Opus X and Diamond Crown Lounges

[JDC20]

Originally Posted by Vancehu

For Fuente, it is all about showing off.

If you kiss their ass, willing to stock every thing they make, you will get the Opus X account faster.

I'm in the cigar business for over 10 years, since I'm in California, the tobacco tax makes things a lot more complicated. Many small timers are buying cigars from Internet venders because they can actually get cigars cheaper than getting direct. That includes generic stuff from Altadis and General.

My old buddy had a beautiful shop in the city of Alison Viejo, his shop probably does about $200k in Fuente products every year. They don't even give him enough Hemingways. Every time a shipment arrives, the invoice shows "back order" on almost all the Hemi line.

When he finally received a Opus X notification (A framed giant opus x label) after three years in business, he was over joyed. However, his joyfulness was killed when the actual shipment arrived. Two boxes of Opus X. He's out of that shop now and I occasionally snoop into the giant walk in humidor to see what they got, after five years, they still only get few boxes of Opus every three months while the La Unica, Green Label Fuentes, Don Carlos, Diamond Crown, Montesino, and Cuesta Reys are piling up to the ceiling and he had to dump them at cost just to move them.

FFOX is a great cigar, but it is also a tool used by Fuente to push their other craps. The trade off is not worth it, that is why you see so many small time venders buy them through the back channel.

Imagine you have to buy 20 boxes of Montesino just to get a box of Short Story. Just imagine how many boxes of standard stuff do you have to get in order to have one box of FFOX? It's joke!!!

Just five miles from his shop, there is a cigar store dedicated their lounge to Carlos Fuente called "Carlitos Lounge." Every thing in that lounge is Fuente related, from Ashtray to posters on the wall. They carry 90% Fuente and they get one box of each size every three months. They had to do casino nights, wine tasting just so they can keep the account when their rent is over $7k a month. They over charge the Opus X and every shipment gets sold out within a week.

Side notes:
Fuente is very good to some of their East Coast clients, because they stuck with Fuente when they almost went out of business back in the 70's. New account west of Mississippi usually get the sorry deals.

I was in Montana two years ago as a guest trumpet player for a college band, our bus stopped by a shopping center for a dinner break. I stumbled into a cigar store, they had boxes of FFOX, not from one shipment but accumulation of previous shipments. Every thing was marked at MSRP and they couldn't sell them. A short conversation with the owner taught me that Fuente wanted "a" shop in Montana to carry FFOX, so he got the account, but the price was too high for local buyers. I bough five boxes worth and the owner even gave me 20% off. Imagine smoking a Perf #2 for $12 bucks, that's the price of a Macanudo gold in Cali. After the band tour, I couldn't find their business card. I almost jump off the bridge!!!

I won't let reality get in the way of your delusions about how Fuente runs their business. Apparently you have an agenda to push and that is your right. I think you are intentionally trying to paint a picture of Fuente that is untrue, and I believe you are doing a disservice to anyone who reads it. A few points....

Nobody had to buy 20 boxes of Montesino to get a box of Short Story's.

If cigars are stacking up in someones humidor, as you say, they should stop ordering them.

Opus isn't the end all be all of the cigar world. You make it sound like the Holy Grail. Stores that don't get any Opus will be fine, they can sell something else that is as hyped and possibly as good.

[Snake Hips]

Originally Posted by Vancehu

First off, if you have own a crappy store, you can't get FFOX.

However

If you own an awesome store, you "might" get some FFOX (it is shipped every three months).

Finally

If you own a store backed by Arturo Fuente, such as the Diamond Crown Lounge and Casa Fuente, you will will get every thing.

I don't know, I know a s***ty little shop here in Denver with a tiny, crappy humidor that has several boxes of Opus X at comparatively reasonable prices. The shop I frequent with a large, nice humidor with a wall of Fuente stock and a real nice lounge hasn't seen a single Opus cigar in about a year. So basically you're wrong.

[Cigary]

Seems like when you ask about how shops are able to get Fuente Opus cigars there are always different answers. I talked with a few shops in Boston and in surrounding areas plus in S. Florida. The answers I got from the owners and managers was that if you had a long standing account with Fuente you will get more boxes. Now having said that, these B&M's had been in business for at least 15-20 years. The much larger B&M's who did a good amount of volume business were able to score quite a few Opus cigars like in S. Florida where they have Sabor Havana Cigars. This place has quite a few shops and opened one on PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens and the day they opened they had more Opus boxes than I have ever seen. IN fact, the whole store is a humidor so the amount of Fuentes in there is mindblowing. I really doubt you will get the true answer unless you know the Fuentes personally,,,their product, they will sell it where and to who they want.

[Vancehu]

Originally Posted by JDC20

I won't let reality get in the way of your delusions about how Fuente runs their business. Apparently you have an agenda to push and that is your right. I think you are intentionally trying to paint a picture of Fuente that is untrue, and I believe you are doing a disservice to anyone who reads it. A few points....

