Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario 2007 Toro

In 2006, Prometheus started selling the first of many releases of the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario, a cigar blended specifically to honor the 30th anniversary of the Don Carlos line of cigars. While it has many similarities to the Don Carlos blend, it supposedly uses the OpusX Rosado wrapper instead of the Cameroon wrapper used in the Don Carlos blend.

The Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario with a 2006 secondary band were produced in 2006 and released after six years of aging, while the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario with a 2007 secondary band were produced in 2007 and released after five years of aging.

In the November of 2012, 2,012 Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario Double Robustos will be released in the Destino al Siglo four-cigar box set. Each of these Double Robustos will have a secondary band with “Destino al Siglo” on it.

(Image via Prometheus)

The always excellent Vitolas.net has the history of the first release in 2006:

Originally sold only with the 2006 Prometheus Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario humidors, 90 cigars per humidor, 100 humidors ever made, the price of these cigars includes the “humidor tax,” since in order to purchase the cigars, you have to purchase the humidor as well.

In 2008, these cigars were re-released in box form by Prometheus as the 2008 release of Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario, aged an additional two years.  The box of nine Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario cigars, included three of each vitola and retailed $299.00, making the cigar’s MSRP $33.00 per cigar.

These cigars are not just Don Carlos cigars with a different wrapper; they consist of a distinct blend that was created by Carlos Fuente Jr. to honor the 30th anniversary of his father’s creation of the Don Carlos line of cigars.

Carlos Fuente Jr. told Cigar Insider:

This is not a regular Don Carlos cigar. It’s a special version of his cigar that I am making in tribute to my father, but made ‘Carlito’s way.’ It’s a little spicy with a silent undercurrent that, if you’re not careful, is going to knock you off your feet. Personally, I can give you a hint: it has a Dominican wrapper rather than the regular Don Carlos Cameroon leaf.

In May of 2012, Prometheus released multiple sizes and years of the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario:

• 2006 Robusto (5 1/4 x 50) — 50 Boxes of 10 Cigars (500 Total Cigars) — $28.90 (Boxes of 10, $289)
• 2006 Double Robusto (5 3/4 x 52) — 50 Boxes of 10 Cigars (500 Total Cigars) — $29.90 (Boxes of 10, $299)
• 2006 Toro (6 1/4 x 48) — 50 Boxes of 10 Cigars (500 Total Cigars) — $29.90 (Boxes of 10, $299)

• 2007 Robusto (5 1/4 x 50) — 700 Boxes of 10 Cigars (7,000 Total Cigars) — $28.90 (Boxes of 10, $289)
• 2007 Double Robusto (5 3/4 x 52) — 700 Boxes of 10 Cigars (7,000 Total Cigars) — $29.90 (Boxes of 10, $299)
• 2007 Toro (6 1/4 x 48) — 700 Boxes of 10 Cigars (7,000 Total Cigars) — $29.90 (Boxes of 10, $299)

The boxes that the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario Toro 2007 come in look like this:

• Cigar Reviewed: Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario 2007 Toro
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia
• Wrapper: Dominican Chateau de la Fuente Sun Grown Rosado
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Size: 6 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 48
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $29.90 (Boxes of 10, $299)
• Date Released: May 2012
• Number of Cigars Released: 700 Boxes of 10 Cigars (7,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 4

The Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario 2007 Toro is gorgeous with a spectacular honey brown wrapper that is exceedingly smooth to the touch. There is a slight box-press evident and a perfect amount of give when squeezed. While the triple cap is wonderful, and there is almost no oil present at all. There is not much aroma to the wrapper, perhaps a faint sweet raisin and cedar, probably due to cedar wrap.

The first third of the Don Carlos starts out instantly with a wonderful creamy base, along with notes of sweet cedar, raisins, slightly bitter coffee, cinnamon and a touch of leather. There is almost no spice at all on the lips or tongue, but there is a really nice black pepper kick on the retrohale, just enough to intensify the flavors without overwhelming the profile. Smoke production is excellent, white and dense. Construction is good for the most part, with a perfect draw, but the burn is a bit wavy during the first third. Strength starts out as a mild medium — and while it is getting stronger — it is not going anywhere very fast.

