Stogie Reviews: Arturo Fuente Opus X Perfecxion No.2
15 Jul 2009
No non-Cuban cigar is surrounded by more mystique and hype than the Opus X by Arturo Fuente. Indeed, it’s legend stands with some of the biggest names from the forbidden island nation and, even though Fuente imports three-quarters of a million Opus X’s into the U.S. every year, the Opus is nearly as difficult to find as illegal Cubans.
The Opus X legend starts with its unique Cuban-seed rosado wrapper. When first planted on the Fuente estate in 1992, it was an daring experiment to see if premium wrapper could be grown in the Dominican Republic.
The Opus X line uses 100% Dominican tobacco (wrapper, binder, and filler), is cured in rum barrels prior to being rolled, then aged for at least a year before being boxed and shipped. Today, largely due to the success of the Opus X, there are a number of other Dominican puros on the market.
The Perfecxion No. 2 measures 6 and 3/8 inches with a ring gauge of 52. The rosado wrapper is reddish brown with a slight sheen. The torpedo-shaped stick is extremely solid and firm.
Pre-light, it leaves a leathery flavor in your mouth with a bit of raisin. Despite its rock-solid construction, the draw is deliberate but not too difficult.
Upon lighting, it starts out medium-bodied then quickly evolves. Only one inch in, it turns into a full-bodied flavor bomb. Leather, sweet cedar, and pepper dominate while underlying raisin, cocoa, and earth round out the taste.
It all makes for a balanced, intense smoke, while the torpedo shape focuses the flavors on the palate just right. A sturdy ash and a relatively even burn round out the above average physical properties.
That brings me to one of the biggest questions about the Opus X: price. The suggested retail price for the Opus X Perfecxion No.2 is just $14, but you’re more likely to pay twice that much due to sky-high demand. (Occasionally you’ll find a place that sells the Opus X for around $14, but don’t expect them to last long on the shelf.)
Ultimately, no matter what price you pay, you get a fantastic smoke that lives up to the hype. That’s why it’s easy to give the Opus X Perfecxion No.2 our highest rating of five of stogies out of five.
[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. A list of other five stogie-rated cigars can be found here.]
photo credit: Stogie Guys
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Patrick, you bring up an excellent point regarding Opus X cigars…availability. It is prob the first cult cigar, however, there doesn't seem to be an extreme shortage of them made. Also, do you see Tatuaje turning into Opus X? I fee like there's less Tatuaje made, but always more available. I guess I'm just peeved b/c I can never find them for a reasonable price and I refuse to pay $20+ for a stick that I know retails for half. Thanks for the review…it looks like a beautiful cigar.
Concerning the Opus X line, there is indeed an issue with price point given that supply appears to be adequate for demand. To find such a disparity in price would seem to be indicative of allocation issues from wholesaler to retailer.
I dunno. I think the fact that I can never find them at $14, but I can almost always find them at $25 or more indicates that they are not, in fact, rare, but just that retailers know what the market will bear and they charge that instead of the artificial MSRP." No shock, no scandal, but caveat emptor. You may be buying a great smoke, but spend the money on THAT, not on the idea that you have somehow captured a rara avis.
Oh, and to respond to TheGentleman – Tatuajes are definitely starting to feel the same effect. My local B&M is charging 8 bucks a stick for the Havana VI Angeles, a cigar I can get for under $5 per if I buy online by the box.
I fully agree that price is a major issue with the Opus X. The price disparity does suggest that Fuente prices them too low, but there may be a reason for this.
I can't speak to Fuente specifically, but a common practice in the industry is to offer the high-demand ultra-premium smokes only to stores that do high volume of all your other lines. In other words, which stores get Opus Xs (and which don't) isn't a function of how much they are willing to pay for the Opus Xs, but how many 858s, Curly Heads and Chateau Fuentes you sell. Some stores can then use them to reward loyal customers by tipping them off to their arrival and selling at MSRP, while others use them to command the extraordinary high prices you will sometimes see. Either way it's a win for Fuente and the retailer.
Great commentary by all. "st," that's an absolutely ridiculous price for the Angeles. I hope you told him that he's forced you to purchase online. I've found better customer service from online retailers than I receive from local tobaconnists…I know that's not true for everyone, but I rarely buy a cigar locally anymore.
Some of the pricing on the Opus is probably due to the fact that retailers are awarded with Opus accounts by Fuente. If a store does not have an Opus account they buy them from a store with an account for $14 a stick. However, when they take them back to sell at their store they still need to make a profit thus the markup to $25+. I have seen this as the case several times over.
This is the last comment I'll leave b/c I realize I'm venting…I just randomly googled opus x cigars and these just an example of the prices I saw from the first online retailer that popped up: 1 chilipepper- $99.00, 5 pack of #2- $180.00, 29 pack of #2- $900.00. Prices are so outlandish that it's humorous….But I love reading your guys' reviews on them!
Opus X isn't supposed to be an expensive cigar. If you find places online that sell them for more than the MSRP, chances are they ARE NOT obtaining them from Fuente directly. Most likely, they are purchasing them at retail and marking them up. Fuente does not allow gouging on the Opus, if you get them from Fuente. Also, it's not right to say that a store only gets an Opus acct after selling a ton of lower end Fuentes. We got our Opus acct shortly after getting a regular Fuente acct. We didn't sell too much before that happened. But to be fair, this was over 10 years ago.
I am going to buck the tide on this one guys. I just bought an OX 3 pack at my favorite shop in NY and was a bit disapointed in the quality. Don't get me wrong, it was a very good smoke, but not as great as I had remembered. Maybe the stronger high end market has caught up with the OX? I have been smoking 3 sticks a day for 20+ years so I know its not my palet.
Issy!? I didn't know you were a stogie guys reader?
Also, Chri, I agree with you… to an extent. I WHOLE HEARTEDLY believe that this year's crop does not stand up to previous years'. Granted, it could just be that they're new… but the 2008 Opus X (probably what you got cause the 2009 are just coming out right now I believe) are not what they were in previous years.
I have tried this cigar numerous times in numerous cities(Cleveland, Mayfield, Chicago, Denver, Colorado Springs, San Fran) and numerous stores in the Cleveland. I have never received a decent one. They tend to burn unevenly, unwrap… I think now that the brand is so strong quality has gone down to meet demand. I want to love it, which is why I try anytime I find a new store in a new city. Fuentes have always been one of my favorite brands.