Fuente Fuente Opus X Petit Lancero
Apr 26, 2009 Cigar
Tonight’s review is the Fuente Fuente Opus X Petite Lancero.
Cuban hybrid seed planted in 1992 (”seeds of hope”) yielded the first Dominican puro when the Fuente Fuente Opus X cigars debuted for sale in late 1995, and more widely in 1996. The original name for these cigars was “Project X from Planet 9″ which is what they were known as inside of Fuente before the name “Opus X” had been decided upon. They were not sold west of the Mississippi river until the late 1990’s.
Although “1992″ appears on each box of Opus X cigars that are sold, it does not refer to when the cigars were rolled. Rather, it refers to when the first “seeds of hope” were planted. The first Opus X cigars released to the public became available at last 1995 in very small quantities.
All Opus X cigars use 100% Dominican tobacco that is cured in rum barrels for a few months before being rolled into cigars. The cigars are then aged for a year or so before they are color sorted, boxed, and shipped to customers.
The “Opus X blend” of tobacco which, in addition to the trademark Opus X Rosado wrapper, constitutes an Opus X cigar is a blend of 5 distinct types of tobacco rolled together. Opus X tobacco is fermented, then aged, then fermented a second time, in addition to a number of other techniques, in order to bring out its trademark flavor.
Humidipaks were included in boxes of Opus X cigars beginning in 2002; there should also be a blue waterdrop sticker on post-2002 boxes to indicate the inclusion of a Humidipak.
Fuente OpusX is one of the rarest cigars in the world. It is elusive to almost every enthusiast because of its limited production. Prior to 1990, the Dominican Republic was well know for its filler and binder tobacco. Growing wrapper tobacco on the island proved impossible due to the topography of the land and the wind. The wrapper is a vital component of any cigar as it contributes to most of the flavor. Carlos Fuente Jr. set out on a mission to be the first cigar maker in the Dominican Republic to successfully grow wrapper tobacco. With the help of cheesecloths to protect the tobacco from the elements, the first successful crop was turned out in 1992. This wrapper is matched with unparalleled vintage tobaccos for its filler and binder and was the first Dominican puro (it only contains tobaccos grown in the Dominican Republic) on the market.
Approximately 750,000 Opus X cigars are released on an annual basis.
And now, on to the review
SPECIFICATIONS:
Size: 6.2 x 39 (Lancero)
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
APPEARANCE and CONSTRUCTION -
The Opus X Petit Lancero has the standard Opus wrapper which is a gorgeous Dominican, Rosado colored wrapper. As with most Opus X cigars, the construction was flawless. The wrapper is smooth with shades of brown, red and orange. The cap is masterfully applied. It is a non-traditional lancero cap in that it comes to a gradual point similar to the cap on a belicoso. No soft spots along the body of the smoke . The band is the traditional Opus X band, which in my opinion, is the nicest in the business. It’s truly a work of art.
SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS -
The wrapper gave off a wonderful smell of cinnamon. It had a sweet tobacco smell with some spiciness at the foot. I used my Xikar Xi cutter on the Petit Lancero tip. The draw was perfect. Cold draw had a slight sweetness, but not much else. Cigar lit perfectly. It kept an even and beautiful burn line throughout. Salt and pepper colored ash was firm and tight. The Petit Lancero gave off a very large volume of incredibly dense smoke. The smoke lingers right in front of you and just hangs there. Expect cloud cover.
FLAVOR -
The flavors coming off the Opus X Petit Lancero can best be described as complex. Despite smoking a lot of Opus over the years (FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a huge fan of the Opus X line) I had a very hard time placing the flavor profile of this stick. Admittedly, when I reach for an Opus, I rarely grab this vitola. I usually opt for the Robusto or larger size. Anyway, back to the lancero. The flavors started out with a very full bodied earthiness. There was some sweet tobacco flavors and a repeat of the cinnamon flavor I smelled on the wrapper and foot. The cinnamon flavor gave a sweet spiciness that I absolutely loved. At the midway point, I started getting some intense black pepper which I liked, but was glad when it transitioned after a little while. The final third seemed to go back to the cinnamon spice and some very strong leather notes. Lots of leather on the finish as well/
OVERALL IMPRESSION -
The Petit Lancero size of the Opus was a very nice surprise. Again, not smoking too many of these I wasn’t sure what to expect. I found this size to be similar to the high standard of excellence I expect from the Opus X line. One thing I did find slightly different is in the age of the smoke. Generally when I buy Opus I let the cigars sit for at least one year. I find that they need some aging to really reach their full potential. I also find them a bit overwhelming when smoked very young. This stick was an exception however. It was from the latest crop of Opus and had less than 3 months age on it. I found the flavors to be wonderfully balanced within the power and the body. I’m sure this has a lot to do with the filler to wrapper ratio of the lanceros. Definitely a stick I would reach for again.
TOTAL SCORE -94
Tags: Dominican Republic, Fuente, Opus X, Petit Lancero, Rosado
Cigar Inspector Reviews the BBMF
Apr 21, 2009 Friends
Cigar Inspector has done a wonderful review of the $80 Fuente LBMF from the Forbidden label.
Tags: CigarInspector.com, Fuente, LBMF, Opus X
Fuente Opus X Video
Apr 6, 2009 Video
As a little Monday afternoon diversion, I thought it might be fun to post the video of the Opus X : Making of a Legend.
It’s an interesting documentary-style video that outlines the history and creation of the Opus X line. If you like the Opus, or even if your mildly curious about the history of the story, it’s an interesting video.
Enjoy.
Tags: Carlos Fuente Jr., Carlos Fuente Sr., Fuente, Opus X, Video
