While doing my homework for this week’s cigar review, I was a little surprised to learn that Arturo Fuente’s Rosado Sungrown Magnum was released at the tail end of last year. Sure, I heard rumors about them and even saw one given out at a Fuente event last year, but since I hadn’t seen them around until this past week, I assumed that they just hit the market. And then I remembered a funny story. Actually, not as much funny as it is irritating.
It seems that a shipment of these Magnums arrived at Buckhead Cigar, a regular haunt of mine, at least a month ago. In the course of delivering the cigars, the guy dropping them off asked if they were the new Fuentes. Mike, the proprietor, told him that they were. In a move that surprised everyone, the mail carrier bought every single one, right out of the shipping boxes. The cigars never even crossed the threshold of the humidor. In this Olympic season, somebody deserves a gold medal for the speed of that turn around.
But enough of my sad tale of denial, it’s time for a little pertinent information. The Rosado Sungrown Magnum comes in three vitolas, each named to reflect their respective ring gauges. The 52 (5 x 52), the 54 (6 1/4 x 54) and the 56 (5 5/8 x 56). Despite the imposing name “Magnum”, the story is that Carlito Fuente wasn’t going for a powerhouse cigar, targeting instead the medium-bodied profile of the smokes from the days before the full-bodied trend. To achieve this end he used 8 to 10 year old sun grown wrapper tobacco, the same used on their other sun grown cigars, except, these are from a lower priming. And once made, he set them aside for a year to age.
Now let’s see if Carlito’s efforts have paid off.
Cigar Stats:
Size: 5 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Sungrown Sumatra
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Smoking Time: 1 1/2 hours
Beverage: Water
Source: Purchased by reviewer
Price: MSRP $6.75
The Pre-Smoke
When I finally laid eyes on Rosado Sungrown Magnum, the first thing I noticed was the band. What struck me wasn’t that it was an attractive, eye-catching golden band, but that it was a break from tradition. It’s a completely new band, not a variation on the classic, and that doesn’t happen often. Clearly this is a cigar that’s meant to stand apart from both the regular lines and the seasonal releases.
The wrapper leaf under the bands was a deep reddish brown, thats traced with finer veins. Closer up, the cigars still look great, though I did find a hole in the wrapper of one just below the band, and an unattractive smear of glue near the foot of another cigar.
As I handled the cigars, I discovered that one of the sticks had a soft spot near the head that caused a little concern. The rest were consistently firm. The wrapper scent varied from stick to stick, but was either compost, chocolate or combination of the two. Taking a cold draw, I noticed some sweetness and a little bit of cedar.
The Burn
If anything, the Magnum R52 is even better looking once it’s been lit. It produces an attractive, solid white ash and maintains a burn line that is almost, but not quite, perfect. And after lighting, my torch remained undisturbed on the desk where it belongs.
The only significant problem I had with any of the cigars as they burned, was a crack that formed in the second third of one stick. It appeared suspiciously close to a hole I spotted in the pre-light inspection. Fortunately the cigar burned through the split area without incident. Looking at the ash afterward, you couldn’t tell there had been a problem at all.
The Flavor
Rich roasted nuts, cedar and leather notes greeted me early on in the first third of the Magnum R52. There was also a sweetness, a little like frosting, that seemed to be very closely tied to the cedar flavor. When, for a short time, the leather became the strongest flavor, the cedar and sweetness faded in equal measure.
By the time I burned into the second third, the roasted nut flavor was gone, and the sweetness was starting to fade a little bit. A balanced combination of somewhat sweet cedar and leather were the presiding flavors, with a sudden growth of pepperiness in the finish.
In the final third, the leather notes fell off a bit and the cigar became more sharply cedary, peppery and less sweet. Before the R52 went to its final resting place, the leather returned for a little encore.
