The Cigar Review: Fuente Fuente OpusX PerfecXion X

When Carlos Fuente Jr. was told he merely assembled cigars, rather than making them, he was insulted. When he was told it was impossible to grow fine wrappers in the Dominican Republic, he was transformed into a man on a mission.

For nearly 20 years he has shown off the beauty, power and pizazz of Cuban-seed, shade-grown wrapper leaves harvested from his majestic Chateau de la Fuente wrapper farm in the Bonao Valley of the Dominican Republic.

Those leaves are the hallmark of the Fuente Fuente OpusX line, one of the most successful cigar launches in modern memory.

Fuente Fuente OpusX hit the market in November 1995 with seven sizes and a consumer frenzy that forced some retailers to limit purchases in many cases to two cigars per customer.

Often, the cigars never even made it to the humidor in a cigar shop. The brand has been expanded over the years (and demand has calmed to a more manageable level, although the cigars can still be hard to find) and the PerfecXion X is one of the relatively newer sizes.

With the trademark Fuente Fuente OpusX spice and leathery kick, the smoke also has notes of espresso and oaky wood.

It’s for fans of full-bodied smokes, and for those who know the Dominican Republic for growing some of the world’s most intriguing wrapper.