Tasting Notes
My #5 is a beautiful, tightly packed 4.8 by
40 stick. It is quite small. So, I will do the review in two sections. The wrapper is smooth, quite oily (almost
sticky) with minimal veins. There are pungent notes of cedar, citrus, and spice
on the shaft and foot. The triple cap is flawlessly applied. Actually, I
couldn't even see the seams without gawking.
The cold draw gave off notes of earthy
tobacco with a hint of sweet fruit.
First Half
My #5 opens with a peppery kick, lots of
smoke output, and a rich, creamy base. The pepper is not the hot kind, but
rather a warm spicy miasma with underlying cedar, leather, and rich tobacco flavors. And the finish! The finish is long, way
longer than I have had in a long time. It is sweet and cedary with creamy
coffee notes, fleeting baking spice notes (or was it cinnamon), and a robust
tobacco and leather base.
This cigar is complex! The flavors don't
just stick out or starkly transition from one to the other. Instead, they wash
over your palate with wave after wave of different notes blended into one
beautiful profile. The smoke is thick, chewy, and aromatic. It
smells like cedar and flowers. The ash is a tightly packed white and light-grey
combo that held up to 2 inches.
Final Half
On the halfway mark, the creamy profile
thickened. Also, the strength went up from a medium in the first half to full.
I can feel the nicotine in my head though it's not the kind that knocks you
upside the head. The pepper recedes to the back while earth,
leather, spice, and sweet tobacco dominate the palate. Still, the finish is
quite long with very thick creamy coffee notes and spice lingering until the
next draw.
Towards the nub, the strength kicks up a
notch. The flavor profile remains the same. And by the same, I mean thoroughly
complex and enjoyable. Mine was a one-hour smoke. I know, right?
It is a real slow burner and very satisfying. You may want to eat first before taking on
this little stogie, or your knees will buckle halfway down the smoke.
Overall Review
The Opus X cigars are definitely worth the
hype. Even though opinions vary, we can all agree this is a complex smoke that
is excellently constructed and executed. I have to point out, though, that you may
not enjoy this cigar as much when it's new. Aging these babies adds tons of
complexity and mellows out the pepper and spice.
The result is a mature and captivating warm
cedar-infused cinnamon comingled with leather, coffee bean, nutmeg, cocoa, and
a myriad of other amazing flavors. Also, be sure to grab these whenever they
are in stock. Opus X cigars are notoriously rare, mainly because only about
700,000 of these babies go into the market every year.
