Arturo Fuente Opus X Angel Share

The Fuente Fuente Opus X has long been considered the king of Dominican cigars. Developed by the Fuente family, this full body cigar was one of the first smokes to use a Dominican wrapper. From its inception in the days prior to the cigar boom all the way to the present, the Opus X is with out a doubt one of the most sought after cigars in the world. Then in 2012, The Fuentes decided to surprise the world and created a new version of the Opus, a cigar that has received the same critical acclaim as its predecessor and was able to turn a story of tragedy into one of hope and triumph.

In 2011, tragedy struck the Chateau Fuente facility when a fire destroyed one of its many tobacco warehouses. All the tobacco in this barn was destroyed, including some leaves that had been aging for years. Carlito Fuente decided to see the silver lining and created a milder blend of the Opus with a slightly lighter wrapper. He called it the Angels Share. In whiskey production, the Angel Share is when some of the whiskey evaporates while its being distilled. The legend goes that Angels took this evaporated whiskey, and tested it for themselves. This was how Carlito felt about his burned warehouse, the Angels had tried the smoke and approved it.

The Opus X Angels Share has many of the same flavor notes as the original, but it is not as intense. It has been described as more of a medium body, hindering on medium to full. Its rich and creamy, with a hint of nuts and leather. The red pepper blast one expects from an Opus X is still present, but greatly reduced. In my mind, The Angel shares ranks among one of my favorite cigars of all time. It has all the great aspects of an aged Opus X. The Angels were certainly smiling on the Fuente family when they crafted this beauty.