Opus X 22 CFCF Fun Box 2005 Reviews...

**Mr Peat** · 03-04-2007, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by drew_goring

Awesome review. I wonder if after a few more years aging it would mellow out a bit. I may have to pick one up next time I am at Casa.

Did you take any pics?

Pictures is now in ther review. Enjoy as I really had fun with the LBMF.

**drew_goring** · 03-04-2007, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by Mr Peat

Pictures is now in ther review. Enjoy as I really had fun with the LBMF.

Looks like a great time was had by all. I don't suppose you invited your guys' buddy defetis, eh?

**Mr Peat** · 03-04-2007, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by drew_goring

Looks like a great time was had by all. I don't suppose you invited your guys' buddy defetis, eh?

Hell no....

But yes, it was a great time.

**drew_goring** · 03-04-2007, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by Mr Peat

Hell no....

But yes, it was a great time.

That's cool. I'm hoping to get down sometime to visit the notorious Outlaw...preferable on a day Jorge Padron is making an appearance.

**Mr Peat** · 03-16-2007, 04:54 AM

I finally snapped and couldn't take the pressure any more. I broke down and decided to review the Opus X Forbidden X Lancero from the CFCF 2005 box. Review will be posted after I am done with pictures naturally.

**Mr Peat** · 03-28-2007, 05:23 PM

On the 16th March 2007 the Opus X Forbidden X Lancero went down from this wonderful box of smokes. After a visual insepction, I can point out no flaws in the cigar. It smells of a slight summer breeze over a wild raspberry patch we had next door to our old place in Nebraska. That did bring back some nice memories when I had no cares in the world. The smell was hypnotic and very delicious. It was a hard decision to smoke it or whether I should eat it. I pulled out my Casa Fuente Xikar to cut this bad boy at 4:02am.

The initial draw after the cut reveals its going to be an excellent day to take down this Lancero. After gazing at this cigar, I decided it was time to light this bad boy up at 4:04am. The initial puffs had a little kick to it as I haven't had an Opus in nearly 2 weeks. I can tell its an Opus without a question. I exhaled some smoke out of the nose and it has sort of a harsh burn to it at 4:07am and wasn't to pleasant in the nasal passage. But it hasn't opened up yet to reveal what is awaiting for me. Granted, I've smoked many Opus X Lancero's so this cigar is no strange beast waiting to pounce on me. For some reason this one seems like it has a little kick to it in the strength department which isn't my normal experience with the Opus X Lancero's.

Going to ash for the first time at 4:11am and I hope this one opens up for me. For a side note this Lancero doesn't seem like the same blend found in the Prometheus Gift sets that are the 2005 band on them. Now at 4:14am I had to ash again. My nose is telling me this Lancero is another beast altogether. I'm definitely shocked by how many initial impression of this cigar before I lit it and now definitely do not agree as to what this cigar was going to be like. My initial impression have been tossed out the window and doubting this one will be a good stick.

The smoke at 4:19am as it burns my nostrils I pick up on a note that it has a woody smell to it. At the same time, the smell is something familiar that I just can't put a finger on. I can't say if its a related to a cigar experience I've had before or something I've done in my younger days, but its something I've known before at some point in time. Now at 4:23am is another visit to the ashtray. So far its been a flawless burn and no touch ups whatsoever.

Ahhh...Alas the raspberry characteristics take a presence at 4:24am which brings a smile to my face. The smell of the smoke is more pronounced at this point and its very unique. I think I can finally put the mystery to rest in what stick this reminds me of and it happens to be the Chili Pepper I had in Sept 2006 in California after buying it at Casa Fuente. This help explains what I see as a different Lancero experience I've had many times before. This one happens to have a strength profile that isn't like any Lancero or other Opus I've had before. Its not over powering or ruining the cigar at all. In fact, its a nice change of pace.

A sweeter smell comes out at 4:29am which isn't how it tastes. I can taste its an Opus and sure as hell smell it. But something else is going on underneath which I still can't figure out. I'm getting tons of smoke off each puff and the draw is fantastic. I can't find much to complain about with this cigar and that is a good sign. I do feel that this one is going to get a tannic taste to it and I said this prediction at 4:33am which is another time to ash.

Oh wow...that puff after just ashed had a nice tarty raspberry taste and smell to it. This seems like a major transition at 4:33am and at 4:34am. I haven't really noticed one before, but this is what the cigar was waiting for at 1/2 way to being done. This is what the Lancero is all about at this transition. I can still taste that it has a kick to it with this new transition. Now the real and true Lancero I've smoked many times before has finally made an appearance and seems to have stayed this time and its now 4:41am.

