Leafy Times » Casa Fuente - Robusto and Corona Gorda

The Casa Fuente line is sold exclusively at the “Casa de la Fuente” store in Caesar’s Palace. The store has only been open for a little over a year, and I have not had a chance to visit it yet. A few of my friends have, however, and they’ve been kind enough to bring me back some of these gars.

Case in point: A friend brought me a Corona Gorda (5.75 x 46) about four months ago. Last week, another friend gave me a Robusto (5 x 5.25). (No, I’m not trying to insinuate that I’m “Uncle Popular”; I just have some really nice friends.) I have since had both. The Robusto was amazing. As good or better than an Opus X, with tons of flavor and terrific draw. It was particularly strong. Maybe not Opus X strong, but well north of a run-of-the-mill Fuente.

The Corona Gorda was not as good. The draw was tighter and it lacked the depth of the Robusto. Perhaps Robusto size allows additional flavors to come through because the smoke is cooler. Or maybe it was a fluke, or my pallate was too fried (been smoking a lot of gars over the holidays).

In any event, it is worth noting that Casa de la Fuente does not gouge you on the prices. The Robusto is about $20.00. Not bad for an Opus X with a different band. (Incidentially, the store also has Anejos, which are notoriously expensive and difficult to find, at wholesale prices: a No. 77 “Shark” is just $23.00; cigar.com sells them for $34.95 and they almost never have them in stock.)

Long story short: if you have the time and the means, be sure to stop by Casa de la Fuente the next time you’re in Vegas and ask for the house cigar. If you don’t want to wait until then, rumor has it that cigar.com will sell them over the phone (not off the webpage). You will probably pay a hefty premium, however. With gas prices these days, it may be worth it.

Robusto: