In my browsing of the forum today I noticed it was the birthday of a special departed BOTL, Infiinity. I immediately had a voice in my head saying, "what are you saving them for anyway?" While I never had the chance to get to know Brian, I have read many old threads where he contributed. Quite possibly one of the best pieces of advice I have ever seen given was from him. So, in honor of his birthday I decided to smoke something that I had been saving. That stick was something I picked up in the jlada benefit auction a while back, the Opus22 El Scorpio Natural, vintage 2008.
My initial inspection of this cigar helps solidify why Fuente's Opus line is considered one of the best in the world. It was flawless. A smooth wrapper with just a few small veins. A slight give when squeezed along its length. A unique stinger on the head, and a nice box pressed shape. I clipped the stinger off and realized a nearly perfect draw. It left a sweet/spicy flavor in the aftertaste. Upon lighting the foot with my torch, I had some trouble getting smoke to come through the cigar. What I am getting is very light and a little bitter. I begin wondering if there was a hole somewhere, but cannot find anything so I decided to try and keep going. The burn is perfect creating a dense ash, but I'm still not getting very much smoke. What I am getting I would rate a medium strength. I decide to clip a little more off the head to see if it helps.
Entering the second third, I'm getting a lot more smoke now. The bitterness that I experienced in the beginning is gone, replaced by a nice medium/full tobacco flavor. I notice a little sweetness on the exhale that reminds me of... Granola Smoothie. HA, Just kidding!! :sign: No, I get a nice straight forward tobacco flavor for the rest of the cigar. The strength builds to a full body by the end. Even with a couple of years on this cigar, it still had quite a kick. My head was swimming a bit when I stood up after I finished the cigar. It did start to burn a little uneven around the half way point, but nothing that a couple small touch-ups couldn't fix.
Thanks again John (jfields) for running the auction where I purchased this cigar. And thanks again Infinity for the inspiration. As long as you live in people's memories and hearts, you are always with us. Happy Birthday!
My initial inspection of this cigar helps solidify why Fuente's Opus line is considered one of the best in the world. It was flawless. A smooth wrapper with just a few small veins. A slight give when squeezed along its length. A unique stinger on the head, and a nice box pressed shape. I clipped the stinger off and realized a nearly perfect draw. It left a sweet/spicy flavor in the aftertaste. Upon lighting the foot with my torch, I had some trouble getting smoke to come through the cigar. What I am getting is very light and a little bitter. I begin wondering if there was a hole somewhere, but cannot find anything so I decided to try and keep going. The burn is perfect creating a dense ash, but I'm still not getting very much smoke. What I am getting I would rate a medium strength. I decide to clip a little more off the head to see if it helps.
Entering the second third, I'm getting a lot more smoke now. The bitterness that I experienced in the beginning is gone, replaced by a nice medium/full tobacco flavor. I notice a little sweetness on the exhale that reminds me of... Granola Smoothie. HA, Just kidding!! :sign: No, I get a nice straight forward tobacco flavor for the rest of the cigar. The strength builds to a full body by the end. Even with a couple of years on this cigar, it still had quite a kick. My head was swimming a bit when I stood up after I finished the cigar. It did start to burn a little uneven around the half way point, but nothing that a couple small touch-ups couldn't fix.
Thanks again John (jfields) for running the auction where I purchased this cigar. And thanks again Infinity for the inspiration. As long as you live in people's memories and hearts, you are always with us. Happy Birthday!
