The King Street Emporium

Rosado Sungrown Vitola 44

By Arturo Fuente

The Arturo Fuente Rosado Sungrown Magnum R line was introduced in 2009 as a deliberate departure from the direction the premium cigar market was moving. While most manufacturers at the time were competing to produce the strongest, fullest cigars possible, Carlos Fuente Jr. went the other direction, building something medium in strength but full in flavor. The wrapper is the key to that balance. The Rosado Sungrown is an Ecuadorian habano leaf drawn from the lower primings of the tobacco plant, the leaves that grow closer to the ground and receive less direct sun than those at the top of the stalk. Those lower leaves develop a distinctive reddish character and a more nuanced profile, and Fuente ages them for nearly a decade before they reach a cigar. The Vitola 44 name causes some confusion. It does not refer to the ring gauge of the cigar, which is actually 47. The 44 denotes the number of cigars in the box, an unusual count that reflects the Fuente family's willingness to package cigars on their own terms. The cigar itself is a Corona Extra at 4.875 x 47, the slenderest proportion in the Magnum R lineup and the one that earned a 94 rating from Cigar Aficionado and top 25 honors in both 2012 and 2016. Aged Dominican binder and filler. Handmade in the Dominican Republic.