The Fuente Fuente Opus X Love Affair comes in boxes of 18 which I believe is one of the smallest boxes. Considering the size which is similar to a Hemingway Work of Art with a price point comparable to an Opus X Power Range, I’m surprised by this. The Work of Art comes in a box of 25 and the Power Ranger is available in a 42 count box. However, this makes a box purchase very affordable ($190-ish) versus some of the more popular sizes that run into the $300 and $400 box price range.
Fuente Fuente Opus X Love Affair
Wrapper: Dominican Shade Grown Rosado
Binder/Filler: Dominican
Size: 4 1/2 x 49
Vitola: Perfecto
MSRP: $10.75
Smoke Time: 1hr 5 min
Time In Humidor: 3 years
Drink: Water
Location: Backyard
Construction/Appearance:
The Opus X Love Affair comes wrapped in cellophane with “Fuente Fuente Opus X” embossed on it. After looking at the nipple part of the cigar, I couldn’t believe the inferior quality of construction. Thinking that somehow I may have something to it, I looked over the rest of them in the box and they all had the same issues: the wrap was poorly done going into the nipple. The cigar was not cracked but the wrapper have plenty of places where it was protruding. Furthermore, I noticed large amounts of dried glue from the head to the food which makes it very obvious on a small cigar. Getting past all of this, the veins weren’t prominent and the cigar appeared well rolled besides what I stated earlier. It did have the typical Opus X band which I find to be beautiful though it could have been a bit large for this vitola. A crack did occur on one of the cigars that I smoked for the review about halfway down but it didn’t affect the experience.
Burn/Draw:
The cut across the head was clean and the cold draw is as good as it gets on a cigar with a nipple on the end. If you’ve tried the Viaje Exclusivo Chiquito or Work of Art, the draw tends to be tight until you get past the tapered end. Lighting the cigar was easy but it’s always a concern of mine to apply too much torch to the foot because of the lack of surface area. The burn was initially even, getting a bit wavy as it got past the nipple and I applied a brief touchup in the first half which kept it almost razor sharp to the end. The draw was tight as I stated earlier but opened up nicely from that point forward. I am surprised by the amount of smoke put out by the Love Affair and the aroma the accompanied it was very pleasant. The ash was a brilliant white and held strong. In fact, I only had to tap it off twice during the review holding up to 2 inches at one point.
Flavor/Aroma:
The wrapper had a really sweet and cedary smell and the foot was similar though a bit more pronounced. In the initial draw, earthy notes were dominant while I also noticed a smooth leathery taste with a peppery finish. My first impression is that this cigar mellowed out quite a bit in the past 3 years.
In the first half, the profile is smooth not really reminding me of other Opus X. The leather and peppery notes aren’t as strong but I pick up cedar and sweet notes along with some herbal spices. Midway through the first, the leather feels rich and I’m getting some nutty flavors mixed in. The aroma is intoxicating in a good way as it had a medium amount of floral presence. This cigar feels like a strong medium with an above average level of complexity.
In the second half, rich leather is still somewhat strong along with nuts and floral afternotes. There is some peppery on every draw, it has a bit that stays on the palate. The Fuente Fuente Opus X Love Affair does get hot in the last inch and I pick up some wood notes but all the other flavors are muted at this point.
Final Thoughts:
- This was a good cigar though not as complex as other “aged” Opus X that I have smoked. Good amount of strength and a nice selection of flavors to keep you occupied for that one hour.
- While the appearance of the cigar didn’t affect the smoking experience, I have yet to come across an Opus X that looked like this. The draw and burn were good but there are some serious issues with the construction on the foot. My guess would be that whomever rolled the Love Affairs in this box doesn’t have the experienced needed as it’s not a typical roll.
- The flavors mellowed out a bit and the pepper did diminish over the past 3 years but for this specific vitola, I don’t know if that’s necessarily a good thing. I couldn’t say that this cigar improved but rather the experience was just as enjoyable as a fresh Opus X Love Affair.
- This isn’t one of my favorite Opus X but given the price ($10.75) and length of smoke time (1 hr 5min), it’s easy to fit one into your day. With an msrp of less than $200 per box, it is affordable.
Rating: 90
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