Opus X ... Am I Missing Something

[zappaFREAK]

Love these but age improves everything... even people...well most of them anyway.

I've had a few several years ago, it was suggested by the b&m guy to let them "set for a while." This was in November, and smoked them during the summer. VERY good cigar, lots of smoke and great taste. Hard to find, but well worth the wait.

[sikk50]

Opus, new or old, = <3

Many people find fresh Opus to be harsh and overpowering. I try to buy some every year, then let them rest for a year before smoking them.

The only high end cigars that I've found that don't benefit from a nice long nap are the top shelf Padrons like the 64's, 26's, etc. Those are ready to go right off the truck.

[Bill86]

There's also a lot of hype about Opus X which makes people think it is the end all be all of cigars. Pay $10-12 a stick, let them rest for a year or more and have an open mind.

If you pay too much you start expecting too much.

On that note tomorrow I think I'll smoke an Opus X.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

All that bashing aside, when an Opus X is good, it can compete with the best cigars in the world for sure.

I will say that a few Opus X that I have smoked that were "on" were wonderful cigars. Unfortunately for me, I have had far more duds than studs when smoking Opus X.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Dunkel

I've smoked a few Opus X's and don't see why people think they are so amazing. If I'm going smoke an AF I'd much rather have an Anejo.

Originally Posted by kelmac07

Totally agree with you Doug!!!

I also agree, Anejos are better in my opinion.. I have een gifts some Opus in the past few years, and so I am letting them age - I am hoping to be impressed more impressed with them, than I have been with the 2 score I've smoked since their inception.

[Garbandz]

I have been given Opus and purchased them for years,NEVER had one yet worth the money. Smoked Fuentes products in the 80's and 90's,they were good then.
Now I do not even bother with them,there is a whole world of better cigars.

[akumushi]

My least favorite fuentes. Give me a an 8-5-8 Sungrown over any Opus any day. Age makes them tolerable, but not "oh wow, that's worth the money" good. I could see where if you're a pure mouth smoker they could have merit, but 70% of my smoking enjoyment comes from the nose, so that colors my opinion

[thebiglebowski]

Originally Posted by sammyboy405

So I must be missing something. Alot of people told me Tons of good things about Opus X. So I bought 2 of them. I Smoked one tonight and I just wasn't happy with it. It was very tight. Hard to get any draw on it. And it smells wonderful but lacks in flavor.

other than the wonderful Aroma it has, I did enjoy the fact that it wasn't a very smoky cigar. Its one of the few cigars Ive smoked that didnt have alot of idle smoke to them.

Im not sure if its just me or not, but It didnt live of to the hype. From what I understand I did get a good deal on them price wise. 11.40 Each.

So am I missing something here or did I just get a bad rolled cigar?

it's the right time of year for you to seek out some anejos. love them lots better than opus...

[troutbreath]

Good thread. A cigar like an OpusX is going to be influenced by age, the moment, and the expectations you have going into the experience. Some cigars will never be able to live up to the hype, and the OpusX has a LOT of hype. Personally, I love 'em. But I put them down for at least a year before smoking them.

Right now, I think I have about 70 resting comfortably . . .

The Anejos NEVER disappoint. EVER. Had a 50 on Friday, and once again I was blown away. Great flavors, and the burn was PERFECT. Razor sharp. Great way to end a week.

[Bill86]

Originally Posted by troutbreath

Right now, I think I have about 70 resting comfortably . . .

The Anejos NEVER disappoint. EVER. Had a 50 on Friday, and once again I was blown away. Great flavors, and the burn was PERFECT. Razor sharp. Great way to end a week.

O_o 70 Opus

I have to try these Anejos, not usually one for the regular Fuente lineup. More interested in Opus/GoF. But with the how many people recommending these in this thread alone, they are definitely on my list of cigars to try.

[JJG]

My advice to the original poster would be, don't write them off just yet. My first Opus X didn't "wow" me either. I didn't actually come to appreciate them until after I started smoking Cubans pretty much exclusively. Now I can't think of another NC that even comes close to the richness and complexity of an Opus X. Honestly, they would be my number 1 cigar, (cc or otherwise) if price was not an issue.

This is coming from a guy who definitely doesn't give a crap about hype, or "status cigars". Most of my close friends don't even know about my cigar obsession.

[Shemp Howard]

i still have 2 Opus X's buried in a humidor at home with about 18 months on it by now. Will have 2 years on them by the time I get home. I will dig 1 out and give it a try then. The others I have smoked were young and didn't have a chance to rest so that might be the problem.

[x man]

O geez, Opus is Opus for me. It stands alone, i dont compare
it to other cigars. Ive never smoked a tight Opus if it was kept well.
For me Fuente is reliable, draw flavor burn, almost never get a
flawed Fuente.
It can be an acquired taste.

[smelvis]

Originally Posted by x man

O geez, Opus is Opus for me. It stands alone, i dont compare
it to other cigars. Ive never smoked a tight Opus if it was kept well.
For me Fuente is reliable, draw flavor burn, almost never get a
flawed Fuente.
It can be an acquired taste.

I have to agree with Art here, I guess we can't all like the same things, that would be boring anyway.

You are not the 1st I know that doesn't like Fuentes stuff though!

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by x man

O geez, Opus is Opus for me. It stands alone, i dont compare
it to other cigars. Ive never smoked a tight Opus if it was kept well.
For me Fuente is reliable, draw flavor burn, almost never get a
flawed Fuente.
It can be an acquired taste.

