Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos is a humidor staple.

It and the company’s Hemingway line are likely the most famous cigars for using Cameroon wrappers sold today, but it wasn’t always that way. In 1976, Carlos Fuente Sr. blended the cigar while the family’s operations were in Nicaragua. That cigar used a corojo-seed wrapper, not Cameroon.

In 1979, the Arturo Fuente factory in Nicaragua was burned down during the Nicaraguan Revolution, which caused the company to relocate to the Dominican Republic. In 1986, a half dozen years after moving north to the Dominican Republic, the Don Carlos line was reintroduced. Like many other Fuente products, it had been reblended by Fuente Sr. and his son, Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. This time, it came with a Cameroon wrapper.

Last year marked what would have been Fuente Sr.’s 90th birthday. As it did for his 80th birthday, the company created a new Don Carlos spin-off to mark the occasion. This time, with a nod to the original blend.

While there are many cigars that use two different wrappers on a single cigar, they are typically barber pole cigars, where the two leaves are visible from the outside. Arturo Fuente says the Don Carlos 90 Años is the first cigar that uses two wrappers, where one is placed on top of an already rolled and wrapped cigar.

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

The process of making the Don Carlos 90 Años starts with a 5 3/4 x 47 vitola that utilizes the standard Don Carlos blend, meaning it is made with a Cameroon wrapper covering Dominican tobacco for the binder and filler. After being rolled, those cigars then go to the Fuente aging rooms for one year. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

However, after that aging takes place, the process takes a sharp turn: those same cigars are sent back to the rolling floor, where a corojo-seed wrapper grown on the Chateau de la Fuente farm in the Dominican Republic is placed on top of the Cameroon wrapper. After that, the cigars go back to the aging room for one more year before they are banded, boxed and sold. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

The Don Carlos 90 Años has an MSRP of $13 per cigar and it is offered in boxes of 90. The boxes—more like cases, really—feature rows of single cigars on either side, while the middle is filled with three five-count boxes that can be carried around separately. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

• Cigar Reviewed: Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia
• Wrapper: Cameroon & Dominican Republic (Corojo)
• Binder: Dominican Republic
• Filler: Dominican Republic
• Length: 5 3/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 47
• Shape: Pressed
• MSRP: $13 (Box of 90, $1,170)
• Release Date: November 2025
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

From a visual standpoint, the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años cigars are stunning—albeit in a very rustic way—with gorgeous milk chocolate-brown wrappers that have a reddish tint, which is only accentuated by the red and gold bands. Those wrappers are smooth to the touch and have some noticeable oil, but there are numerous protruding veins on each cigar. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

When squeezed, all three cigars are firm and have an obvious soft box-press, but when I look at the ends, the foot on my first cigar is very obviously round, while the other two are very obviously square. Aromas from the wrappers include strong, creamy woodiness, followed by leather, earth, barnyard, sweet hay, coffee beans and a light floral sweetness. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

The first two cigars have a strong oak scent emanating from their feet— the third cigar features a massive lemongrass note up front—followed by cocoa nibs, wet leaves, nutmeg, generic nuttiness and pita bread. After straight cuts, cold draws are extremely similar, with sweet oak leading cinnamon, almonds, sourdough bread, earth, milk chocolate sweetness and a small amount of black pepper. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

The cigars start out with a small amount of spice and some surprising sweetness, a combination of sweet cinnamon that reminds me of cinnamon and sugar. See more in the Final Notes below. Within five puffs, the profile shifts to include the main flavors of creamy oak and nutmeg, leading to secondary notes of minerals, baker’s spices, peanut butter, black licorice, plain oatmeal, and light charred meat. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

All three cigars have a light coffee bean note on the finish—it is stronger on the second cigar than on the other two—while the retrohale features a combination of light but zingy red pepper and a bready sweetness that reminds me of the brioche I use for French toast. Flavor is medium-full, the body is just under medium, and the strength is at a solid medium by the end of the first third. Construction-wise, the draws and smoke production give me no issues whatsoever, but the burn needs to be corrected at least once on two of the three cigars. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

Right around the time that the second third begins, the flavor profile shifts and a new combination of creamy peanuts and sourdough bread takes the top spots. Additional flavors of creamy oak, espresso, charred meat, herbs, cinnamon, sawdust and leather tack flit in and out, while the retrohale continues to exhibit a combination of red pepper and sweet brioche breadiness. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

The first and last cigars still have a coffee bean finish, but the second cigar now features an interesting, but light floral note. Flavor bumps up to full and the body increases enough to land at a solid medium, but the strength remains firmly in the medium range. Unfortunately, the construction situation is still a problem: two of the three cigars need at least one burn correction, but that’s the only issue.

There are a couple of major changes during the final third, as the main flavors in the profile change again, at least for two of the cigars. While the first cigar continues with a combination of sourdough bread and peanuts at the top, the second and third cigars feature equal amounts of cocoa nibs and oak. Secondary flavors include baking spices, white rice, pencil lead, charred meat, espresso, barnyard and earth. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

The notes on the retrohale have changed as well, with a combination of cracked black pepper and floral sweetness taking over for all three cigars, albeit in varying amounts. The flavor on the finish has changed as well, this time to a more generic earth flavor. Flavor remains at full and the body remains at a solid medium, but the strength increases enough to land just north of the medium mark. The construction is a carbon copy of the first and second thirds: two cigars need at least one burn correction, but the draws and smoke production are excellent. Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años

Final Notes

• Despite the ornate packaging of this release—and it really is something else to see in person— the company kept the actual MSRP relatively affordable because the family believes Fuente Sr. would have wanted as many people as possible to be able to smoke the cigar.
• The first few puffs reminded me of a cinnamon-and-sugar combination I sometimes put on toast named Bolner’s Fiesta Extra Fancy Sugar and Cinnamon. Unfortunately, that note did not last nearly long enough.
• Surprisingly, I found some of these online after a quick Google search that were being sold very close to MSRP, which is not exactly the norm for Fuente releases like this.

• There were a shocking number of burn corrections, and while most were fairly minor, there were a couple of times when the burn looked like the above. I do wonder whether some of the issues were caused by the addition of the second wrapper.
• Arturo Fuente advertises on bestcigar.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by bestcigar.

• These cigars are listed as being 5 3/4 x 47 vitolas. Above are the measurements we took when we measured them.
• The final smoking time averaged out to one hour and 41 minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años cigars, site sponsor bestcigar store sells them on its website.