mrjinglesusa
CP Chemist
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2005
- Messages
- 2,478
So, I have wanted to try an Opus Maduro for awhile. Read about them all the time, see them traded (for other things I have never even seen before), etc. but I have never seen one, let alone smoked one.
To alleviate this desire of mine, I decided to post up an ISO for an OpusX Maduro. Well, a stand-up BOTL was willing to part with one so I could try it. Not only that, he was also willing to send me an AGED OpusX of the same vitola for comparison. :0 We worked out a trade and I waited anxiously for the cigars to arrive. And arrive they did - 3 days before our weekly HERF here in C-Ville. I would have to wait, and looking at them and smelling them would have to do. :angry:
A little history:
The Maduro OpusX wrappers use the same seed as the regular line OpusX but were grown on the side of a hill, in the sun, at Chateau de la Fuente in the Dominican Republic. The wrapper leaves were allowed to stay out prior to being harvested for 3-4 months longer than the typical Rosado wrapper leaves. They stopped growing the Maduro wrapper leaves in 2001-2002 and OpusX Maduro have only been obtainable through CFC dinners and auctions.
Back to the story. The Opus Maduro I traded for was a xXx “Power Ranger” given out at CFCF 2000. It had age. It looked beautiful and smelled even better. For comparison, this unnamed (his request), generous BOTL, sent me a OpusX xXx from 1999 so the only difference I would taste in the comparison would be the wrapper. Both cigars were well aged and cared for. I have never seen and felt cigars so well maintained. It was like they were rolled yesterday, yet they were 5-6 years old. The wrappers were soft (like velvet), the nose exquisite, and the cellos were…..yellow. This was going to be fun! :thumbs:
Per recommendation of the previous owner, I smoked the 1999 OpusX xXx (Rosado) first. Like I said, this thing smelled goooooooood. Soft, supple wrapper and minimal veins. I clipped the head about 1/4” and the prelight draw was perfect. Spiciness tickled my tongue and lips as I toasted the foot and lit this bad boy up. Typical xXx profile. Lots of spice and “fruit” (I’ve heard it characterized as plum or raisins). Age does wonders for these. I had recently smoked a xXx from early 2005 and noticed quite a difference between the two cigars. The young xXx was more “in your face”. LOTS of spice and the flavors came at you all at once. Not so with the 1999 xXx! The flavors were more muted and subtle and a lot more complex. The spice was still there, just not as strong. Burnt very smooth with lots of smoke down to about 3/4”. Never got tight and the flavors stayed true throughout. The finish was very subtle but nice. I wish I could put flavors to words but I can’t – my palate is not discerning enough. Overall, the general impression I got was that an aged OpusX xXx has more complexity and more subtle nuances than a fresh one. A definite 95 on a CA scale (I would rate the fresh xXx I smoked a couple weeks ago a 90).
After drinking some water and JW Black to clear my palate a bit, I unwrapped the xXx Maduro. Like the 1999 xXx Rosado, the construction was perfect, the wrapper soft and veinless, and the nose was wonderful. It was different than the Rosado in that I picked up on some sweetness in the nose. Hard to describe but it was noticeable. I clipped the head (again, 1/4”). Prelight draw was the same as the 1999 xXx. Here is where the biggest difference was noticed. As I toasted the foot and lit this up, the spiciness was replaced by a muted sweetness (but not the “fruit” tasted in the 1999 xXx….it was different). I’ve smoked quite a few regular OpusX and I don’t normally pick up on much “sweetness”. The Maduro wrapper definitely adds that to the taste profile. There was still that typical OpusX spiciness (obviously, the filler and binder are the same as regular OpusX), but it was not as pronounced. As I smoked this, I talked a bit with the “provider” on the phone. He characterized it as “molasses-type” sweetness. I think that is a fair description. Definitely not a “cocoa” sweetness. The xXx Maduro was not as strong as the 1999 xXx Rosado. As I said, there was also not as much spice (it was still there, just muted compared to the sweetness). The flavors were just as complex as the aged Opus and just as subtle. The finish was exquisite. I mean outstanding. It’s almost as if this cigar said to me “You’re about done. We’ve had a wonderful time together, here’s something to remember me by”. :love: A big hit of sweetness, nuttiness, and spice all at once. I won’t forget that anytime soon. I would rate this a 96 on the CA scale.
Each of these cigars took me about 1 hour 15 minutes to smoke. I could definitely notice a big difference in flavor between these well aged OpusX and a fresh one. The Maduro wrapper added some sweetness to the flavor, muted the spiciness and strength, and added a wonderful finish to the cigar.
All in all a wonderful night of cigars and I am very happy to have been able to try one of the elusive OpusX Maduros. Would I go out of my way to get another? Probably not. It was a fantastic cigar, don’t get me wrong. But for the price (they generally go for $60-90 if you find someone willing to sell one) I would rather get a handful of regular Opus or put the money towards a box of Habanos. It was a special experience and I can now say I have smoked one, but IMO it wasn’t 7-10x better (cost-wise) than a regular line OpusX. Maybe my palate just isn’t mature enough to pick up on the subtleties it should have. :blush: A definite Special Occasion cigar if you are able to acquire one! A big THANK YOU to the person who provided me with these awesome smokes - you know who you are!
