NewsPage 2

Arturo Fuente News

;
OPUSX THE UNDEFEATED

OPUSX THE UNDEFEATED

by | May 10, 2023 | , ,

I’m guessing there have been more than a dozen Freedom Samplers released by Cigar Rights of America (CRA), an industry trade group. Typically, these samplers contain 10 cigars from 10 different companies. During the last five or so years, the samplers have almost always contained cigars from the same 10 companies, all of which serve as CRA’s main benefactors. Those companies are:
  • Alec Bradley
  • Arturo Fuente
  • Ashton
  • J.C. Newman
  • La Flor Dominicana
  • My Father Cigars, Inc.
  • Oliva
  • Padrón
  • Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, Inc.
  • Tatuaje
Typically, these samplers are split roughly half and half between cigars that you could purchase outside of the sampler and cigars that would be either very difficult or impossible to otherwise purchase. While Arturo Fuente has consistently provided harder to find cigars—usually an OpusX though there’s also been Casa Fuente and Rare Pink cigars used—they’ve been cigars you could purchase outside of the sampler. As part of the CRA Freedom Sampler Spring 2023 that began shipping in February, Arturo Fuente created a new cigar that, to my knowledge, is not available any other way. It’s called the Fuente Fuente OpusX The Undefeated. The company never provided any information about the cigar itself, but it would appear to be a 6 x 56 toro extra version of the regular OpusX blend, which is made entirely of tobaccos from the company’s Chateau de la Fuente farm in Caribe, Dominican Republic. The history of OpusX has been as documented as much as any non-Cuban cigar. It all began when the owner of Boutique 22, a store in Paris, told Carlos “Carlito” Fuente Jr. that he was not a cigar maker because Arturo Fuente didn’t make a product made entirely of tobaccos the company grew itself. That comment stuck with the younger Fuente, who began to wonder how he could go from a “cigar assembler” as the retailer called him to a “cigar maker.” The answer was to grow his own wrapper, which wasn’t as easy as it would seem. At that time, many believed that it wasn’t possible to grow good cigar wrapper in the Dominican Republic. Angel Oliva Sr. of the Oliva Tobacco Co. took Fuente to a farm the Olivas owned in a small town outside of Bonao called Caribe. In 1991, Fuente planted a crop of tobacco under cheese cloths on the land that the Olivas still owned. In 1992 that first crop was harvested as part of Project X from Planet 9, the internal code name for what became OpusX. Today, that land is owned by Arturo Fuente and called Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia., seemingly the most famous tobacco farm in the cigar industry. Fuente Fuente OpusX debuted in 1995, the first succesful Dominican puro that would lead the way for cigars like the Davidoff Puro d’Oro, La Aurora 100 Años and La Flor Dominicana’s Litto Gomez Diez series, all Dominican puros that came after OpusX. Today, there is now a family of OpusX brands, the original OpusX blend has been offered in shapes ranging from a lancero to a football, and there’s so many different OpusX-themed accessories that, at times, there have been three different accessory companies with licensing agreements to produce OpusX cutters. If OpusX was its own company, that company would be a sizeable player in the cigar industry. Read Entire Article on Halfwheel

JOSÉ BLANCO PROMOTED TO WORLDWIDE BRAND AMBASSADOR

by | Apr 19, 2023 | ,

Arturo Fuente Cigars has promoted José Blanco to the position of Worldwide Brand Ambassador. José previously served as Arturo Fuente’s Director of Sales in the Eastern Hemisphere. In his new role, José will be working closely with Carlito Fuente to represent and promote Arturo Fuente cigars throughout the world at events, trade shows, in retail stores and in the digital realm. Carlito and José are planning a new series of retail events in the U.S. during 2023-2024. Jose will continue to represent the Arturo Fuente brand to retailers and distributors in the Eastern Hemisphere. José will also be a mentor and resource for the entire Arturo Fuente global sales team. Fuente is honored to continue its relationship with José, who brings over 50 years of sales expertise to the company. Carlito Fuente said, “José brings knowledge of the old school tobacco industry and blends it in with a passion for the new opportunities the Arturo Fuente brand has around the world. I value his experience and appreciate his enthusiasm for the brand and the industry as a whole.” Download the press release  
This New Coffee Table Book Chronicles the History of Beloved Cigar Brand Arturo Fuente