Nobody had to buy 20 boxes of Montesino to get a box of Short Story's.

If cigars are stacking up in someones humidor, as you say, they should stop ordering them.

Opus isn't the end all be all of the cigar world. You make it sound like the Holy Grail. Stores that don't get any Opus will be fine, they can sell something else that is as hyped and possibly as good.

Don't need to get into any argument with you. You're wrong one so many aspect I don't even know where to start.

As for Opus X, it may not be your cup of tea, it is "one of the holy grail of cigars. There is a reason why people are willing to pay up to three times the MSRP for Opus X (which arguably, a regular production cigars) but not other brands.

Please tell me what is your credential with your cigar authority? Have even been in the business?

Originally Posted by Snake Hips

I don't know, I know a s***ty little shop here in Denver with a tiny, crappy humidor that has several boxes of Opus X at comparatively reasonable prices. The shop I frequent with a large, nice humidor with a wall of Fuente stock and a real nice lounge hasn't seen a single Opus cigar in about a year. So basically you're wrong.

You don't need to the true answer to know what Fuente is about. Open up a cigar store in the West Coast and see how they treat you.

As for your story in Denver, it match my story, or at least similar to my encounter in Montana, perhaps Denver is also a place where majority of the people don't care about cigars? And this so call large shop may not be direct with Fuente. Why don't you ask the owner?

Just because a shop has Fuente does not mean they get them direct.

[JDC20]

Originally Posted by Vancehu

Please tell me what is your credential with your cigar authority? Have even been in the business?
.

As stated earlier, I work for Fuente/Newman Cigar co.

[Puffin Fresh]

If your shop has every size in stock, it's because they are charging so much AND limiting quantity. Charging $20-$40 per stick limits their customers enough (I know I wouldn't buy any at that price) and then setting a limit of two per customer limits what the few customers willing to pay their prices can get.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have some sizes three or four years old.

(in the interest of full disclosure, I DID pay more than $20 each for the two Opus "A" I finally found, and my BBMF and BBMF Maduro).

[Snake Hips]

Originally Posted by Vancehu

You don't need to the true answer to know what Fuente is about. Open up a cigar store in the West Coast and see how they treat you.

As for your story in Denver, it match my story, or at least similar to my encounter in Montana, perhaps Denver is also a place where majority of the people don't care about cigars? And this so call large shop may not be direct with Fuente. Why don't you ask the owner?

Just because a shop has Fuente does not mean they get them direct.

No, the few Opus that the larger shop gets in disappear quicker than all getout, and Denver has a hefty share of cigar smokers. I'd venture to guess that most of the western cigar smokers here can be found either in California or Colorado. The large shop is direct with Fuente. They get the shipments like everyone else. They didn't get any Opus X (or Anejo even) at all this season yet; they're still waiting on it. And the crappy little shop down the road has I think 5 boxes. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me if what you say is true. Or if what you say is wrong. Either way, it's kind of a flakey deal.

[Vancehu]

Originally Posted by JDC20

As stated earlier, I work for Fuente/Newman Cigar co.

Do you know how Joe Dickman? And what is your position?

[JDC20]

Originally Posted by Vancehu

Do you know how Joe Dickman? And what is your position?

Area Sales Manager for the Midwest. I never got the chance to meet Mr. Dickman, he was not with the company when I started 4 years ago.

It seems like you have some issues with our company, are you a retailer? If so have you contacted your local sales manager? It seems kind of odd for you to air some of this dirty laundry on a cigar enthusiast website.

[Vancehu]

Originally Posted by JDC20

Area Sales Manager for the Midwest. I never got the chance to meet Mr. Dickman, he was not with the company when I started 4 years ago.

It seems like you have some issues with our company, are you a retailer? If so have you contacted your local sales manager? It seems kind of odd for you to air some of this dirty laundry on a cigar enthusiast website.

What is your name, if you don't want the public to know, PM me.


I don't have issues with AF company, that's just the way they do things. You have been with them for only four years, I have been in the tobacco business in California for ten years, and five more years of involvement with my friends' business, I know what this is about. I love AF cigars, and I don't buy them direct simply because my current operation is much smaller than before after I change the model of my business. I spend most of my time either smoking AF, Aurora, or Padron cigars.

BUT, you have been drinking a lot of AF koolaid.

Since you called me BS, how about answer couple of questions:

If I open up an account with AF tomorrow, and all I want is Hemingway and FFOX, can I do that?

And

Why is AF letting venders charge up to 3x the MSRP on FFOX, special Hemingways, and Anejo? IF according to you, FFOX is not a hard account to get hold of?

In terms of AF associated stores, yes, they do get more FFOX than other local venders. Stop by Casa Fuente, you will see FFOX, Anejo, 858 SG, and Hemingway Maduros all year long. Even if they're out a certain sizes, they will get the shipment all year long instead of the holiday season.