The Price
I mentioned earlier being surprised by the new band. I was equally surprised by the price tag. Clearly this cigar is meant to be special, but it doesn’t carry the price tag of Fuente’s other special releases. With an eight plus year old wrapper leaf and excellent construction, $6.75 seems very reasonable.
The Verdict
Between the great flavor, the excellent construction, and the friendly price tag, what we have here is a perfect storm of box-worthiness. The Rosado Sungrown Magnum is easily one of the best Arturo Fuente cigars I’ve ever had. I’m not ready to say I like them more than the Añejo, but it’s close, really close.
But before you run out and buy some, keep in mind, this is a medium-bodied cigar. There is a nice amount of pepper in the latter half of the cigar, but it may not be enough for people who think “filler” is another word for ligero. Aside form those folks, I think this is a cigar anyone can enjoy, and I look forward to spending a lot more quality time with the Magnum R52 in the future.
Liked It: Box-Worthy
Buy It Again: Yes
Recommend It: Yes
Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.
Ahhh.. the world is back to normal…
You love it…
I don’t
Peace at last….
For the price, there are more cigars that fit my palate better than this one.
and how the hell did you get Frosting? out of that cigar lol
It’s not the over-the-top sweetness you get on most cakes these days, but it was a certain quality to the sweetness, especially when combined with the cedar. Anyway, it was most obvious in the initial third.
As always, great review.
I actually was able to grab a number of these before the new year came, and I was just as happy and surprised with it all as you were. I thought it was one of the better Fuente sticks I’d had in a long while. I definitely think they set it apart from all of their other lines and blends. The only thing I didn’t like about these are the large ring gauges, but that’s just a personal preference. The best part; a fantastic smoke at a great price.
Way to go Killa B!
Great review! This cigar is a very very enjoyable smoke.
Great review Brian. My experience with Fuente is the Opus X and the Shark…but I might have to give these a try if I can find them locally.
Sounds like a nice smoke for the late afternoon or evening for me. I will have to snag some to try! At this price point, I think it is a great find if it is as good as you say 🙂
Mike
Great job Brian; I picked one of these up in a recent cigar pass and can’t wait to fire it!
Brian, great review. I am not an ordained Fuente disciple like some on the Forum, but I will give these a try. Thanks.
I like the Magnum R’s but the 858 Sungrown that they released around the same time in limited quantities is a much better smoke to me.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had that stick yet. But of the Fuente cigars I have had, the Magnum R is easily one of the best.
Nice. I am going to try and pick up some of these tonight at the B&M. Of course in NYS they will cost $9.
I have to say my experience was far different and I would hesitate before buying these again. I picked up an R52 and an R56 to sample when they first arrived in my neck of the woods. They both had problems with cracked wrappers, smeared glue and overglued bands that tore the wrappers. The flavor of the R52 was pretty good and I would be encouraged to try that one again, but the R56 was kind of bland and one-dimensional. The shop owner where I bought them suggested that I may have had the bad luck to buy them on the day they arrived in his shop so they may have been a bit dry, but Fuentes usually ship with humi-packs so it shouldn’t have mattered.
I may buy some more, but I think I’ll wait a while and see if Fuente gets their QC act together.
i haven’t tried these yet just because a couple of the guys at holts said its no different than the regular sun-grown, and that a dollar or 2 cheaper, i might have to give this a shot now
What great cigars these are. Probably my favorite Fuente, especially for the price.
The only one I have smoke had three small holes in the wrapper. A little too much glue as well. Good flavor, however I really had two good experiences with the Queen B lately. Not sure if I would buy rosado over the other if both were available!
cant find these yet. i may have to buy them online. sounds good though
As it warms up in my neck of the woods, I am looking some something different or special and I think I will have to add this stick to my list.
I picked up 3 of these at my local as well – decent cigar, especially being a big fat Fuente at this price point, but I also thought the quality control was lacking. Lots of glue spatter all over the cigars that I picked up. I’m letting the last one of the three rest a little longer and I’m going to revisit it on a warmer day a few months down the road and then decide if I’m going to buy more.