Perfect time to ash as well. Right now the smoke has a sweet smell to it and taste to what I am accustomed too. Time to ash once again at 4:47am and I'm just thinking oh snap...where have you been all my life. I can tell a huge change in the smoke and taste now. It still has a underlying strength to it with one hell of a balance now. The first half and the last half is like the difference between night and day.

Ok...Onto my impressions on the last half. I just can't say enough that the last half of this cigar is just so damn good. The smell is just hypnotic and mesmerising for me as this is what every Opus X should be like and noted this at 4:52am. Ash time again. Right now it reminds me of the Robusto and Petit Lancero combined which both are fantastic smokes to me. At least my apartment smells like an Opus X stash has been lost to fire again. The 2005 band had to come off at 5:05am and it was flawless. Time for another ashing in which a nice woody not has come out. I finally took off the Opus X band at 5:15 am and ashed. This is when the burn issues arrived. I stopped reviewing at this point as the burn issues was a little distracting but the cigar stayed true to itself to the very end when I burned my fingers smoking it down to the nub.

Ok...For a wrap up this cigar. The first 1/2 had a serious kick to it and not really balanced until it hit the 1/2 way mark and thats when the Lancero really opened up. It took on characteristics that is just amazing for a cigar. There wasn't many transitions on this one but the few that was there, they was major ones any one would have took note on. Over all I would have given this Lancero a solid 90 out of a 100. As previous Lancero experiences have been like the last half of this one but it was the whole cigar. So the strength unbalance kinda distracted the experience some what but still a fine damn smoke. I wouldn't turn one down if I was offered another one.

PS "I will add the pictures another day as I am to tired writing this one out.

"

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**Mr Peat** · 04-25-2007, 03:31 PM

I decided it was the Opus X Double Robusto was the next victim from this box. I smoked this bad boy on the 3rd April 2007. I cut this cigar at 6:52pm and then fired it up at 6:54pm. I did an initial inspection of it and found no visual flaws to the wrapper at all.

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The initial draw after the cut was just right. It wasn't loose or tight, but the happy medium for a cigar and I felt this was going to be a good sign for the Double Robusto. Also the initial impressions of the smoke was of potency and strength. I can tell its an Opus with some beast lurking underneath this cigar. The smell reminds me of the Chili Pepper and the Lancero when this cigar first started out. I just exhaled some smoke out of the nasal passage at 6:57pm and its telling me I'm in for a ride as this cigar may need more than 2+ years of age on it still. I am guessing at this point it will need a min of 5 years on it before it would be truly ready.

Seems like a sweet raspberry undertone in the smoke and this really made a nice appearance at 6:59pm. Yet the smoke still says its to young to me for some reason. The first 1/4" burn is experiencing some problems, but it doesn't require a touch up so far as I feel it will snap out of it and will open up real soon. That has been my experience so far on all the Opus I have ever smoked. Still a light tones of wild raspberries that I can smell and this is a wonderful reward for me.

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Now at 7:04pm something seems to be happening. I haven't really figured out if its th e initial phase of a transition that's about to take place or something else. Time to ash at 7:05pm and see what happens as the smoke rolling off of the cigar as I hand write this review is telling me something may appear real soon. The smoke seems to have lightened up in strength after the ash and its now at 7:07pm. Ok...maybe not. LOL!!!

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On the plus side, the burn does seem to be better now. I've got the impression this cigar may have some tannic taste to it already since I fired it up and its now 7:10pm. Its not a distracting as I feel this cigar has a kick to it and from my my experiences of these reviews.

There is plenty of smoke off each draw as that isn't a surprise to me, but something still tells me something undefined at this point is going on. Naturally I have my Russian music playing in the background as I smoke this cigar and write my review on paper. I find this helps me relax while reviewing the crazy Opus X cigars from this box. Finally, there is a transition at 7:13pm. I can taste the raspberry with a woody/alcohol taste. That is what was going on this whole time and it finally developed so that I could put my finger on it. The alcohol taste was not subtle at this point. It was like getting hit with a Mack Truck.

Time to ash at 7:16pm and the alcohol taste is finally gone at this point. The smoke still says it has a wonderful kick to it with a slight burn in the nasal passage as I just exhaled some smoke out of my nose. I wonder if this is the alcohol side effect and not that its young at all. Definitely a unique smoke and now I can actually put a name to the alcohol. It reminds me of a 70% rubbing alcohol and this was discovered at 7:19pm. Its not ruining the cigar experience at this point, but it could be much better.

