Arturo Fuente OpusX 2020 Viento d'Amor
The most generous of the three vitolas celebrating Carlito Fuente's affection for the Middle East.
Let's start this year by exploring new flavours from the Dominican territory, where the Fuente dynasty took root in the early 1980s. Launched in 2020 in the United Arab Emirates, simultaneously with the Dubai World Expo, the OpusX 2020 series features three different vitolas: Arena d'Amor (52 x 127 mm), Sol d'Amor (55 x 126 mm) and Viento d'Amor (58 x 152 mm).
Each one celebrates one of the natural elements found in the desert: sand, sun and wind.
"From the first moment my foot touched the sand, my eyes stared at the horizon and I felt the unique scent that only the desert can offer," said Carlito Fuente, grandson of the founder of the eponymous company. He also added "I immediately realized the affection I had developed for the United Arab Emirates".
The Middle East, the cradle of humanity, science and culture, opened its heart and arms to the Fuente family and quickly became part of its future.
This is the second time the Fuente family has dedicated an exclusive series to this region under the prestigious OpusX label. Indeed, at the end of 2017, the OpusX Dubai Exclusivo was launched during an event held at the Mercury Lounge of the Four Seasons Jumeirah. The latter was only available in Duty Free outlets in the country.
Following the success of this first edition, Carlito immediately wanted to create something new, a cigar that would surpass all the limits he had previously crossed in terms of quality and flavor. A cigar so unique and complete that it would be a new tribute to this region that he describes as magical. The challenge quickly turned into an obsession of perfection and Carlito started to select the best leaves from his plantations at Chateau de la Fuente and blended them to create something unique and exceptional.
This is how the Arturo Fuente, Fuente Fuente OpusX 2020 that interests us today, was born. Unlike the first series, this one is not limited in the true sense of the word. Its production has been announced as regular but remains very confidential because of the quality of the leaves required to elaborate them.
Indeed, the OpusX 2020 is like all OpusX: a Dominican Puro, exclusively made with tobacco grown at the Chateau de la Fuente, a family farm located in El Caribe, Dominican Republic. However, their quality is even higher than the one used for the "classic" OpusX cigars.
This tobacco farm is generally described as the most beautiful of the world. This extravagant infrastructure gives birth to the legendary Opus X tobacco and welcomes the family's guests. It is a unique place that provides a very high quality production.
From the fields, through the drying sheds, to the colonial house that welcomes aficionados, everything is done to offer the most pleasant environment possible to farmers and rollers.
Concerning the packaging, it reflects well the reputation of the House in this domain. From the box to the cigar's wrapping, everything reaches an incomparable level of perfection and detail. The design is the same as the OpusX 20th Anniversary, but with the United Arab Emirates's colors: red, white, green and black. The black symbolize the oil wealth of the country, the white, the neutrality of the state and the green, the fertility of the country.
Now that the context of this exclusive series was mentioned, let's proceed to the tasting of the most generous of the three cigars: the Viento d'Amor.
Once undressed, because yes, we can really talk about an outfit that dresses the cigar considering that it is adorned with a main ring, a secondary one, a cedar leaf and a foot ring, we discover a magnificent brown and slightly reddish wrapper, perfectly smooth.
To the touch, the filling seems surgically homogeneous, no doubt, it's definitely a Fuente creation!
Raw, we enjoy a combination of barnyard, leather, walnut, cedar, enhanced coffee and a touch of honey. A combination that announces a rather greedy tasting.
Once lit, the first puffs seize us with an important quantity of spices, difficult to identify. Our Viento d'Amor will quickly calm its ardor to open up on a rather creamy and vegetal note. The coffee hints perceived raw seem to be confirmed and delicately blend with the black pepper. A surprising but quite pleasant mix.
Other notes of peanut and nutmeg evolve in the background and contribute to a very complex and captivating combination.
If the spices have slightly faded away in the mouth, they are still present on the lips.
True to the reputation of its origins, this particular OpusX shows a remarkable construction and offers an ideal draw resistance to fully enjoy this tasting.
In terms of smoke volume, the Viento d'Amor is in harmony with its measurements and is generous. A thick and tasty smoke that contributes to immerse us in the tasting experience for our greatest pleasure.
While the gripping spices of the beginning tend to take a step back, the relay is taken by a pleasant rise in power.
The blend continues to evolve in a remarkable complexity, as if Carlito himself had meticulously measured each flavor to the exact gram, like a culinary recipe.
The cedar, the damp earth, the coffee, the leather and the hay form a harmonious and definitely pleasant whole. A touch of cinnamon is making a few appearances from time to time and adds a sweet touch to the cigar. The recipe is remarkable.
The draw impressed us from the first to the last puff, throughout this hour and a half of tasting. Just like the smoke, which remained generous from the beginning to the end.
The release of a new OpusX blend is always intriguing. Despite a definite OpusX DNA with earthy and cedar flavors, the OpusX 2020 Viento d'Amor has that little special something, with its spices that somehow transport us to the middle of the desert for a cigar. That something magical that only Fuente knows the secret. After all, let's not forget, Only Fuente Is Fuente!
ARTURO FUENTE Fuente Fuente OpusX 2020 - Viento d'Amor - Box of 20 cigars
Vitola: Toro Extra (58 x 152 mm)
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