Opus eXstacy Part 2: Disappointing Dates

My first encounter with lady Opus I became immediately attracted. Like any man in love I pursued her, and manage to get two dates with her.

The second date I had with her was out of pity.

The Opus X is not even in the same league as the Opus Forbidden X. The cigar is a bland spice stick, with none of the nuances to be expected from all the hype the cigar receives from "Aficionados" Portions of the cigar reminded me of that taste you receive of burned tobacco you received at the end of a bad cigar.

After my disappointed with the first cigar, I thought it had to be the cigar so I tried a second on a hope that I could reclaim that Forbidden X flavor. It fell as flat as the first.

I was completely turned off by her, but there was still hope. For she has a dark skinned, older, more mature beauty of a sister. She would be the redemption of the Opus family.

CS Rating 2.5

The Oil Baron

Opus eXstacy Part 1: Instant Attraction

My first journey through the living smoke of Arutro Fuente began in their Las Vegas signature lounge with the Opus Forbidden X.

First Impression

Wicked looking black label covering the cigar. Churchill cigar, with this gorgeous light brown wrapper. The cigar guy that I was talking to for a while (who after 15 minutes of discussion I decided knows his shit) said it was made from shade grown tobacco on the Fuente estate in the Dominican Republic. Rolled by a LEVEL 6 ROLLER (whatever that means) it is their lines premier cigar sold only there. The tobacco leaves were 10 years aged to what they deemed was perfect.

Upon purchasing the cigar, he used these guillotine scissor things to prune the cap to perfection. After cutting and making sure the cap was cut off perfect he noticed the cigar was a little dry and that had caused some of thee wrapper towards the cap end to come off. He noticed this and then immediately discarded the cigar for another one. He actually went back and handpicked one out that he thought would be perfect and proceeeded to cut the cap and gave the second one to me to smoke. I was really impressed by this.

The Smoke:

The cigar was lit with a 4 flame torch lighter that lit the business end of the cigar evenly and did not blacken the tobacco. It was a good light. The first puff was taken with the lighter to the cigar, and it was a burst of flavor. Imagine the burst of flavor at the beginning you get with a Padron 2000, but with a completely different set of flavors. The flavor was mostly that of a variety of spices but with the kind of rustic aged taste you get with the P2. I'm assuming this is partly due to the aging process.

For the first 4th of the cigar the drag was lacking somewhat and required a small prepuff before the full puff in order to maximize smoke. I attribute this to the length and one other thing. For a cigar of churchill size, this cigar seemed to take much longer to smoke. That is to say a single puff on this cigar did not seem to advance the burn up the cigar as fast as a normal churchill. Thus it took me somewhere around 2 hours to smoke this puppy. Because it took so long to smoke, it makes me wonder if the tobacco was more densely rolled and therefor not get as good as a drag when smoked.

The flavor as I smoked through the cigar stayed fairly constant. Where in a P2 you get that initial burst of flavor only for a little bit, this flavor stayed strong and constant throughout the smoke of the cigar. While being very potent in taste, it was not overpowering in the slightest. On the contrary it left me wanting inbetween puffs.

The Fuente Bar disappointingly only had two rums to choose from, but the 12 year aged one I had (the name escapes me but it starts with an "M" [gonna have to help me on this one Diamond E]) was a good rum. Not quite as good as the gold standard that is Captain Morgan, but good. I sipped on this on the rocks with the cigar. It was a perfect combination. Whenever I would sip on the rum in order to cleanse my pallet the spiced flavor of the rum and cigar would mix for a split second and create this entirely new and delicious taste. I can't express how awesome of a combination this was.

And then after my pallet was cleansed, the next puff of the cigar would be like starting the cigar over again. And damn it was good.

The Burn:

For being rolled by a level 6 ninja jedi master cigar roller, the burn was not perfect. At one point during the cigar, the filler burned faster than the binder/wrapper forcing me to relight the cigar. In addition twice during the smoking of the cigar one part of the wrapper would not burn in unison with the rest which I fixed by assisting the burn with my torch.

While the preceeding sounds like a negative, I found great pleasure in tuning and detailing the cigar over the course of a smoke. I analogize it to owning a ferarri and working on it as a hobby to ensure it is running in perfect condition.

