Today we review the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos 90 Años. This is a unique cigar developed by Carlos “Carlito” Fuente to honor his father, Carlos Fuente Sr., who would have turned 90 in 2025. Don Carlos is one of the most iconic brands in the Arturo Fuente portfolio. It dates back to 1976, when it was created by Fuente Sr. While today Don Carlos is known for its Cameroon wrapper, it wasn’t always that way. It was originally produced in Nicaragua and featured a Corojo wrapper.
With the 90 Años release, Carlito brings together the history of the Don Carlos brand. The 90 Años uses a Cameroon-wrapped Don Carlos cigar that has been aged at least one year. A Dominican-grown Corojo leaf is literally placed over the Cameroon wrapper. The double-wrapped cigars are then aged for at least one more year.
In terms of pricing, Fuente has a suggested price of $13.00. I was hard-pressed to find many retailers that weren’t charging more, but Carlito wanted to keep the price affordable so everyone could enjoy this cigar. The number “13” also holds significant meaning for the Fuente family; it was the favorite number of Carlos Fuente Sr., who was also born on 13th Street. The address of Arturo Fuente’s U.S. headquarters is 1310 N. 22nd Street. Also of note, company founder Arturo Fuente was 85 when he passed away, and the sum of the digits in that age equals 13.
Without further ado, let’s break down the 90 Años and see what this cigar brings to the table:
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
The 90 Años cigar features a unique construction with two wrappers, where a Corojo wrapper is layered over a Cameroon wrapper leaf. The internal blend consists entirely of Dominican tobaccos sourced from the Chateau de la Fuente farms in the Dominican Republic. These cigars are produced at Fuente’s Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia facility, also in the Dominican Republic.
- Wrapper: Dominican Corojo, Cameroon
- Binder: Dominican
- Filler: Dominican
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia
Vitolas Available
The 90 Años have been released in 90-count chests (honoring Don Carlos’ 90th birthday). Each cigar measures 5 3/4 x 47 and has a slight press to it.
This year at PCA, Arturo Fuente showcased a 45-count chest of the 90 Años. At press time, this new-sized chest has not shipped.
Appearance (*)
Firstly, this is not a barber-pole; it is one wrapper placed over another. As a result, only the Corojo wrapper of the 90 Años is visible. The Corojo wrapper had a nice caramel color. There wasn’t much in the way of oils on this wrapper. There were some thin visible veins and some slightly noticeable wrapper seams. The cigar itself had a slight box press.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
A straight cut was used to commence the experience of the 90 Años. Once the cigar cap was removed, it was time for the pre-light draw ritual. The cold draw delivered a mix of natural tobacco, wood, and hay. The sweetness of the natural tobacco balanced the wood and hay nicely, making for a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to remove the ribbon of the 90 Años, toast up the cigar, and head into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The 90 Años opened up with notes of natural tobacco, fruit sweetness, hay, and wood. Early on, the natural tobacco moved to the forefront with the fruit, hay, and wood in the background. As the cigar moved through the early phases, some black pepper surfaced on the tongue. The black pepper was present on the retrohale with a slight amount of fruit sweetness. Later in the first third, the fruit sweetness joined the natural tobacco in the forefront.
The second third of the 90 Años saw the fruit notes recede before the halfway point. The natural tobacco notes held on in the forefront. Meanwhile, the wood and earth notes increased in intensity. The wood entered the forefront first, joining the natural tobacco. Just past the midway point, the earth notes emerged in the forefront, joining the wood. As the 90 Años moved into the second half, there was a slight increase in the pepper. Meanwhile, the fruit, hay, and natural tobacco rounded out the flavor profile.
The final third saw the earth and wood primary. Meanwhile, the pepper, fruit, hay, and natural tobacco did a nice job of rounding out the flavor profile. This is the way the 90 Años came to a close. The resulting nub was slightly soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
Construction-wise, the 90 Años performed quite well. While there was a slight amount of waviness on the burn line, this was a cigar that maintained a straight burn path requiring very few touchups. The resulting ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose either. The ash was mostly silver-gray, with some darker spots. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels throughout the smoking experience.
Draw
The draw of the 90 Años performed excellently. If you have read my assessments, you know by now I like a little resistance on the draw. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
The first few puffs of the 90 Años were on the upper end of mild to medium in terms of strength and body. The 90 Años quickly jumped to medium in the first third. Both the strength and body continued to increase. The strength showed a nominal increase but never left the medium range. When it came to this cigar’s body, it increased slightly faster. By the final third, the body of the flavors was medium to full.
In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained a slight edge throughout the smoking experience.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
When it comes to the bands, the 90 Años uses the iconic red, black, and gold Don Carlos band. The secondary band uses a matching color scheme and prominently displays “90 Años”. As for the wooden chests, they have a varnished finish. The 90 Años logo is prominently displayed with some leaves – along with an image of Carlos Fuente Sr. I love the black vista with the 90 Años logo and the Fuente “hands of time” logo.
I’m glad there are plans for a smaller chest, but I really would love to see this design on a 16- to 20-count box.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
The 90 Años was part of a major slate of releases unveiled by Arturo Fuente at the 2025 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. This cigar really garnered a lot of attention because of the double wrappers it uses. I don’t think it necessarily surpasses the Cameroon version of the regular Don Carlos releases, but it’s still a very good cigar. As a cigar enthusiast, this is a cigar you will want to smoke. On top of it, it’s very reasonably priced.
This is a cigar I would certainly buy multiples of and smoke again. If the box counts were not so high, this would garner Box-Worthy Consideration. Still coming in at 90 points, the 90 Años earns the Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Fruit Sweetness, Hay, Wood, Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Mild to Medium (Start), Medium (Remainder)
- Body: Mild to Medium (Start), Medium (First and Second Thirds), Medium to Full (Remainder)
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Buy Multiples
Score: 90
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
