Cigar: Arturo Fuente OpusX
Size: XXX 4.6 x 48
In Humi: About 3 Months
Cut: Xikar
Light: Tourch
Drink: Ice Water
Weather: Cool with a slight breeze
Prelight:
This is my first Opus X! I do have one more of these in the humi but since I am thinking about trying to get some more I decided to see if I even liked it.
This cigar is beautifully constructed. It is firm with almost no give, and the wrapper prestine and oily. I also find the artwork on the band very attractive wich dosen't hurt. A prelight smell is that of mainly cedar. I grab my xikar xi cutter and without even licking the cigar it is a perfect clean cut. This cigar is well packed but does not look overly stuffed. The prelight draw is perfect! Not loose at all and just firm enough. I taste some earth, cedar and a littel spice on the prelight pull. I toast the end and prepare for the first puff. I take my first puff and wow! The amount of thick smoke is amazing, I feel as if someone slapped me in face with the explosion of flavor. There is tons flavor with a large dose of spice
Burn:
The burn is near perfect. I have read that the wrappers a thick and sometimes pose an issue. Well this cigar is young and with more time to rest it may help. Secondly I smoked this cigar very slowly due to it's strength. The burn issues were in fact so small it did not even hurt my enjoyment of this stick. Finally the burn was so slow that this stick burned for well over an hour. I did nub it but for such a short cigar I would have put it right around an hour when in fact it was closer to an hour and a half.
Flavor/Body:
As I already said up front this cigar is like an explosion in your mouth. Just after lighting as it begins to settle I can pick out the leather with a ton of spice and a slight earthiness. At almost an inch in the leather takes a step forward and the spice is now that of pepper. Either white or red pepper flakes, I have heard it described both ways and either would do. What is most noticeable at this point is the buzz. I have not felt this much of a buzz from a cigar in a long time. This cigar is truely a powerhouse but is refined and dosen't really show any harshness. While nearing the 2 inch mark the cigar mellows out just a bit. It is still the strongest cigar I have ever had but now the flavos are able to fade in and out more instead of all fighting to be top dog. Around the 2 and a half inch point the earth flavors take more of a foot hold and step to the front. I did nub this cigar and in the last inch it stayed very cool but built in power with each puff until it was back to where it started when I lit it. It seemed to be more complex the closer I got to finishing it!
Conclusion:
I have now confirmed that with a littel education from this site on how to properly smoke a cigar I am now a fan of Fuente cigars. The first two cigars I had by them years ago turned me off but I now know that I was not ready. I was new to cigars, so I had not developed a taste for them as well as not knowing how to properly smoke a cigar at that point. I still feel a VSG is my favorite stick to date. I did enjoyed this cigar throughly, I want that to be clear. This is truely a well balanced phenominal cigar. It is something I want to have a few off in my humi to rest for just the right occasion. You have to be in the mood for a really, I mean really strong cigar. Luckly last night thats what I was looking for. I do plan on getting my hands on as many of these as I can so that I can have some rest. I feel this will be an even better cigar with rest on it. The cigar was very complex, smooth, balanced, at times creamy and just all around well constructed. I see why these cigars don't stay in stock long. An everyday cigar this is not, one to be enjoyed and savored on special occasions it is. I would love to land a box to age for special occasions. This is a must try once your ready, not for begginers though, something to be worked towards.
Rating:
6 smoke rings -- a "classic" cigar or one destined to become a classic