More Opus/GOF Than I've Ever Seen!

[grateful1]

I've got some great land to sell you along the Jersey coast...PM for details!

Jerk. :laugh:

I find it Interesting though, how this is unfolding. As mentioned on CF, there is the risk of losing the Opus license when discovered....and I surely think they've been discovered now, if in fact they are re-banding. I still want to examine one in person, for my own observations/ education.

I can see them trying to get away with the TAA changes and price increase...as long as AF get's it's $50! (still not cool though)

As for the re-banding, I wonder if they bought some things off a grey market and got schtoop'd!?

The likely hood is that they know what the have!
:angry:

 

[BigJake6904]

I can see them trying to get away with the TAA changes and price increase...as long as AF get's it's $50! (still not cool though)

As for the re-banding, I wonder if they bought some things off a grey market and got schtoop'd!?

The likely hood is that they know what the have!
:angry:

A valuable point, one I didn't really consider. The problem I see with them getting them second market though, is they probably wouldn't only be asking $33 a stick, there would be no margin. And these guys love margins...as shown with the broken up TAA sets.

The fact that they broke the sets up leaves their business ethics/ tactics in question for sure...but that's nothing they'd lose a license over.

 

[tone-ny]

I've got some great land to sell you along the Jersey coast...PM for details!

Jerk. :laugh:

I find it Interesting though, how this is unfolding. As mentioned on CF, there is the risk of losing the Opus license when discovered....and I surely think they've been discovered now, if in fact they are re-banding. I still want to examine one in person, for my own observations/ education.

I can see them trying to get away with the TAA changes and price increase...as long as AF get's it's $50! (still not cool though)

As for the re-banding, I wonder if they bought some things off a grey market and got schtoop'd!?

The likely hood is that they know what the have!
:angry:

G/B!

 

[insight]

This is sad, now you have to question your sources for NC product too. I wonder what other fake fuente products are floating around out there...

 

[emoshun]

I was considering picking up some BBMF's, but now I'm not so sure.

 

[Mr Peat]

This is sad, now you have to question your sources for NC product too. I wonder what other fake fuente products are floating around out there...

Fuente QC Department has dropped the ball on many occasions. Here is an example:

http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Mr_Peat/CFCF%202010%20Box/

 

[BrooksW]

The interesting thing is that when I called earlier to ask about them, and told them I was with a blog, they kinda freaked on me, and told me they did not have any left, had sold them all (and never confirmed they were "Opus X Shark Maduros")...

I think it is clear these are at best rebanded Anejo, and at worst fake (albeit with VERY dark wrappers), and I am really hoping that Carlito does something about it...

~brooks

 

[jfields]

What does fake Fuente product floating around from a possible unscrupulous retailer have to do with a box that most likely was beat up during transit from point A to B?

 

[grateful1]

What does fake Fuente product floating around from a possible unscrupulous retailer have to do with a box that most likely was beat up during transit from point A to B?

I think he's referring to the marketing mistake on the box.

Maybe even the fact that cigars have been known to be in the wrong coffin...etc.

 

[Breedy]

What does fake Fuente product floating around from a possible unscrupulous retailer have to do with a box that most likely was beat up during transit from point A to B?

I think he's referring to the marketing mistake on the box.

Maybe even the fact that cigars have been known to be in the wrong coffin...etc.

I thought he was blame the Fuente's for his Cheerios not having a box??? Swiss Miss??? Come on Loren you're better than Swiss Miss!

 

[tomthirtysix]

What does fake Fuente product floating around from a possible unscrupulous retailer have to do with a box that most likely was beat up during transit from point A to B?

I think he's referring to the marketing mistake on the box.

Maybe even the fact that cigars have been known to be in the wrong coffin...etc.

I thought he was blame the Fuente's for his Cheerios not having a box??? Swiss Miss??? Come on Loren you're better than Swiss Miss!

Not just any Swiss Miss. Plus Calcium, very rare, only released once a year in cases of 22.

 

[insight]

Brooks do you have any of the 04 band opus maddies left? Can you do a side by side pic with the fake shark, 04 opus maddie and an old school opus maddie, maybe a cf22 maddie release also? I would like to see how close the recent maduro wrappers are to the fake.

