Fuma Cigars: Flavorful and Affordable

FUMA CIGARS DEFINED & TOP FUMA SELECTIONS

Defining Fuma Cigars

So…what is a fuma? To you and me, a fuma cigar is a blend made from the leftover tobaccos of another. Plenty of prime leaf gets left behind in the process of making a premium blend. Subsequently, cigarmakers are left with two key decisions. 1. Discard the tobacco and move on to the next batch. 2. Roll the excess into fumas (or at least sell it to another factory to do the same).

If they choose option two, they’ll use the remaining tobaccos to create a mixed filler version (sometimes called ‘Cuban sandwich’) that includes both full-leaf and chopped remnants of the filler tobaccos. It’s important to note—these are not the same as short filler cigars where all the fillers are chopped. Fumas, as most of us know them, took root—like much of the cigar world—in Cuba. Torcedors (cigar rollers) would roll themselves cigars from scrap tobaccos to bring home and smoke. Fuma is the name they gave to these creations.

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Caption

A torcedor placing cigars in a wooden mold. You can see frayed tobacco ends protruding. They will soon be cut off and may be mixed with long fillers to create fumas.

To define a blender’s version of a fuma, which is a single tobacco leaf rolled to smoke on its own, let’s rewind back to the beginning. Crafting a cigar blend often takes years of trial and error. And contrary to what you might think, it doesn’t typically start with a bunch of tobaccos thrown together in hopes that the concoction will work. Tobacco leaves are smoked individually to gauge strength, flavor profile, and burn quality. Only once the leaves have been thoroughly benchmarked on their own are blenders ready to move on to the step of combining them.

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Caption

Fuma leaves banded and numbered for blend testing.

Managing Editor, John Pullo, has a fantastic video on varied differences of cigar fumas:

Prices Matter…Looks Don’t

Bargain-priced cigars are the unsung backbone of the industry. Irrespective of whether they’re called ‘fumas’, many are by definition. These cheap smokes are among the most popular—and most purchased—because they’re easy on the wallet.

With inflation running rampant, it’s easy to appreciate the allure of a $25 bundle vs. a $250.00 box. Especially when the tobaccos inside of it are more or less identical.

Think about when you go shopping for furniture. They’ve always got a scratch-and-dent section where everything is massively discounted, just because there’s a scuff somewhere in the fabric or a ding in wood. The couch is still as comfortable. The coffee table still…holds coffee…it’s just far less in price for the same benefits.

Fuma cigars are the same kind of idea. You’ll get the same flavor from the same tobaccos. Maybe a few burn issues here and soft spots there. But for the massive cut in price, the sacrifice is worth it.

Below, we’ll be exploring some of the most popular fumas selections you can try.

Alec Bradley Prensado Fumas

https://www.famous-smoke.com/brand/alec-bradley-prensado-fumas-cigars

Alan Rubin raised the bar with Alec Bradley Prensado Fumas. Whereas most fumas are second runs made with leftover tobaccos from a blend, these are first-run (with all long fillers) rejects. But it’s why they were rejected that’s important. Basically, these Prensado premiums have a few visual flaws, like wrapper spots or inconsistent color—nothing that affects their sought-after flavors of sweet spices, dark-roast coffee, and pepper. First run flavor for less? I’ll take two!

Rocky Patel American Market Selection Fumas

https://www.famous-smoke.com/brand/rocky-patel-american-market-selection-fumas-cigars

Rocky Patel American Market Selection is one of the most popular Honduran cigars available at Famous Smoke Shop. Loved for its affordability and creamy-sweet flavors, the blend is already a bonafide bargain. Yet, Rocky managed to squeeze even more off the top with AMS Fumas via Cuban sandwich fillers. The result: all of the flavor at a pittance of the price. These little treats are perfect for the back nine, camping, and any other time you’d rather not risk your most precious of sticks!

Gran Habano La Gran Fuma

https://www.famous-smoke.com/brand/gran-habano-la-gran-fuma-cigars

Gran Habano is one of our favorite all-time cigar manufacturers. La Gran Fuma is just one of the reasons. Most fuma cigars are made with leftover tobaccos and ride the name recognition of their first-run counterparts. La Gran Fuma does no such thing. It’s its own cigar—crafted by Guillermo Rico to be tasty and price conscious. Notes of caramel and sweet tobacco smoke mellow on the palate; it’s even got a Corojo wrapper. Try yours with coffee and thank me later.

Camacho Scorpion Connecticut Fumas

https://www.famous-smoke.com/brand/camacho-scorpion-fumas-cigars

If size matters, there’s a fuma for that, too. Camacho Scorpion Fumas are not only budget friendly, they also even come in big rings like the 6” x 60 shown above. When I looked it up, I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A bundle of 16 Scorpion Connecticut Fumas is just a hair more than the original Camacho Scorpion 5-pack. Read that again. Let’s just say I had to pick up a new humidor. For reasons. Don’t tell my wife.