This original review was written after I bought two of these and had smoked one, it was originally posted somewhere else. The original review was written on March 22, 2008. I know that I had bought the cigars at least 3 months before smoking the first.
Well, I smoked the other on Friday evening up at deer camp. So, I thought I'd post the original review, and add highlights to it bolded in red.
Hope you enjoy.
Fuente Fuente Opus X Belicoso XXX Power Ranger??? (at least that is what I think it is)
A short belicoso, about 4.5X50, a red band around the foot. It is in the wrong box at the B&M. Got it for $17.00. Pulled the trigger on it because the rest of the gorillas here have been talking up Opus Xs.
0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality
2.1 - 2.9 = fair
3.0 - 3.5 = good
3.5 - 4.5 = excellent
4.6 - 5.0 = superior
1) Aesthetics: This had a gorgeous, reddish brown (used to be called a Colorado Maduro??) wrapper. Veins were minimal and a light sheen of oil glistened beckoningly (is that a real word - or have I just adverb-ized a word - do I get credit for i?) OK, I think you get the idea that it looks great.
Yes, this one was also a great looking stick, very consistent with my first review. I must say, the bands on Opus are exquisite.
Score for aesthetics: 4.9
2) Pre-light Construction: This is a dense and tightly rolled stick. I nose both the length and the foot of this cigar - it is enticing with spice predominant along the length and robust tobacco smell at the food (sorry, that’s a real description)
Nothing new to add here. This one also gave off the spice and smelled enticing.
Score for Pre-light construction: 4.7
3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: I didn’t have a problem with the draw, that was easy. No soft spots. It remained nice and cool. The ash was flaky white and held for a good inch to inch & a half. But... This bad boy couldn’t burn straight to save it’s soul. I even set it down and let it go out to try and restart it. It only evened out the last inch and a half. Way too late to make me happy.
This version didn't even out for the last inch. It could not keep a straight burn. The ash on this however had no flakiness and held tenaciously for a good 2 inches.
Score for post-light construction: 2.2
2.1
4) Flavor and strength: I must say, I did like it. It wasn’t a powerhouse that knocked me over, but there was a nice spice that came through the entire length, sometime stronger, sometimes weaker, but never gone. There was a complexity that was wonderful - earthiness, sweet, rich, and very tasty.
The flavors were wonderful; spicy, slightly sweet, with an earthly complexity that was truly enjoyable. There was a flavor here that I couldn't put my finger on, intriguing and immensely enjoyable.
Score for flavor and strength: 4.5
4.8
5) Aftertaste/Finish: Score for aftertaste: This finished with spice and cinnamon, pleasantly lingering for a few moments.
I didn't find the cinnamon this time, but the finish lingered for a bit.
Score for aftertaste/finish: 4.3
6) Aroma: This one had a fairly nice aroma, I enjoyed the side-slip smoke. It was med-bodied, again that spiciness lingering there.
To me, one of my favorite aspects of a smoke is the aroma. This was great, with spice and something else, that flavor/aroma I couldn't identify. Again, I enjoyed the complexity.
Score for aroma: 4.5
7) General Comments: Well, this wasn’t bad, not bad at all. I must say that I really like the flavors and it is pretty to look at, that part almost lives up to the hype. The band itself is a work of art. But.. do I really consider the price worth the smoke? Considering I’ve had two in my lifetime and both of them burned so unevenly bothers me. I should be able to just sit back and enjoy a stick in this price range. But, those are the musings. The flavors and aesthetics are definitely there. Maybe I’m just a tightwad...
:-) If they were near $10 a stick, I think I’d be less reluctant. Not that this isn’t a great smoke, but whether it is worth it to me is a different question.
I'd say this pretty much sums up my feelings again. I don't like wrestling with the burn on a cigar, call me lazy that way, but I shouldn't have to grab my torch every 3/4 inch to even out a burn that has gone incredibly erratic. And no, humidity had nothing to do with it, for this has been in my humidor for over two years at about 62-64%. I really enjoyed the flavors, but I didn't think that from my note, there was much difference between this one and the previous one. Did the aging make a difference in taste? I don't believe so, not at least to make a significant difference.
Overall score for the cigar: 4.3
Peace of the Lord be with you.
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