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Today's review is a cigar that everyone has heard of and most cigar smokers have tried, but nobody ever claims to smoke tons of them. Well maybe some people do, but not in the crowd I run in. The reason? Where can you find them? Opus X cigars are rare to come by and when you do happen on a shop that has some on the shelf, their is almost always a limit of one or two sticks per customer. I was lucky enough to have this cigar very generously sent to me from Cigars Direct. Opus X are known to be some of the finest cigars around and this is a new size to me, so I was pretty excited to give this one a try. Let's get it lit up and see how it performed.
Due to the size of this cigar, this review is only in two parts instead of the traditional thirds.
Specifics
Vitola: Perfecxion
Length: 4.88
Ring Gauge: 40
Wrapper: Dominican Republic Rosado
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $19.95
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water
Pre-Light
My Opus X Perfecxion No.5 had a light brown wrapper that had some darker areas near where the veins in the leaf were found. The texture of the wrapper was very smooth and gave off a slight sheen in the sunlight. Squeezing the cigar from head to foot, it was evenly packed and had a nice give to it that predicted a nice draw. This cigar sat in my coolidor for two weeks and I could tell it was in perfect shape for smoking. The un-lit aroma smelled strongly of raisins mixed in with some citrus-type notes. As predicted, the cold draw was free with a slight resistance and tasted like a mulled wine with some strong clove flavors. I will admit, the first thing that came to mind with these flavors was the Chirstmas season, but that's because I always have equated those tastes to that time of year.
First Half
This vitola has a small ring gauge and lit easily with a my triple torch. The cigar opened up nicely and produced a decent amount of smoke but nothing to heavy or thick. The initial flavors were strong and consisted of a balanced mix of clove and raisin, with some spicy black pepper on the finish. My mouth started to tingle after the first few puffs and the sweetness the cigar left on my lips made my mouth water. About an inch down, the cigar did start to canoe on me and required a touch up with my lighter, but after that I had no other burn issues. The ash was bright white and very flaky. I don't think the weak strength of the ash has anything to with the construction, but more to do with the size of the cigar and the blend of the tobacco used. The body was a solid medium.
Second Half and Final Thoughts
Right from the start of the second half of my Opus X No.5, the cigar really mellowed. All of the complex flavor profile was there, but the actual strength of the flavors really diminished. I could still make out a nice blend of clove, raisin, and the pepper, but they were muted. I did find that the body of the cigar picked up into more of the medium-full range and the amount of smoke increased too. The second half of this Opus X No.5 burned slowly and beautify. Getting down to the nub, the stick did start to get a little hot, but nothing that was unpleasant or that would take away from the experience.
My final thoughts on the Fuente Fuente Opus X #5 are that this is a solid cigar. I know that these are highly in demand cigars and that they top a lot of peoples lists of best of the best, but for me, It was just "solid". The complex flavors are great, I just wish they would have been a bit stronger in the second half and kept my attention more. I would say this cigar is good for an end of the day smoke with a few friends sitting around and talking. I was by myself tonight, so towards the end, dare I say it, I started to get just a little bit bored. If you think I'm crazy and would like to get a few of these yourself, Cigars Direct was kind enough to send me this one so please visit there site here, and purchase some for yourself.
Would I buy it again? For me, these are out of my normal budget for cigars. I would like to keep a few on hand for special occasions with friends, but when I do buy some Opus again, I will try a different size.
Would I buy a box? I could not afford these in box quantities.
For more pictures please visit
http://tinyurl.com/3abz5h8
Dan
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:-)