CS Rating 4.5

The Oil Baron

PADILLA HABANO - A Nutty Smoke

This is a smooth nutty tasting cigar that had a good draw, burned evenly, and never had to be re-lit.  In recent experience I can compare it favorably to Pinar del Rio Oscuro Lancero (My CS Rating of 2.0) and Padilla Corojo (My CS Rating of 2.5).  I prefer earthy tasting cigars like a Punch Rare Corojo.  CS Rating = 3.0

Diamond E 

H. Upmann: Vintage Cameroon (Churchill)

"I have long believed that any man interested in either the mystic or the romantic aspects of  life must sooner or later define his attitude concerning Spain".  That is James Michener's marvelous opening sentence in Iberia.  Using boldacious literary liberty, I will postulate that "I now believe that any man interested in the spendid delightment of a cigar, must sooner or later enjoy one in the advent of a hurricane breeze". 

A H. Upmann vintage cameroon, churchill length accompanied me amid wind squalls and intermittent rain and falling palm tree fronds.  You should all be as lucky.  Retailing at $6.98, the Upmann is adorned with a cedar sleeve that gives it a nice touch that raises its expectations.  First, the cigar was lit with an Alec Bradley "The Burner" Table Top Cigar Lighter that was recently purchased at Stogies World Class Cigar in Houston.  If you are lucky enough to be in Houston and you are a cigar freak, you must go to Stogies and spend a few minutes talking cigars with Jorge "don't call me George".  His shop is top notch and he is a bonafide cigar expert. And HE BUILT his business.

The Upmann vintage cameroon cigar construction is solid with no identifiable weakness. It was firm but not so firm that makes you feel like you have a rusty steel rod in your mouth. The burn was even throughout -- there was no need to re-light at any point. The ashes were gray, which doesn't mean much except that I tend to favor the lighter, almost white ashes. Makes the smoke appear cleaner. The drag was excellent. Up until the very end, each drag produced a mouth full of smoke that, in turn, yielded a bountiful puff that was blown away rapidly by the strong winds.

The cigar taste was, for the most part, rich and somewhat complex. This is not a bland cigar nor is it the "only smoke after eating a porterhouse steak" variety. That said, the taste was uneven, and can be best described by three one-third segments.  The first third was a decent lead-in, a bit oaky. The second third was the most rewarding part of the stick.  This portion was smooth, a bit on the sweet side, fantastic drag, crisp and nutty. I was hoping that the cigar would burn forever. The last third, ahhh, the last third, was pretty soily and slightly harsh and the drag required more effort than I cared to exert.

Come to think of it, the H. Upmann vinatge cameroon reminded me of a movie I had seen the day before -- The Appaloosa, starring Marlon Brando. The first third was just okay, the second-third was a treat, and the last third was a dud by comparison. Worst part of the movie was John Saxon's cheesy mexican accent (jew weel be sori, you patheteec gringO)

CS Rating ((3 + 4 + 2)/3) = 3.0

El Alcalde

ROCKY PATEL HAS LOST THE EDGE

After spending a lot of money on RP cigars, I concluded that they were one of the most overrated on the planet. Not that they all sucked, mind you, just that you get a lot less than you paid for. When I discussed this with my friends, they generally agreed but invariably would say "except for The Edge," and I agreed. No more.

First the good news. This is a solid cigar with no soft spots. It has a decent draw and burns evenly, just needing a couple of minor touch-ups. It is sweet and toasty and I would not turn one down in a pinch.

But this is the Saloon and we can't pull punches. The above description lasted only through the first half of the stick, after which it became bitter and harsh, causing it to quickly become expensive mulch in my garden.

The new Edge is definitely not as good as the original Edge, which had a sweet, spicy, and complex flavor. The new Edge is one dimensional and lacks substance. It's supposed to be a Corojo, but I suspect that this is like everybody in Oklahoma claiming to be American Indian.

I think that the Rock has quietly reblended the Edge. He denies this when asked, of course, heming and hawing something about excessive rain, the weather, blah, blah, blah, and then suggesting that you try the Decade(made for him by the great AJ Fernandez). I'm not buying it anymore. 

