Pre-light Experience

Seth: Wow, the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull is the most maduro belicoso I have ever come across. The cigar appears to be pressed and is finished with an extreme tapered head. There are medium sized veins present throughout the cigar and it is dark brown in coloring. Dark coffee bean coloring with aromas of chocolate, rich earth, dark spices and tobacco.
John: The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull features a Maduro-colored wrapper and a torpedo shape. I weighed the cigar at 16.7 grams and measured the humidity at 65.6% using the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper suggested a mild fire-cured character, with wood and earth supported by sweet tobacco. From the foot, I picked up sweet hay and a barnyard note.
Jiunn: The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull has a gritty Colorado maduro wrapper shade. While the wrapper quality feels good, there are several areas where there are missing wrapper pieces. Veins are well pressed, seams are loose, bunch and roll is even and the belicoso style head is well wrapped. Pre-light aromas give leather and barnyard.

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull

First Third

Seth: The first third has a slow start. You can get the maduro qualities, but it’s a little tight and restricted. It’s not quite opened up. There are subtle notes of espresso, rich earth, tobacco, cocoa powder and warm spices. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with sweet tobacco leading, while wood and light-plus baking spices define the center and carry into the finish alongside dry wood. The retrohale settles into sweet tobacco and baking spices, with wood and earth combining on the finish. Through the bottom half, the profile finds a balanced rhythm, with sweet tobacco, baking spices, wood and earth all working in tandem.
Jiunn: The first third’s profile is a dry one. Flavor-wise, it’s all about leather, cocoa and espresso bitterness. Retrohaling gives dried red pepper spice and citrus tartness. The finish is where the dryness is especially noticed as it’s long and lingering with leather. Strength is medium and body is medium-full.

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull

Second Third

Seth: In the second third, the cigar opens up. The rich earth notes are more present with cocoa powder and tobacco. Warm spices are much more present, and I am picking up some manure, wood and leather. Like the first third, medium-full in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with a combination of sweet tobacco and baking spices, while mildly dry wood and earth define the finish. As the cigar progresses, earth on the post draw ramps up to medium strength before gradually receding to medium-minus. The profile remains consistent but shifts toward a more earth-driven character.
Jiunn: Not much, if anything, has changed. There’s a slight uptick in dry red pepper spice. But it’s still a dry profile with leather, cocoa and espresso bitterness. The finish further accentuates the mouth profile, extending the dryness and leather. Strength and body remains medium and medium-full, respectively.

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull

Final Third

Seth: The final third is fairly in line with the second. The body and strength are at a level between medium and medium-full, and I am picking up notes of espresso, rich earth, tobacco, cocoa powder and warm spices.
John: The final third opens with earth and baking spices leading, with dry wood carrying through the post draw. As the cigar progresses, the earth builds in strength, reaching medium-plus and taking over the profile by the halfway point. In the bottom half, baking spices reassert themselves at medium-plus strength, but the overall profile remains dominated by earth.
Jiunn: Re-read my second third remarks. *yawn*

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull

Burn

Seth: The burn is average throughout the cigar.
John: The cigar started relatively straight, with minor waviness developing early. The burn became uneven and required a touch-up, and continued to struggle in the second third, requiring another correction. Some waviness remained in the final third, though no further intervention was needed.
Jiunn: Burn performance was great, giving an even burn, tight ashes, ample smoke production and cool burning temperatures.

Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull

Draw

Seth: The draw is somewhat restricted throughout the cigar.
John: The draw measured 45 inches of water on the Cigar Medics draw tester. Subjectively, it sat between two-and-a-half and three notches into the resistant spectrum. It was somewhat resistant, but still manageable.
Jiunn: Draw performance was great as well, giving good air flow and resistance.

Overall

Seth: The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull is an average cigar. It has a very slow start, and is fairly solid when it gets going, but would benefit from a stronger start and a more complex profile. Draw and burn were not a problem, and did not impact the cigar, but the flavors were not present enough for the entire cigar to make it a good smoking experience.
John: This cigar opens with a nicely balanced and approachable profile, where sweet tobacco and baking spices are supported by wood and earth in a way that feels cohesive and easy to engage with. There’s a subtle richness early on, and the fire-cured nuance in the aroma seems to carry into the flavor profile, adding a faint smoky depth without overwhelming the palate. As the cigar transitions into the second and final thirds, the profile steadily shifts toward earth as the dominant component. While the progression feels natural, it also narrows the experience, with the earlier balance giving way to a more repetitive, earth-driven profile. The return of stronger baking spices late helps add some contrast, but it doesn’t restore the complexity of the opening. From a construction standpoint, the cigar performs adequately, though the need for multiple burn corrections keeps it from feeling dialed in. The draw, while slightly resistant, remains consistent enough to avoid becoming a distraction. In the end, the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull delivers a solid start and a coherent flavor profile, but it loses dimension as it progresses. This cigar lands squarely in the average category. It’s a cigar that’s enjoyable in moments, particularly early on, but doesn’t maintain enough evolution to truly stand out from the field. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 11 minutes.
Jiunn: This Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull was nothing special. A cigar showing good fuller body but with too much dryness and flavors that didn’t really pop. It tasted like the vast majority of Mexican San Andres in the market where it’s just that dirty, gritty, earthy rawness that just isn’t my jam. As such, easy pass for me.

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.35

Cost/Point

$3.46

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.60

Cost/Point

$3.30

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$3.22

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Sangre de Toro Raging Bull