Humidor Archeology: Fuente Fuente Opus X

Vitola: xXx/Power Ranger (Short Belicoso)
Size: 4.625 x 48 ring gauge
Price ~$12.50 MSRP
Obtained From: Unknown Store

Background

I have enjoyed the Fuente Fuente Opus X line from the first time I tried it many years ago.  When I was trying to figure out what to review this week I was looking thought my humidors and this one popped out to me.  If you aren’t familiar with this line it was the first Dominican puro cigar with some strength to it.  According to their website all of the tobacco in it is from the Fuente farms.  I’m not really able to afford a box of these usually so I try and pick up a few when I see them.  I cannot for the life of me remember where I got this cigar.  The only way I’m able to remember that it was from December 2010 is the label I placed on the cello when I got it.  When I want to put a cigar down for some time I’ll write the date I got the cigar on a little white label and stick it to the cello or band.  That way I can see how things are going with a blend over time.  From my experience the Opus X line is very much wine in that it varies greatly between vintages.  I can’t remember how many of these cigars I’ve smoked but I’m basing the review on this sample.

Prelight

The wrapper on this cigar was a nice golden brown in color with a good amount of tooth to it.  There were some oils, but a super oily wrapper isn’t normal on an Opus X.  There were some medium veins to it as well.  When I gave the cigar a squeeze there was a slight amount of give but no soft spots.  When I put my nose to the wrapper I noted the aroma of leather and barnyard with intense barnyard from the foot.  After clipping and taking a cold draw on it I noted tastes of graham, leather and cinnamon with a good draw.

Flavor

Like a good Opus X should the cigar starts off with a lot of spice on the tongue and retrohale.  After a few puffs I was able to detect some leather, earth, cedar and graham from it.  As I moved towards the end of the first third the spice moved mainly to the tongue.  The cigar starts off in the medium-full strength range.  When I got into the second third the copper flavor I normally get from an Opus X started to make itself known mixed in with graham, earth, and leather.  The spice started to build again as well.  The strength was at the bottom end of full by the end of this third.  As I got into the final third the spice built back up and I started to get a slight nicotine hit from it.  The flavors were very similar to the second third with the exception of some cinnamon thrown in on the finish.  The cigar was definitely full strength by the time I finished.

Construction

The cigar had a perfect draw all the way through and it produced a large volume of smoke.  The burn was slightly uneven at times but never needed correction.  It did tar up a few times and I needed to re-cut it a couple times.

Value

While it isn’t something I can afford every day I do think that a good one of these is a great way to treat myself sometimes.  I don’t mind paying retail for these cigars.  However some shops still like to gouge with this cigar since it only comes out about twice a year and people are always looking for it.

Conclusions

Although I can’t remember how this cigar was when it was young, I really enjoyed it with 3+ years on it.  With Opus X and their variations from release to release you can never know what you’re going to get.  However I have found that you can pretty much always make this blend better with age.  To me 3-5 years is the sweet spot where it is at its best.  I know there are people that don’t want to have to age a cigar before they smoke it.  I like this blend enough to do that when I can.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10