Fuentes do have pretty impeccable construction in my experience, think I have only had one that had a poor draw over the last several years.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Garbandz

I have been given Opus and purchased them for years,NEVER had one yet worth the money. Smoked Fuentes products in the 80's and 90's,they were good then.
Now I do not even bother with them,there is a whole world of better cigars.

My first "premium hand-rolled" cigar was a Chateau Fuente in the fall of 1980. I smoked AFs by the box, predominantly Chateaus (nat. & mad.) and Rothschilds. When I wanted to splurge, I bought Hemi. Short Stories ($60 a box back then).

When the Opus line came out, we were all excited. I bought my limit of 2 on a couple of occasions to get some in my humidor. I smoked a few ROTT, but quite a few sat, their price was such that I was smoking these for special occasions. Their taste was always different, usually good, but sometimes lackluster.

But it was the construction that caused more grief - I have never had cigars that burn as erratically as the Opus. I am not talking a little run, but issues that need constant attention and thereby seriously detract from the enjoyment of the cigar. Even the ones I have had recently have had such issues. I had a 3 yr. old Power Ranger that was seriously giving me the WOW factor during the first inch & a half, but then developed a 1/2 - 3/4 inch run that would not take any correction, even when putting it down and allowing it to go out and lighting only the un-run side. I got about 4 puff and the run was again off to the races.

Anyway, the Opus line came out near the end of the boom years ('97). With all the Don's coming out of the woodwork trying to sell their $15 wonder-sticks to cigar snobs who wouldn't know a Cremosa from a Camacho, I think they lost a bit of their market share. There were rumors that they also lost some of their rollers. It is a definite fact that they tobacco that they were purchasing was now being snatched up by all these "Donnie-come-lately" companies and so they had to pay more for tobacco that probably wasn't as good.

It was during those boom years that we watched AF prices sky-rocket. And, something happened to the blends, they were not the same - and still are not to this day.

Today, my personal favorites in their normal lines are the Sun Growns, although the Rothschilds with their Cameroon wrapper are quite tasty, just harder to find. I still enjoy the Hemingways, but the price has more than doubled (and my salary hasn't), and they are not the flavor bombs they used to be. The construction, burn, and quality are impeccable with all their regular production lines, even the new Rosadas (excellent smokes), which has always been the case.

Of all the AFs, the Anejos however are stell the creme de la creme in my book.

All said and done, I love my Fuentes. There are always a few in my humidor. It is that time of the year now to look for deals on Anejos. AND, I will continue to try the Opus line. Like I said, I have a few the have been gifted to me in the last few years that have taken up abode in the bottom tetris row in my igloodor. I will reach for them to reevaluate again when the time is right. I really, really, really want to enjoy them.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

My first "premium hand-rolled" cigar was a Chateau Fuente in the fall of 1980. I smoked AFs by the box, predominantly Chateaus (nat. & mad.) and Rothschilds. When I wanted to splurge, I bought Hemi. Short Stories ($60 a box back then).

When the Opus line came out, we were all excited. I bought my limit of 2 on a couple of occasions to get some in my humidor. I smoked a few ROTT, but quite a few sat, their price was such that I was smoking these for special occasions. Their taste was always different, usually good, but sometimes lackluster.

But it was the construction that caused more grief - I have never had cigars that burn as erratically as the Opus. I am not talking a little run, but issues that need constant attention and thereby seriously detract from the enjoyment of the cigar. Even the ones I have had recently have had such issues. I had a 3 yr. old Power Ranger that was seriously giving me the WOW factor during the first inch & a half, but then developed a 1/2 - 3/4 inch run that would not take any correction, even when putting it down and allowing it to go out and lighting only the un-run side. I got about 4 puff and the run was again off to the races.

Anyway, the Opus line came out near the end of the boom years ('97). With all the Don's coming out of the woodwork trying to sell their $15 wonder-sticks to cigar snobs who wouldn't know a Cremosa from a Camacho, I think they lost a bit of their market share. There were rumors that they also lost some of their rollers. It is a definite fact that they tobacco that they were purchasing was now being snatched up by all these "Donnie-come-lately" companies and so they had to pay more for tobacco that probably wasn't as good.

It was during those boom years that we watched AF prices sky-rocket. And, something happened to the blends, they were not the same - and still are not to this day.

Today, my personal favorites in their normal lines are the Sun Growns, although the Rothschilds with their Cameroon wrapper are quite tasty, just harder to find. I still enjoy the Hemingways, but the price has more than doubled (and my salary hasn't), and they are not the flavor bombs they used to be. The construction, burn, and quality are impeccable with all their regular production lines, even the new Rosadas (excellent smokes), which has always been the case.

Of all the AFs, the Anejos however are stell the creme de la creme in my book.

All said and done, I love my Fuentes. There are always a few in my humidor. It is that time of the year now to look for deals on Anejos. AND, I will continue to try the Opus line. Like I said, I have a few the have been gifted to me in the last few years that have taken up abode in the bottom tetris row in my igloodor. I will reach for them to reevaluate again when the time is right. I really, really, really want to enjoy them.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

Jeez oh petes, what a long-winded blow-hard.

I've got a draw full of Opus, all with more than a years age on em. I don't typically smoke them, but when I pull one out it's always great. I do have an OR Dbl Corona in there that I'll most likely never smoke *hint...hint...*