Fuente Aged Selection

The Story of Fuente Fuente OpusX The Lost City

	by Brent Butterworth

The tale behind Fuente Fuente OpusX The Lost City cigar is so improbable and so intricate that it seems like the work of a Hollywood scriptwriter. In fact, the idea for the cigar emerged during the production of a Hollywood movie: The Lost City, a 16-year labor of love for actor/director Andy Garcia. As Garcia worked to film this powerful story about the struggles of a Cuban family during the Castro revolution, he received invaluable help from legendary cigar maker Carlito Fuente-and their collaboration resulted in the almost accidental birth of one of the world's rarest and most extraordinary cigars.

The Lost City portrays the passions and conflicts of a Cuban family torn apart by the revolution. Garcia plays club owner Fico Fellove, who faces intense pressure both from politicians who are pulling his country apart and from mobsters who want to muscle in on his business. In the movie's most poignant scene, Fico's brother Ricardo-who has become a high-ranking official in the new Castro regime-visits their uncle Donoso at his farm to inform him that Fidel's regime will confiscate his tobacco farm. Donoso, who could not control his disappointment and anger with Ricardo, has a heart attack and dies at his own farm, and Ricardo, overcome by grief, commits suicide shortly afterward.

"For that scene, I wanted to duplicate the environment of a Cuban tobacco farm," Garcia explained. "While I was in the process of scouting for a location, I was introduced to Carlito Fuente. I explained to him what I was trying to do, and asked about the possibility of shooting that sequence at his farm in the Dominican Republic. We share a common culture, so he was immediately supportive."

Garcia had originally intended to shoot the scene in an office, and to use the tobacco farm only for establishing shots. In early 2004, after spending a day gathering footage of the lush tobacco fields at the famous Chateau de la Fuente, his vision of the scene changed. As he described it, "I said to Carlito, 'It's a shame you're about to harvest-it would be great to shoot the scene right in the tobacco because this is what is being taken from him.'"

Carlito Fuente responded with a magnanimous offer: He would plant a few acres of tobacco right after harvest, so Garcia would have a field of 3-foot-high plants to shoot in by June. The field of tobacco leaves striving for the sunlight proved a perfect backdrop for the film's accurate and moving portrayal of what happened to the Cuban cigar makers as businesses they had worked decades to build were suddenly taken from them.

In the Caribbean basin, cigar tobacco is normally planted in the beginning of the year and harvested in the spring. Thus, Carlito Fuente initially intended the summer crop only as a setting for Garcia's movie. Garcia, though, had other ideas. "When we finished shooting the scene, I asked Carlito what he was going to do with the tobacco," Garcia recalled. "He said if the tobacco was good he'd use it. I suggested using it to make a cigar with the logo from The Lost City, and that the project would benefit his foundation" - the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which provides education and health services to communities in the Dominican Republic.

After five years of careful aging, the summer-grown tobacco turned out to be superb: a leaf exhibiting all the celebrated complexity of the original Fuente Fuente OpusX wrapper, but with a unique character all its own. The medium-to-full body, and complex and sophisticated flavors of the summer-grown wrapper make Fuente Fuente OpusX The Lost City a distinctive experience for any cigar connoisseurs, no matter what their taste or preference.

Asked how it felt to have the most renowned name in the cigar industry create a special blend to commemorate him and his movie, Garcia replied, "I'm honored, but it's not about me. It's about helping the poor children in the Dominican Republic, and about my nostalgia for the time Carlito and I spent together. Not only did he contribute financially to the scene by growing the tobacco for us, he also introduced me to the president of the Dominican Republic, who allowed us to shoot scenes in and around the presidential palace. The movie couldn't have been shot without Carlito's help."

Fuente Fuente OpusX The Lost City is truly a story in itself: a partnership between two artists whose passion for their work resulted in the making of a compelling movie-and the creation of a remarkable cigar.

Fuente Fuente OpusX The Lost City Tasting Notes

by Brent Butterworth

Fuente Fuente OpusX The Lost City is one of the most exclusive and extraordinary cigars ever created. The blend includes a special summer crop of tobacco grown by Carlito Fuente in 2004 specifically for use in the filming of the movie The Lost City directed by Andy Garcia. In the Caribbean region, tobacco is normally cultivated in late winter and early spring, so the summer-grown tobacco in FFOX the Lost City cigars gives them a taste available in no other cigar.

Produced by Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. in the Dominican Republic, FFOX The Lost City cigars have all the rich character that has made Fuente Fuente OpusX one of the most coveted cigars in history. Yet the overall character of FFOX The Lost City cigars is somewhat lighter than the standard OpusX, with an accessible medium- to heavy-bodied taste that will appeal to practically any cigar enthusiasts.

While all of FFOX the Lost City cigars are made from essentially the same tobaccos, the blend is adjusted for each size. The slightly varying blends combine with the different sizes and shapes so that each one delivers a unique smoking experience.

Lancero (38 x 7 1/2): With its lighter wrapper, the Lancero has a somewhat more potent taste than the darker variants of the Lost City cigars. On first light, it has a peppery palate reminiscent of classic Cuban cigars, and of the standard Fuente Fuente OpusX blends. The flavor is smooth all the way along the cigar’s length, but the peppery taste persists throughout, accompanied by the aroma of freshly cut hardwood. A slightly savory flavor also emerges, somewhat like a perfectly seared chicken breast in a heavy reduction sauce.

Robusto (50 x 5 1/4): The Robusto exudes a stimulating variety of tastes and aromas. Its dark wrapper delivers a flavor considerably lighter than that of the Lancero, with a smoother, coffee-like character. The aroma has the tingling, fresh character of jasmine. As the cigar burns, it takes on a bit of the exotic, savory taste of wild boar or venison. Because of its smaller size, the Robusto smokes slightly hotter than larger sizes, but retains its velvety smoothness down to the last inch.

Double Robusto (52 x 5 3/4): Only slightly larger than the Robusto, the Double Robusto has much of the same taste but smokes a bit cooler. The same notes of jasmine appear in the nose, along with the same savory flavor observed in the Robusto and the Lancero. Like a great bourbon or the best single-malt scotches, the Double Robusto tantalizes the tongue but never bites.

Toro (48 x 6 3/4): As one of the largest cigars in the Lost City collection, the Toro has the coolest smoke and possibly the mellowest taste. To the character of the Double Robusto, it adds a slight sweetness like that of a subtly sugared Latin American pastry. Very light hints of black pepper are juxtaposed against the softer flavor notes to deliver a fascinating blend of tastes throughout the long burn time.

Piramide (52 x 6 3/8): The big Piramide builds on the character of the smaller Lost City sizes. The scent of jasmine is still there, with the addition of floral aromas with an intensity and beauty seldom experienced outside a botanical garden. The heavier notes of black pepper remain, augmented with the tart taste of just-picked cherries. Despite the Piramide’s complex variety of tastes, the flavor is perfectly balanced.