This New Coffee Table Book Chronicles the History of Beloved Cigar Brand Arturo Fuente

by | Jan 11, 2023 |

Robb Report – The New York-based publisher will release a new coffee table book dedicated to Arturo Fuente next month. Entitled Arturo Fuente: Since 1912, the massive tome charts the history of the revered brand and attempts to illustrate why it’s still going strong over a century after its founding.

Those with only a passing knowledge of cigars have probably heard that the finest hail from Cuba, but true aficionados know they can be found elsewhere. For proof of this, all you need to do is look at (and smell) the top-notch, hand-rolled smokes Arturo Fuente has produced since it was founded in West Tampa, Fla., in 1912. A lot has happened since that humble beginning, though. The brand relocated to the Dominican Republic, a country it has become synonymous with, and has become one of the largest family-owned cigar companies in the world, rolling some 30 million stogies per year. It’s little wonder there was enough material for a whole book. READ MORE

Title: Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Vintage 1960’s Séries Sophisticated Hooker Awarded #10 in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2022

Title: Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Vintage 1960’s Séries Sophisticated Hooker Awarded #10 in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2022

by | Dec 12, 2022 |

Cigar Aficionado – The name is certainly curious. And if you’re familiar with Carlos Fuente Jr.’s sense of humor, it won’t surprise you that there’s a double entendre here. Sophisticated Hooker refers to the name of a fishing boat (“hooker” being a term for a fisherman) the Arturo Fuente owner and blender remembers from his younger days. It’s the largest size in the Rare Pink line, a series of shapely figurados, much like Fuente’s Hemingway series. Only this blend is completely different from that found in Hemingways. It’s also a cigar with a social cause. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every box goes to fund breast cancer research, hence the bright pink boxes. Pink is the official color of the breast cancer awareness movement. The brand had only four sizes when it was launched in the spring of 2021, and this wasn’t one of them. Later that year, at the first Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest, the seminar audience puffed a sneak preview of the Sophisticated Hooker. It’s in the market now, but still in limited production. The cigar is as intriguing as the name. First puffs are cedary and herbal, but the cigar takes on a nutty, graham cracker sweetness showing big notes of red meat, black pepper and caramel before the sweet-and-nutty finish. READ MORE
Arturo Fuente Ships 2022 Batch of Rare Pinks Including Two New Sizes

Arturo Fuente Ships 2022 Batch of Rare Pinks Including Two New Sizes

by | Oct 13, 2022 | ,

Arturo Fuente has begun shipping the 2022 batch of its Rare Pink Vintage 1960’s line, which now has a total of six sizes. The company has expanded the line with two new sizes—both of which were announced in 2021—the Queen of Hearts (3 3/4 x 54) and Sophisticated Hooker (7 1/4 x 53). Like the rest of the sizes in the line, both new vitolas are perfectos. The cigar uses an Ecuadorian wrapper from Oliva Tobacco Co. over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. READ MORE
A Tale of 2 Cigar Families

