all, the flavor was complex and most entertaining. It started out creamy with hints of toffee, then developed a cedar character with hints of citrus. The toffee came back, then the cedar once again, which grew to the finish. Other co-workers spend their money at the bar, but for me just one single malt and this cigar are all the reward I could have asked for. Well worth the $9.

These are the gold standard for cameroon smokes; perfectly constructed with a spicy maple sweet profile. They serve up an hour of pleasure.

I bought a couple as a suggestion from my local aficianato shop and was very impressed with the construction burn and taste. Very cinsistant until the last 2 inches where I tasted a more comples smoke than the start. All in All a great smoke which I think that you cant go wrong. Better than OOOPusXXX

This is one beautiful cigar and a very well made cigar. First class presentation! The wrapper is perfectly applied, it has small veins and is a lovely mid-dark brown. The burn is perfect and the ash a light gray that hung until I knocked it off over 1 1/2 inch. The flavor is excellent with some wood, sweet spice and leather. Just one fine smoke, simply put. Recommened!!

Enjoyable smoke with a good draw. Full body. Finish though was quite harsh.

Just an absolutely beautiful smoke! Taste & construction are top shelf

I have had many of these, still have 9 in the humidor, but the most recent one.. its wrapper fragmented very badly about halfway through the smoke.. i was dissapointed.

Never a bad experience with this, or any other DC for that matter. Perfect burn with a nice light gray ash. Slighty sweet spice with a medium to full body that never changed. Highly recommended!