FFOX Templo de Oro No. 1

Backstory: Templo de Oro is Spanish for "Temple of Gold" or "Golden Temple." It is a new OpusX blend distinguished from the rest of the family by a markedly lighter, gold-toned wrapper — a deliberate visual departure from the dark reddish-brown leaf historically associated with OpusX. Carlito Fuente Jr. presented it as a different expression of the OpusX house style: the same family DNA, but tuned for elegance and refinement rather than bold power.

Backstory: The release uses the black OpusX band most commonly associated with the ForbiddenX expressions of OpusX, paired with a gold foil sleeve wrapping the cigar. Some retailers list it under the OpusX ForbiddenX Templo de Oro banner, while others stock it as simply OpusX Templo de Oro — the cigar itself is the same release.

Release: First shipped to retailers in late December 2025 following weeks of teasing by Carlito Fuente Jr. The launch was treated as a surprise small-allocation drop — most accounts received only one or two boxes of 20. Available vitolas at release: No. 1 (6 1/8 x 50), No. 3 (5 1/2 x 52), No. 8 (6 1/8 x 55), and No. 13 (6 x 58). Total production figures were not disclosed.

Tobacco: As with every OpusX blend, the Fuente family has declined to disclose specific tobaccos. Industry consensus and retailer listings indicate a full Dominican puro — wrapper, binder, and filler all grown at Chateau de la Fuente in the Bonao region. Carlito Fuente Jr. described the smoke as "creamier than any of the Opus I've made" and said it was blended that way intentionally, calling it perhaps the mildest OpusX he has ever produced.

Color: The defining visual feature of this release. The wrapper is a lighter, golden, almost honey-toned leaf with a soft sheen — significantly paler than the classic OpusX wrapper. Reviewers describe early aromatics of walnut, hay, and paprika with a touch of pepper at the foot.

Fun Fact: The No. 1 vitola at 6 1/8 x 50 is a slightly elongated Toro and corresponds to the same dimensions as the iconic OpusX PerfecXion No. 1, suggesting the Templo de Oro vitolas are deliberately mapped onto the existing OpusX size grid rather than introducing new shapes.

Fun Fact: MSRP is $29.50 per stick / $580 per box of 20, but on the secondary and gray markets the No. 1 has been seen as high as $55+ per cigar at release, reflecting the deliberately small allocation and intense collector demand for any new OpusX expression.