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Just did a touch up at 7:21pm and it was pretty minor. The ash is really dark and compact as a side note. Ahhh...the raspberry smell came off the cigar but the damn alcohol smell seems to be over-riding every thing else. It comes out after about 20 seconds of blowing the smoke out of the mouth.

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Time to ash again at 7:26pm after I took a picture of it and a touch up. Another raspberry smell at 7:28pm and the smoke has one hell of a kick coming out. I think the first signs of getting a buzz at 7:30pm has made an appearance and an unusual peppery taste that comes out at this point as well.

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Ok...this is odd at 7:33pm but I had a pineapple smell for a second. Its gone now, but the undertones of a peppery-woody-alcohol taste has come out after. Now I am confused about this cigar as I haven't really experienced this before. Its time to ash at 7:35pm and will see what happens after that. Other than a touch up. Well...slap me upside the head but the alcohol-peppery-woody taste is back at 7:37pm and its really made an appearance instead of some subtle undertone.

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Interesting at 7:39pm as a smell of burnt rubber came out in the smoke. Well its the second time, but I dismissed the first impression. I felt my mustache and made sure it wasn't on fire after the rubber smell. I took the 2005 band off at 7:41pm and didn't hurt the band at all. Still getting a peppery taste off this cigar and the smoke reminds me of something from a long time ago in my childhood but I simply can't place it at all.

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By the way, the smoke has been really cool during this whole process and the cigar hasn't got hot at all. Still at 7:45pm the smoke seems mild at first and then it tells another story. It was time to ash at this point and I still don't know what to think about this Opus. But I wanted unique and different, then this would be it. I still have a slight buzz going on here and I am wondering if its from the alcohol taste I have picked up or just a nicotine buzz.

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Now at 7:53pm a slight Opus X taste comes out. Time for the big band to come off at 7:55pm and was perfect this time. The band removals on these Opus X CFCF box has been a hit and miss. Some come off cleanly and others just tear. I ashed again at 7:58pm and no cigar has stumped me like this one has. I still can't decide about this cigar and the thoughts of "I hope its a dud" comes to mind. Now I am getting hungry for food.

Even at 8:05pm, I haven't seen any real changes over what I have written so far about this cigar experience. Even now I have entertained the idea of tossing whats left of the Double Robusto and its about 2" left. Still the same after taste with the peppery notes to it. The raspberry subtle note comes out at 8:12pm. But it comes as fast as it goes. Not consistant whatsoever. First major touch up takes place at 8:15pm.

Ash time at 8:18pm since the correction is complete. As this cigar isn't cutting it, I'm tossing the last 1" of it and eating dinner.

For the over all impression. I still to date can't give this cigar any rating on a 1 to 100 scale. I'm still hoping that the first Double Robusto was a dud and yes, I've had some Opus that was off. The alcohol taste started to get much stronger at the end and that part was a turn off. I will post pictures of this cigar another day. I still have one of these left and will revisit it at another time and I hope the experience is much better than it was the first time around. I revisited another one from this box and the experience was better than the first time around. I forget which one it was too. So in short...this was one confusing Opus X.

**Mr Peat** · 04-27-2007, 12:57 PM

I revisited the Double Robusto last night and it was actually pretty good. I'm thinking hte first one was just a tad off as the second one was so much better. I'd probably have given the 2nd one a 92 out of a 100 point scale.

**Mr Peat** · 05-02-2007, 01:11 AM

I smoked the Opus X BBMF yesterday morning. I will be posting the review hopefully tonight and get caught up on the pictures in the several reviews that need them. I got selected for Jury Duty so I get to see if I get selected today. More than likely not, but I still have to jump through the hoops. The Jury Duty tour is 3 months long so I can be called to serve for some time to come.

**Mr Peat** · 05-15-2007, 07:05 AM

1st May 2007 I decided to smoke the Big Bad Mother F***er aka BBMF.

After a visual inspection at 4:44am of this cigar, I found no visual flaws whatsoever. Even the "flower" was in perfect shape. Its a shame that I had to cut that off as its not common to find one with a flower like this. All I smell is a nice sweet raspberry smell radiating off the cigar. Hopefully I will be in for a real treat if the smell is any indication of what is to come. I decided to pull out my Casa Fuente Xikar for this cigar as I don't want any dull blades cutting this cigar.

I managed to cut this cigar at 4:49am and it was flawless. The predraw seems a little tight but that will change as soon as I put a flame to it. I decided to do something different with this review and its to watch the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" versus the usual Russian music.

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Lighting this cigar at 4:53am. I can easily taste the maduro foot on this one and at the same time, the Opus X characteristics have already shown themselves. The raspberry smell and taste comes out and really starts to open up at 4:55am. About 1/2 way through that small maduro tip. The draw is really nice after the tip is gone. The smoke has undertones of some hidden strength and what appears to be a very mild alcohol smell.