The new Edge costs six bucks, not four like old Edge and I don't believe we've had 50% inflation in the meantime. For less than 6 bucks I can enjoy a Padron 2000, a Man O' War, Reloba, or Padilla 1948. Heck, for 2 bucks I can have a Gran Habano Vintage 2002 which beats the heck out of the Edge. 

My problem might be that I've been smoking the Pinar Del Rio Seleccion for the last three days, which retails for the same price, and has all of the flavor and complexity that the Edge doesn't.

The inside of the label says "beware of imitations--original Edge." I say that teller is the feller. Mamey

CS Rating 2.5

COHIBA BEHIKE CIGAR AFICIONADO REVIEW

The first draw delivers a complex blend of butter-leather creme brulee sweetness to the front of the palate, merengue key lime pie tartness to the middle palate, and notes of table-cooked bananas foster to the back of the palate. However, the flavors do not sit on the palate, instead choosing to circle it in a counter-clockwise dub step, yet never mixing, and recur in 18 second intervals. The rolling waves of smoke then exit the nose slowly and with precision, like Horn Elementary School students during a fire drill. This dark long lonsdale, from tobacco grown on the east side of Pinar Del Rio, behind the farm that used to be owned by the family of Manny Lopez, comes from seventh generation corojo seeds previously smuggled to Spanish Honduras in a rich Corinthian leather diplomatic pouch. 

The grandchildren of the seeds returned to Cuba after two years of wild sex in the highlands between Santa Rosa de Copan and Santa Barbara next to Lucy Mejia's beauty salon in search for jineteras at the Hotel Nacional in Havana. At the Nacional, they loitered and talked leather with the many Gallegos, Romans, and chicken pluckers from Little Rock before boarding the roof of a Camello bus for Pinar Del Rio, enabling them to enjoy five hours of sultry tropical weather. The aroma emanating from this oily, pock-marked maduro has intonations of organically processed sauteed asparagus, young roast suckling pig cooked to leathery perfection in a Cuban "Caja China" lined with virgin banana plants (grown in the farm previously owned by the family of the said Manny Lopez), with undertones of whole ripe mangoes picked from the side of the road at the El Yunque National Park in Puerto Rico, which is unfortunately not located in Cuba because of the American embargo. 

This supple, leathery cigar is soft to the touch, especially around the savory head, which is surprisingly large, meaty, good-looking, offering just the right amount of resistance to the draw. It is rolled to perfection by virgins handpicked by El Comandante himself from J.C. Penney in Detroit, wearing only supple leather bridles. Summary of the Cohiba Behike: A luscious leathery leather lonsdale. 

  Mamey

IS ALEC BRADLEY ON THE ROAD TO PERDITION OR PARADISE?

I've tried several Alec Bradley cigars over the past month and am pleased to say that they have all been darn good cigars. In order to strength and price(cheapest first), the American blend has a beautiful Connecticut wrapper but is definitely not a one dimensional mild cigar. I believe it can rightly take its place alongside the San Lotano Conn., Padilla Hybrid, Man-O-War Virtue, Por Larranaga Cabinet Selection, and the EP Carrillo Connecticut as best in breed. At less than $5/stick this is a solid, flavorful smoke.
The Mi Familia is a jewel. It packs more flavor than the American, but there's not a millimeter of harshness. It is sweet and creamy and toasty-- the perfect trifecta in my book. The draw and burn are pitch-perfect and it's comparable to the Padilla Miami, Man-O-War Armada, and Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor.
AB's current flagship cigar is the Prensado. The Chruchill was CA's cigar of the the year although, curiously, was not included in the top 25 of CA's sister publication, Cigar Insider, which makes you wonder if the competition is as honest as Rick's casino operation in Casablanca. Anyway, this is an uber-full flavor cigar that draws and burns well. It's comparable to the Padilla 1932, Padron 1964, and San Lotano Oval, yet distinctive for its beautiful, flavorful Honduran wrapper. Of the three, the Mi Familia is actually my favorite. Mamey

CS Scores:
American-3.5
Mi Familia 4.5
Prensado- 4.0