 

[BigJake6904]

Brooks do you have any of the 04 band opus maddies left? Can you do a side by side pic with the fake shark, 04 opus maddie and an old school opus maddie, maybe a cf22 maddie release also? I would like to see how close the recent maduro wrappers are to the fake.

I have some recent and old opus maddies (an '05 and '10 BBMF maddie and '10 El Escorpion maddie). I had chris get me a "Opus Shark Maddie" to do some personal research with, so if Brooks can't do any side by sides....i can get some pics up later this week.

 

[BrooksW]

Brooks do you have any of the 04 band opus maddies left? Can you do a side by side pic with the fake shark, 04 opus maddie and an old school opus maddie, maybe a cf22 maddie release also? I would like to see how close the recent maduro wrappers are to the fake.

Hey!

I don't have an 04 Maddie Robusto (smoked it for a review), but I do have a few Old Maddies, and a recent Opus 22 BBMF I can compare to...I will do it tonight

~brooks

 

[insight]

Awesome. To my eyes, the wrapper on the newer prod. size maddie wrappers look more like the hemi maduro wrapper leaf than the anejo and I am curious to see what sort of variance there is.

 

[verhoevc]

I picked up Jake's as well as some for myself before most of this unfolded. As I told Jake on the phone, they do have that "ops filler smell" that you can't miss. To me, it ain't no anejo. That said, I haven't smoked it, but it does have the opus smell.
Chris

 

[BigJake6904]

We shall see...I'm looking forward to being able to do the comparisons.

 

[Mr Peat]

What does fake Fuente product floating around from a possible unscrupulous retailer have to do with a box that most likely was beat up during transit from point A to B?

I think he's referring to the marketing mistake on the box.

Maybe even the fact that cigars have been known to be in the wrong coffin...etc.

I thought he was blame the Fuente's for his Cheerios not having a box??? Swiss Miss??? Come on Loren you're better than Swiss Miss!

I should have been clearer but with my fever, I'm not thinking to straight at the moment. Do I believe those are Opus X Shark Maduro's? Hell no...but stranger things have happened. There is plenty on this board and others that have a pretty good connection for the strange and obscure Fuente stuff. They hadn't heard of a Opus X Shark Maduro and neither have I. But, the Fuente's Quality Control has gone down hill these last couple of years.

In their haste, the ball has been dropped. Yes, they have released the wrong cigars in the CFCF coffins. Hell, they forgot to package the BBMF Maduro in the CFCF boxes. I've seen my fair share of problems with the CFCF boxes to the point that NOTHING surprises me any more when it comes to the Fuente Stuff. I should have taken that CFCF box up when I met with Big Jake. The pictures I took doesn't do it justice. The damage to it is unreal and couldn't have happened in shipping.

What has my box to deal with this? On selling fakes, nothing. It just shows how much is going undetected from the whole Fuente side. It started with a simple mistake and has gradually gone down hill. And no one is going to convince me the damage to the box I linked photo's from was during shipping. I'd bet my entire Opus Stash on that little fact. I've purchased enough of these boxes to know what can happen to them in shipping. Nice try...

 

[Mr Peat]

Awesome. To my eyes, the wrapper on the newer prod. size maddie wrappers look more like the hemi maduro wrapper leaf than the anejo and I am curious to see what sort of variance there is.

All CFCF box cigars from the 2008 box to present.

From Left to Right: BBMF Maduro 2008, El Scorpion Maduro 2008, BBMF Maduro 2009, Scorpio Maduro 2010 and the Black Orchid 2010.

If needed, I will go through my whole stash and take out every CFCF Maduro and snap a picture of it. But the coloring on the wrappers is pretty consistent. They have all proven to be some power house smokes. Especially the 2009 and 2010 releases.

 

[insight]

While that is definitely interesting what I really want to see is the opus shark maddie (claimed) vs the cf22 maduros vs the old/new maduros in production sizes (i.e., the robo, lancero, RdC etc.). I am curious to see if the wrapper is even a remote match for any of the other maduro released known to be legitimately from Fuente.