God of Fire by Don Carlos/Carlito
I was lucky enough to have the incredibly generous Keith K. Park send me a sampler of God of Fire cigars for review. I decided the best thing to do with these is review them heads up, and compare the differences between the two. God of Fire cigars are the first release from a partnership between the Fuentes and the cigar accessory company Prometheus (who is, not so coincidentally, the God of Fire) and are the 2006 rendition. Each is named for its blender, either Don Carlos or Carlito Fuente. Each creates their own, ideal blend and they are released in extremely limited quantities each year. The year on the band signifies the year in which it was actually made.
God of Fire, by Don Carlos, 2006
God of Fire Don Carlos; Strong ash, wickedly even burn.
The Don Carlos is swathed in an Ecuadorian wrapper. Cutting it goes very smoothly, and the test-draw is very firm.
The first notes are very, very sweet cedar and an under current of an almost olive flavor. The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper is very, very sweet. There are nuances of nuts, white pepper, and a hint of vanilla. Everything mixes together to create a very complex experience, and I do stand corrected that this is a medium-bodied cigar. There is also a flavor that is almost similar to saffron. The burn is, as always, the definition of even, and the ash is well-compacted and strong.
The second third still has the main flavor of a sweet, sweet cedar and vanilla mixed with a bit of espresso on the finish. The nuttiness component stays there, and the white pepper deepens into a darker, black pepper. The Don Carlos develops a very strong woody character deeper into this stick, and continues to keep very sturdy smoking characteristics (nice, even burn, with a stiff draw.)
Very complex, sophisticated cigar so far.
The final third opens with dark cedar, a little vanilla sweetness, and some grassy flavors on the finish mixed with espresso. The flavors progressively darken to make the end of the Don Carlos just a little bit stronger, a little bit bolder, and leaves on a great note.
Too good not to nub!
Ubi Cigar Quick Notes
| Strength | Medium |
| Base Flavors | Sweet Cedar, Wood, Vanilla, Earth |
| Wrapper | Ecuadorian Sumatra |
| Tobacco Origins | Ecuador, Dominican Republic |
| Pairing Recommendations | Cola or Rum |
| Recommended | Yes, if you want to treat yourself to something! |
God of Fire, by Carlito, 2006
God of Fire, by Carlito
The Carlito blended cigar is gorgeous looking, swimming in oils with a nice toothy Cameroon wrapper. Cutting it and test-drawing treats me to a very loose draw, and I touch flame to the foot of the cigar with great anticipation!
The first third starts out a lot stronger than the Don Carlos, still in the medium range but leaning closer to full. The flavor is a strong, black pepper and leather mixture with a sweet finish, like brown sugar, alongside some floral notes. The draw, which I thought would be too loose at the beginning, actually firms up with the smoke, and sits in a perfect place for me. The power really comes through the nose, and leaves and almost whole-milk like nuance and consistency. There is much more smoke from the Carlito as well. Notes of citrus creep in after an inch or so, and I find myself enjoying this cigar very much.
Crooked ash, but straight burn.
The second third has a nice woody flavor with more coffee flavors and a beautiful balance between the darker flavors and the sweetness on the finish. The sweet flavors are very much similar to honey, and the finish is incredibly smooth. Often, cigars can leave a bit of a rough, dry feeling in the mouth, and the Carlito God of Fire blend actually does the opposite.
I just love how the ash looks.
The final third is loaded with cedar and cinnamon, with some raisin notes on the finish. There is also a strong flavor of nuts, like unsalted cashews and almonds crumbled down. There is plenty of rich, aromatic smoke and the draw and burn both remain perfect. The flavor stays consistent right down to the beautiful end!
The end of two great smokes.
| Strength | Full side of medium |
| Base Flavors | Cinnamon, Cedar, Vanilla, Black Pepper, Cream |
| Wrapper | Cameroon |
| Tobacco Origins | Dominican, Cameroon |
| Pairing Recommendations | Scotch, Imperial Stouts, Port Wine |
| Recommended | Again, pricey, but a great special event cigar, and in my opinion the better of the two. |
Final Judgement: Both are very sweet cigars, but for myself, the Carlito blend is the one that stands out. It has more of a balance, and brings a little more funk to the table with spicy notes that the Don Carlos didn’t have. Curiously enough, the Ecuadorian Sumatra of the Don Carlos tasted more like Cameroon leaf then the Cameroon wrapper of the Carlito, and vice versa. However, both cigars are very unique. The true barrier for most will be the price point, which is from 20.00-27.00 dollars a stick. That is very steep, and many (myself included) will argue that no cigar is worth that. If, however, you want to treat yourself to a taste of luxury, and you want to smoke something very unique, this is a fantastic special occasion cigar, and every God of Fire I’ve smoked (and I’ve smoked around a dozen of them) have burned razor-sharp, and unfailingly don’t go out or have construction issues.
Alternate View/Reviews: Stogie Review (Carlito), Cigar Advisor (Don Carlos.)
Questions or comments? Leave a comment here or email me at ubicigar@gmail.com!
Filed under: by Brand, by Strength, Cigar Reviews, God of Fire, Medium Tagged: | 2006, binder, black, cameroon, carlito, carlos, chives, chocolate, cigars, coffee, dominican, don, earth, ecuadorian, espresso, filler, fire, fuente, god, grass, head, joe, k., keith, of, olive, park, pepper, prometheus, reviews, smoke, spice, sumatra, to head, treff, ubi, vanilla, wrapper
Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it
[...] only one who didn’t care for this stick…glad to see I’m no longer alone! Joe at UbiCigar did a head-to-head review between Don Carlos and Carlito versions of the 2006 God of Fire; any God [...]