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Exhaling the smoke out of the nose at 5:59am and my impression is that this cigar seems very young even with nearly 2 1/2 years on it. The smoke also adds a little burning sensation to the nasal passage. A woody taste with a mix of something I can't identify has come out at 5:01am. I'm thinking this maybe an interesting smoke and I have smoked my fair share of the BBMF before.

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The burn passed the initial dome section and has been the best I've ever seen on any Arturo Fuente perfecto shaped cigar. With it not needing a touch up at this point is amazing and this is at 5:05am. For some unusual reason I just picked up on a lavender smell for just a brief second and disappeared as fast as it came which I am thankful for. Not a characteristic I want in a cigar.

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Subtle notes that this is an Opus has reappeared. The unique woody/raspberry combination I get off a Opus isn't overwhelming. I find this cigar is a big teaser for what is to come and noted at 5:08am. Again, the last puff had the raspberry/wood taste to it with a little mingle of alcohol. The after taste is also unique which is the notes I've already mentioned.

Just for a brief second, i thought I had a nutty coffee taste appear at 5:10am. Even now, the lips have started to tingle a little. I can definitely say there isn't another Opus like this one so far. Due to its size, I feel the true taste is being muted. But I'm digging it so far. Now at 5:15am, I got the wild raspberry taste which seemed creamy as if they was warmed up on a hot skillet with some alcohol. Maybe some Brandy. This characteristic seems to work for now.

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The draw has been very nice and plenty of smoke off each puff. Taking a brief moment to mention the ash as its kind of flaky yet its still solid. Time to ash at 5:18am and will see how this cigar will open up after. A subtle hint of an underlining strength has come through once again at 5:19am. I'm wondering if this is due to the subtle alcohol taste and smell I'm picking up on. I have to watch inhaling the smoke as its pretty potent. So far the cigar has been pretty consistent up to this point.

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Time to ash at 5:27am. Still has the underlining strength profile I've noted previously, yet the cigar isn't like an Opus any more. Sometimes the BBMF has reminded me of the Chili Pepper. Time for a minor touch up at 5:31am. The raspberry notes has come back again at 5:32am.

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Just did a brief inspection of the area I cut and the tar build up is starting to fill the center. Again the woody notes at 5:35am and the alcohol taste and smell. My poor nasal passages feel like they are on fire while the eyes water a little bit. Time to ash once again at 5:39am and a little touch up.

I have to say that this smoke has always been interesting to review. Interesting transition at 5:47am. Something has made an appearance and I haven't decided if its good or bad yet. Possible due to the tar build up. A nutty/woody taste once again at 5:52am and also the burnt taste once again. Time for the 2005 band to come off and ash while a minor touch up is needed. The band came off relatively easy this time around.

Time to ash once again at 6:03am. Not much for changes at this point worth taking notes on. I just made the cigar hot at 6:07am to see if something else would come out after so its time to let it cool down for a minute or two. At 6:10am, I'm getting a slight after taste of raspberry. Again at 6:16am, the Opus X band had to come off and this time it was very easy. No damages to the band whatsoever as the infamous Arturo Fuente super glue wasn't present on this band. I did have to do a minor touch up at this point in time and ash the cigar. For a brief moment I had an after thought of I just ate a Pepper corn Steak at 6:26am.

Still not much changes since the last impression but it has a nice woody after taste at 6:31am. I'm getting pretty hungry at this point and this now leads into another ashing. So far the smoke has stayed pretty cool in the mouth as long as I don't get the cigar hot. Once again at 6:40am it was ash time. This was the last 3/4" of the cigar and it didn't change from this point out.

My overall impression of this cigar is that it was tasty and different from the Prometheus BBMF. This cigar wasn't impressive to me when I first smoked it a few years ago but has gradually grown on me in that I enjoy it now. I think I'd have given this one a 90 out of a 100 points.

**Mr Peat** · 05-16-2007, 07:24 AM

Pictures have been added to the Lancero and Double Robusto Reviews. Unfortunately my batteries died and I have to get some more so the BBMF pictures will have to wait.

Edited to add...ALL pictures up to date for the reviews. Next one will be the X Square in a few days and looking forward to wrapping this up.

**Mr Peat** · 05-22-2007, 10:33 AM

I smoked like 25 to 30 cigars between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so I'm doing a little recovery for the last Review. I smoked it on Friday, but I feel it was a dud so I will be revisiting the X Square real soon and hopefully its much better this time around.