A Tale of 2 Cigar Families

by | Sep 22, 2022 | ,

Cigar Aficionado – Like so many great ideas, the plan to combine the cigarmaking talents of the Fuente and Padrón families began over whisky and cigars. Carlos Fuente Jr., the man who runs Arturo Fuente, was visiting the Miami office of Jorge Padrón, his friend and competitor. It was early in 2020, and the two men lit up cigars. After the Scotch was poured, the two raised their glasses in honor of their fathers, men who had died not so long before, men who had run Fuente and Padrón before their sons. As they spoke, an unusual idea was born: what if these two companies worked together to make cigars honoring their fathers, cigars that would be sold in the same box, the two names joined for the first time in history? “We discussed Jorge blending a cigar in honor of my father, out of respect and gratitude,” says Fuente Jr. “And I was going to make a cigar that Mr. José Orlando Padrón would like.” It was a curious move, two rival companies, each a leader in the world of fine cigars, working together on a project that would bear both of their names. Coke doesn’t share the stage with Pepsi; Porsche and BMW don’t do joint projects; Rolex doesn’t make a watch with Patek Philippe. READ MORE

by | Jul 15, 2022 |

HalfWheel – My intent was for this post to go up a lot sooner, but things got complicated. Oddly, not because of the Arturo Fuente and Padrón Legends collaboration, which was the most talked about cigar of any trade show I’ve ever been to. From the time I first visited the booth at the start of Day 1 to my final time walking through it on Day 4, the Legends cigar had a certain fanfare that is completely unique. What’s crazy is that is hardly the end of Arturo Fuente’s other collaborations, there’s also the $80,000 Elie Bleu humidor and a plethora of new items for Manny Iriarte Enterprises’ The OpusX Society. But this post is about Fuente, the mothership, and it had plenty of new items. In traditional Arturo Fuente fashion, good luck finding details about just about any of the cigars, but if you wanted information about dog bowls, I found that wasn’t that difficult to come by. As you’ll read below, for some of these cigars, a lot remains unclear. READ MORE

Fuente & Padrón Legends Cigar Project To Be Unveiled July 10, 2022

by | Jul 5, 2022 | ,

Miami, Florida – Carlito Fuente and Jorge Padrón are proud to announce the release of their Legends cigar project. Please join the Fuente and Padrón families Sunday July 10, 2022 at 3:30 pm at the PCA Trade Show, Booth # 1321 for the unveiling of these extraordinary cigars. Carlos A. Fuente, Sr. and José O. Padrón were friends and colleagues for over 50 years. They shared common bonds – a passion for the finest Cuban cigar-making traditions and deep respect for their family names. They passed these values on to their children. Their sons, Carlito Fuente and Jorge Padrón, together with their families, have partnered to honor and remember the Fuente and Padrón family patriarchs. For the first time, the families are collaborating on a joint project, a commemorative 40-cigar box in honor of their fathers and their legacies. The box is detailed with colors, symbols and photographs illustrating the rich family histories and contributions to the cigar industry made by both families. Inside, there are two trays of 20 hand crafted cigars. One tray features cigars made by Padrón in honor of Carlos A. Fuente, Sr. The second tray features cigars made by Fuente in honor of José O. Padrón. Specially designed bands honor both patriarchs with family symbols and the words the two men lived by – “Familia,” “Perseverancia,” and “Legado” (Family, Perseverance, and Legacy). Both families have selected rare and beautiful tobaccos to create legendary cigars worthy of the extraordinary men they honor. In keeping with their fathers’ tradition of giving, a percentage of the proceeds from the sales of this collaboration will be donated to the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation and the Padrón Family Foundation. Contact: Liana Fuente (lfuente@arturofuente.com) or Jeff Padrón (jeffpadron@padron.com)
Fuentes Breaking Ground On Nicaraguan Factory

Fuentes Breaking Ground On Nicaraguan Factory

by | Jun 28, 2022 | ,

Cigar Aficionado – Four and a half years—nearly to the day—after Carlos Fuente Jr. announced plans to build a grand factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, his company is about to formally break ground on the site and begin construction. On Thursday, the inauguration of the factory will occur. “Many years in the works,” Fuente Jr. said to Cigar Aficionado. “The day is finally coming.” The event will include, according to Fuente Jr., “The whole construction company, government officials and colleagues.” Read More

Recent Comments

     
    Are you 21 or older? This website requires you to be 21 years of age or older. Please verify your age to view the content, or click "Exit" to leave.