Carlito Fuente and Latin music superstar Romeo Santos are teaming up for a very special OpusX charity release called Por Amor al Tío. The release will support Santos’ Los Santos Foundation and the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation. This charity-event-only release will debut at a gala at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on December 3, 2026.
Santos is one of the biggest Latin music stars in the world. He first rose to prominence as the lead vocalist and frontman of the bachata group Aventura. The band became one of the most influential and popular Latin music bands of the 2000s. Santos later launched a highly successful solo career.
Por Amor al Tío stands for “For the Love of My Uncle.” It is a cigar that pays tribute to Santos’ uncle, Eduardo Fernández Pou. Fernández was not only Santos’ uncle, but also a father figure. He traveled with Santos on the road. Fernández was also a cigar enthusiast and an OpusX fan. According to Carlito Fuente, Fernández had wanted to retire to the New York/New Jersey area and open a cigar lounge. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he got sick and passed away.
Three years ago, after his son was diagnosed with autism, Santos founded the Los Santos Foundation to provide support for children with autism and their families. In a show of mutual support, Santos collaborated with Fuente to create a commemorative cigar honoring his uncle. This partnership also aims to bolster their philanthropic initiatives—specifically the Los Santos Foundation and the Fuente/Newman Cigar Family Charitable Foundation (CFCF). The CFCF supports low-income families in the Dominican Republic by providing resources for education, healthcare, vocational training, and access to clean water.
Carlito Fuente told Cigar Coop, “This cigar we made over two years ago. With each box, there’s an Elie Bleu, beautiful gold (scissor) cutter with a big X, what you probably saw in the photos. It’s an OpusX, but it’s tweaked a little differently, like everything I do. The cigar is 6 3/4 x 50 instead of the 7 x 50s that we do. It’s a great cigar!”
Fuente created 500 twenty-count boxes, each including the cutter.
“The label and box were designed in-house by me and our team in the Dominican Republic. Nothing was outsourced. You have to see the box up close, every little detail from the guitar, the bachata, from all the instruments, everything. If you look at that label, every single thing, from the flags of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and United States (Santos was born in the United States and had parents who were Dominican and Puerto Rican). It’s a fusion of the love, and the whole purpose is to raise money for Cigar Family Charitable Foundation and for autism,” added Carlito.
Carlito also noted his daughter Sophia was very proud of his philanthropic efforts and the attention to detail her father put into this project.
The cigars are not available at retail. The December Florida gala launch will feature some big names. This includes David “Big Papi” Ortiz and Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader. Fuente says plans are in place for more events in 2027.
“For me, it’s a huge, huge honor that he (Santos) would approach us,” Carlito Fuente also told Cigar Coop.
You can find details about the gala and the foundation here.
Photo Credits: Los Santos Foundation
