This is a special occasion cigar for me so I thought I'd take some notes and post up a review.
Saturday is my wife and my ten-year wedding anniversary. Shortly after I joined this forum I bought a blind sampler (I believe it was from Gabe but can't recall for sure) and a 2006 Opus X Double Corona was included. I was originally tempted to set fire to it immediately but then realized "Hey, I'm still a relative noob to being serious about smokes and I don't have any cigars from 2006 in my collection. I should hold on to this for a few years and have it as my 10-year anniversary cigar." So that's what I did.
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Smoke time: 1 Hour, 55 minutes
Drink: Water and a bit of Weller Special Reserve
The cold draw was perfect and tasted of raisin, cedar, and slight leather.
The burn was even as can be for about the first 1/3, then started getting a little wonky and needed the occasional touch-up.
Much of the assertiveness of a "fresh" Opus X has mellowed, as can be expected for one that's rested for a decade. Time has turned it into a smoke that leans to the medium side of mild-medium. There were hardly any noticeable spicy or peppery flavors, except for a mild pepper when retro-haling. Instead, through the first 1/3 there was a good amount of fruit - mainly raisin and a subtle, almost berry-like flavor that I can't categorize - along with leather, a touch of cinnamon, cocoa, and a wonderful creaminess that varied in intensity throughout.
In the second 1/3, the cocoa and berry disappeared for the most part, leaving raisin, leather, a much more subdued creaminess, and what would become the more dominant flavor, a woodiness that wasn't quite cedar, but was close.
In the final 1/3 it started losing the subtle flavors and was dominated by wood and leather. I'd really been enjoying it up until this point, but was a little disappointed in the flat finish.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this smoke, but...and you might have thought there'd be a "but"...I wish I'd smoked it sooner. I'm not the most experienced Opus X smoker around, but IMNSHO there seems to be a sweet spot between two- to five-years of age in which they're still assertive but have also had time to develop a good amount of depth. Beyond about seven years or so, though, and to me they mellow a little too much. Still, I'm glad I kept this one waiting; it was a damned good smoke to mark a milestone occasion.
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