Fuente’s Cigar of Destiny
Few brands, cigar or otherwise, can boast of reaching the milestone of 100 years. Fuente hit that mark in 2012, but a massive fire that laid waste to some of the company's oldest tobaccos delayed its celebratory plans. Now, with 2013 nearing a close, the Fuentes are putting the final touches on the commemorative Arturo Fuente Gran AniverXario Destino al Siglo.
"We were going to release these last year," said Carlos Fuente Jr. "We decided to hold them back, because of the fire."
Destino al Siglo, which means "a century of destiny," is a special cigar for the Fuentes. The smokes come packed in ornate reddish boxes, each designed to look like a book, a move Fuente made back in the 1980s with the creation of the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Masterpiece cigar. The cigars are packed 26 to the box, two rows of 13.
The cigars are made with wrappers from Chateau de la Fuente, the same farm where Fuente Fuente OpusX wrapper is grown. Destino al Siglo's wrapper, however, is a different seed variety (Habano) than OpusX (Corojo), and it's grown in the open sunlight, making them different from the OpusX, which has been sold since late 1995.
The Destino Al Siglo brand was supposed to launch in 2012, for the 100th anniversary of Fuente. But after the company lost so much tobacco in an August 2011 blaze, Fuente had to delay its celebration and take a new look at its blends.
For much more on this story, see today's Cigar Insider.
