Cigar in the Bottle

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X in the Bottle

Posted: Wednesday, September 24, 2003

You've heard of the proverbial message in a bottle. Now there's a literal cigar in a bottle.

Carlos Fuente Jr., cigarmaster behind the popular Fuente Fuente OpusX brand, has teamed with Johnny Soyak and Matt Bogosian of Grand Pommier XS Calvados brandy to create a two-in-one combo product called Cigar in the Bottle.

Cigar in the Bottle places a special-edition Fuente cigar perfectly within the body of a bottle of Calvados, an apple brandy made in France. The Fuente Fuente Forbidden X is a one-of-a-kind cigar, measuring 6 3/8 inches by 49 ring gauge, that can only be found inside this uniquely designed (and patented) bottle. The Fuente Fuente Forbidden X should not be confused with the The Fuente Fuente OpusX Carlito's Forbidden X, which is available only by purchasing the Fuente Fuente OpusX Tenth Anniversary DVD Gift Set. Click here for more details on this Fuente documentary.

Fuente says seven types of tobacco are used to make the bottled Forbidden X, all grown on the grounds of Chateau de la Fuente in the Dominican Republic. The tobacco is taken from the middle primings, resulting in a sweeter smoother blend to complement the Calvados, according to Fuente. These Forbidden X cigars feature the signature strength of all OpusX cigars, but the ones for the bottle project have been aged 30 to 45 days inside oak casks that once stored the Calvados, which Fuente says adds a hint of apple sweetness. The Grand Pommier XS is distilled from apples grown in the Normandy region of France and aged between 30 and 40 years.

The presentation is striking. The Forbidden X, wrapped in cedar, is perfectly stored within the body of the Calvados bottle, which is hand-blown in southern France in such a way that a cylindrical tube is perfectly formed from the bottle's bottom. The cigar fits in the cylinder and a tiny disc-shaped Humidipak is used to cork the bottom. A sticker featuring a hologram image of Carlos Fuente Sr. and Carlos Jr. is used to hold the Humidipak in place. According to Soyak, the Humidipak will keep the Forbidden X fresh for at least a year. When the time comes to indulge, just peel away the sticker to reach the cigar.

"This is for the person who has almost everything," Soyak said at his display during this summer's Retail Tobacco Dealers of America trade show in Nashville. "You know the phrase, 'Now you can have your cake and eat it, too?' Well, now you can have your cigar and your brandy too."

No price has been set for Cigar in the Bottle yet; however, a portion of the proceeds from every bottle sold will be donated to the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, an organization developed by Fuente Jr. that assists in the humanitarian efforts for needy children in the Dominican Republic.

For more information, visit www.cigarinthebottle.com.