Coming into the second third of the Don Carlos and the profile shifts quite a bit. The base is still creamy overall, but the sweetness has morphed into more of a bread-like graham cracker note, although there is still has some strong cinnamon, cedar and light coffee flavors, as well as some slight earth. There is a very nice flavor that I can’t quite place that is driving me crazy, but whatever it is, it is wonderful, and really makes me pay attention. The pepper on the retrohale has remained fairly consistent as well. Construction remains excellent, and the strength is a solid medium, but there are times when I notice it more than others.

Starting off the final third and the profile shifts again with a very unique flavor taking over, something I have never tasted in a cigar before. The flavor is a distinct note of honeycomb: sweet, waxy and musky, like you would eat out of the hive. There is still some nice black pepper on the retrohale along with just a touch of spice on the lips, and other notes of espresso, earth, nuts and leather combine to make a great ending. The burn and draw continue their excellence, and while the strength does sneak up on a me a bit at the end, it never gets into the full range, ending the cigar at a strong medium.

Final Notes

• The next release of the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario after the Destino al Siglo four-cigar box set will be in May of 2013.
• The regular Don Carlos blend has long been a favorite milder cigar of mine, but this is an entirely different cigar, with an entirely different profile. The two blends are not even close, and the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario is the better cigar by far.
• The honeycomb note that I tasted in the second and final thirds was extremely distinct, and one that I have never tasted before in a cigar. Back when I was growing up, I would spend summers at my grandparent’s house in a small town in North Carolina called Benson, whose population at that time was around 2,000 total. My grandfather raised honeybees as a hobby, and he would always have fresh honey for biscuits and breakfast etc. Well, in every jar of his honey was a piece of honeycomb from the hive, and one of my favorite snacks was to chew on that honeycomb fresh from the jar. To me, it is a honey sweet, waxy, slightly musky note that I have never tasted anything that I have smoked or eaten since then, until this cigar.
• As an added note, if you have never tried any fresh honeycomb, you can buy some at most farmers markets, or here.
• If you did not know, the various tastes of honey is largely dependent on what type of flowers the bees get their nectar from.
• I liked this cigar quite a bit more than the Arturo Fuente Don Arturo Gran AniverXario Gran Corona (Natural), despite the fact that it is about $30 less expensive.
• And like the Arturo Fuente Don Arturo Gran AniverXario Gran Corona, the band is absolutely amazing, with a perfect black, red and gold combination that instantly says, bold, but classic.
• Speaking of the band, below the main shield reads, “Estate Reserve Chateau de la Fuente.” This also appears on all Fuente Fuente OpusX bands.
• The finish is simply outstanding.
• The draw was perfect on every sample I smoked, but the burn was a bit wavy on two out of the four samples. Not enough to affect the cigar, but not perfect either. Having said that, overall the construction was excellent.
• This cigar is meant to be smoked slow and enjoyed. The second you start puffing too hard or too often, it turns bitter on you in a hurry.
• Black foot bands on Fuente products normally signifies Maduro or Sun Grown. Technically, the wrapper is Sun Grown, but normally OpusX wrappers see red bands.
• Smoke production is awesome, dense, billowy and white, and smells like sweet wood.
• The overall strength of the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario sneaks up on you if you are not careful, but ends at a strong medium, about halfway between medium and full.
• The cigars for this review were sent to us by site sponsor Promethus Cigars.
• The final smoking time for each of the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario Toros averaged one hour and 40 minutes.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar and Tobacco Grove have them in stock at this very moment.

Brooks Whittington

I have worn many hats in my life up to this point: I started out as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, then transitioned to photographing weddings—both internationally and in the U.S.—for more than a decade. After realizing that there was a need for a cigar website containing better photographs and more in-depth information about each release, I founded my first cigar blog, SmokingStogie, in 2008. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars, and it was one of the predecessors to halfwheel, which I co-founded.