Cigar Info
Although the Arturo Fuente has been around for a long time, its most renowned OpusX line is a relatively recent release. While Arturo Fuente had been successful making cigars in the Dominican Republic, they were unable to reliably grow the tobacco needed to produce wrappers. In 1992, the Fuentes had created a technique that let them produce the first reliably successful wrapper crop, which by 1995 was ready to be utilized in the new OpusX line. Twenty years later Arturo Fuente released a line to celebrate the anniversary of this release: the Arturo Fuente Opus X 20th Anniversary. It shipped in December in limited numbers as many retailers only confirmed receiving one box of each of the four sizes. The four sizes are Fuente Fuente OpusX 20 Years Celebration Believe (5 3/4 x 52), Fuente Fuente OpusX 20 Years Celebration Father & Son (6 1/4 x 49), Fuente Fuente OpusX 20 Years Celebration God’s Whisper (6 1/2 x 56), Fuente Fuente OpusX 20 Years Celebration Power of a Dream (6 3/8 x 52).
Pre-light
I smoked this cigar back in January when it came out, and while I did enjoy it, I thought it wasn’t any better than a regular opus, but I could tell it needed some rest and wanted to smoke it again in a couple months. The foot has a light wood and tobacco aroma. The wrapper is very similar but has a hint of bourbon. The pre-light draw is very cedary. The wrapper is quite a bit lighter than the regular opus, but very smooth and even color. It has the perfect give when squeezed and perfect draw.
First Third
There is a definite sweetness to the first few puffs and not much spice at all. Not far after comes a very identifiable cedar flavor. There’s a bit of soft leather in the background along with some baking spice that I hope come out more soon. Towards the end the leather comes out more and replaces some of the cedar, giving it a great balance now.
Second Third
The second third is even smoother than the first. This is a very different experience from the normal Opus but that is not bad thing. The leather has become the predominant flavor, but there the aged tobacco scent that I smelled at pre-light has made an appearance. The sweetness has died off a bit, but it has not become harsh. Some light baking spice comes in towards the end like I hoped it would, so far allspice and cinnamon.
Final Third
The final third actually picks up in strength with a bit of red pepper. The core flavors of leather and cedar are still present, but the sweetness is gone. It is very good and balanced. The Opus X 20th finishes out much the same but never gets hot. The finish is cedar and spice.