Hi Brian,
Great review. I had one of these on Friday and could not have enjoyed it more. The construction and appearance on mine was outstanding. The flavor was intriguing for the first inch and then past that point I arrived in flavor country. The rest of the cigar was quite frankly exceptional. Paired with Glenmorangie Single Malt I could not have asked fo a better hour of cigar smoking. Box-worthy all the way.
Marc E.
Wow I smoked this yesterday and it was a well balanced smoke. I smoke alot of full-bodied cigars but this was a wonderful departure from the peppery world of LFD or Opus whom i love so much. Some people have to get that a great cigar is supposed to be balance and not just sweet/flavorful or just a peppery/powerhouse. Thats my rant and I’m done. A truley phenomenal smoke and one that will soon be in my humidor.
I had to move my wife from Buffalo to Sarasota. On my way back up I went in Thompson and they had a Fuente thing going on and I got a Box of the 52’s for $137.00. I shared one with a friend and ours were both well constructed and were a pleasure to smoke. I think some time in the humidor will make them better. I also got a few opus x lost city and prefexion A cigars. Have not tried either of them yet. Might save them for when I retire from the Navy this November. The lady from Fuente was super nice and signed my box and free hat. She even gave me a free stick for the drive back and it was good also. It saved me in a traffic jam on 75.
Wow, just had my 1st Magnum R52 tonight. Quite refreshing to have a mild-medium (closer to med.) smoke that keeps your attention. Your flavor notes are spot on. Cedar/Light leather base flavor, and the nuts, pepper, and sungrown wrapper “tang” really bob and weave in and out. The balance of this stick was superb, and construction on mine was top notch. I rarely nub a cigar, and nubbed this one.
Easily one of the 5 best sticks I’ve had in the past year.
I agree with you Brian i do like this cigar and also so many of my customer
FanBoi’s – Anyone whom chats and goes on about GOF, Anejo’s, and those freaking trendy over priced turds called Opus, The Magnum is a good depart to reality for Feunte, There coming to market to compete with the Nic’s, I honestly never thought they’d ever come to their knees and start producing cigars that look like Don Pepin rolled them himself, Its About TIME. But for all you Fanboi’s stick to wasting your green on those custom .45 cent turds you all love so much. This cigar is made for your real 3-5 everyday smokers, Not the fanboi’s……………….
These are outstanding with a decent single malt. It’s almost like they were blended specifically to accompany an interesting scotch. I like them with Macallan 12.
Just had my first…dead on review to my first experience…Great smoke…I will buy a box now!!!
Brian,
I love the sun grown line of AF and this one just adds to the field of great AF cigars, loved the review.
Schmidty
So I’m a bit behind on commenting but since the Fuente Rosado is my favorite cigar, at least for the time being, I felt it was alright. Brian, thank you for the review. It was spot on, the only point of contention I have would be comparing the Rosado’s sweetness to frosting. Frosting is a bit to strong a descriptive word for the Rosado’s sweetness. However, I’m not going to supply a replacement. In addition, for the sake of review I think multiple sizes need to new examined for this blend. The 52 spiciness is much more provailant than the 54 and the sweetness in the 56 is much more frosting-esque. The difference between the gauges is so different that most would need to see the band to know they were from the same blend.
For anyone who enjoys sun grown tobacco, this cigar is a must. I enjoy it much more than the OpusX and a bit more than the God of Fire Series B. If anyone bothers reading this perhaps you’d be kind enough to suggest some spicy/sweet sun grown cigars to try.
Excellent review and comments on this beauty of s stick!
Fuente makes the best most consistent cigars on the market…period. The only one close is Davidoff and their price points make it more difficult to compare. These guys just know what they’re doing. No fancy boxes for the most part, just phenomenal cigars. The Rosado 54 is my current fave.
This is a cigar I get every time I’m at the local B&M. Great anytime smoke really.