I took pictures with my cell phone while smoking these and will add a few this weekend. Also have a digital picture of these side by side I took when they arrived. I’ll get those up this weekend as well.
To alleviate this desire of mine, I decided to post up an ISO for an OpusX Maduro. Well, a stand-up BOTL was willing to part with one so I could try it. Not only that, he was also willing to send me an AGED OpusX of the same vitola for comparison. :0 We worked out a trade and I waited anxiously for the cigars to arrive. And arrive they did - 3 days before our weekly HERF here in C-Ville. I would have to wait, and looking at them and smelling them would have to do. :angry:
A little history:
The Maduro OpusX wrappers use the same seed as the regular line OpusX but were grown on the side of a hill, in the sun, at Chateau de la Fuente in the Dominican Republic. The wrapper leaves were allowed to stay out prior to being harvested for 3-4 months longer than the typical Rosado wrapper leaves. They stopped growing the Maduro wrapper leaves in 2001-2002 and OpusX Maduro have only been obtainable through CFC dinners and auctions.
Back to the story. The Opus Maduro I traded for was a xXx “Power Ranger” given out at CFCF 2000. It had age. It looked beautiful and smelled even better. For comparison, this unnamed (his request), generous BOTL, sent me a OpusX xXx from 1999 so the only difference I would taste in the comparison would be the wrapper. Both cigars were well aged and cared for. I have never seen and felt cigars so well maintained. It was like they were rolled yesterday, yet they were 5-6 years old. The wrappers were soft (like velvet), the nose exquisite, and the cellos were…..yellow. This was going to be fun! :thumbs:
Per recommendation of the previous owner, I smoked the 1999 OpusX xXx (Rosado) first. Like I said, this thing smelled goooooooood. Soft, supple wrapper and minimal veins. I clipped the head about 1/4” and the prelight draw was perfect. Spiciness tickled my tongue and lips as I toasted the foot and lit this bad boy up. Typical xXx profile. Lots of spice and “fruit” (I’ve heard it characterized as plum or raisins). Age does wonders for these. I had recently smoked a xXx from early 2005 and noticed quite a difference between the two cigars. The young xXx was more “in your face”. LOTS of spice and the flavors came at you all at once. Not so with the 1999 xXx! The flavors were more muted and subtle and a lot more complex. The spice was still there, just not as strong. Burnt very smooth with lots of smoke down to about 3/4”. Never got tight and the flavors stayed true throughout. The finish was very subtle but nice. I wish I could put flavors to words but I can’t – my palate is not discerning enough. Overall, the general impression I got was that an aged OpusX xXx has more complexity and more subtle nuances than a fresh one. A definite 95 on a CA scale (I would rate the fresh xXx I smoked a couple weeks ago a 90).
After drinking some water and JW Black to clear my palate a bit, I unwrapped the xXx Maduro. Like the 1999 xXx Rosado, the construction was perfect, the wrapper soft and veinless, and the nose was wonderful. It was different than the Rosado in that I picked up on some sweetness in the nose. Hard to describe but it was noticeable. I clipped the head (again, 1/4”). Prelight draw was the same as the 1999 xXx. Here is where the biggest difference was noticed. As I toasted the foot and lit this up, the spiciness was replaced by a muted sweetness (but not the “fruit” tasted in the 1999 xXx….it was different). I’ve smoked quite a few regular OpusX and I don’t normally pick up on much “sweetness”. The Maduro wrapper definitely adds that to the taste profile. There was still that typical OpusX spiciness (obviously, the filler and binder are the same as regular OpusX), but it was not as pronounced. As I smoked this, I talked a bit with the “provider” on the phone. He characterized it as “molasses-type” sweetness. I think that is a fair description. Definitely not a “cocoa” sweetness. The xXx Maduro was not as strong as the 1999 xXx Rosado. As I said, there was also not as much spice (it was still there, just muted compared to the sweetness). The flavors were just as complex as the aged Opus and just as subtle. The finish was exquisite. I mean outstanding. It’s almost as if this cigar said to me “You’re about done. We’ve had a wonderful time together, here’s something to remember me by”. :love: A big hit of sweetness, nuttiness, and spice all at once. I won’t forget that anytime soon. I would rate this a 96 on the CA scale.
Each of these cigars took me about 1 hour 15 minutes to smoke. I could definitely notice a big difference in flavor between these well aged OpusX and a fresh one. The Maduro wrapper added some sweetness to the flavor, muted the spiciness and strength, and added a wonderful finish to the cigar.
All in all a wonderful night of cigars and I am very happy to have been able to try one of the elusive OpusX Maduros. Would I go out of my way to get another? Probably not. It was a fantastic cigar, don’t get me wrong. But for the price (they generally go for $60-90 if you find someone willing to sell one) I would rather get a handful of regular Opus or put the money towards a box of Habanos. It was a special experience and I can now say I have smoked one, but IMO it wasn’t 7-10x better (cost-wise) than a regular line OpusX. Maybe my palate just isn’t mature enough to pick up on the subtleties it should have. :blush: A definite Special Occasion cigar if you are able to acquire one! A big THANK YOU to the person who provided me with these awesome smokes - you know who you are!
I took pictures with my cell phone while smoking these and will add a few this weekend. Also have a digital picture of these side by side I took when they arrived. I’ll get those up this weekend as well.
