I purchased this cigar a year ago this time, so it's been sitting in my humidor and waiting to be smoked. To be quite honest, I've been let down by opus lately, the ones I've smoked last few months are just weak in flavors and strong in nicotine content, not a great combination and I was ready to give up. Well, the opus robusto redeemed its line for me. Before I begin to give the review, I have to say that this is one of the most complex NCs I've ever smoked and I am glad I waited a year for it. I understand opusx lately have been unpredictable and I hope the next batch will be close to what I had today. Here's the brief review:
I must note that my review system is different from CA, for me, construction is not important, draw is important but it does not add points to the cigar, I believe that when I'm paying 12+ for a cigar, I expected at least decent construction and a good draw, they are not bonuses to the cigar but a must. Having said that, construction was impeccable, the ash held for an inch and half before I brushed it off, the draw was perfect, not too loose but had that perfect "tug" that I enjoyed. Burn was right on the mark (I keep everything at 65% RH and I did not dry box), I only had to fix it up once and that was me being anal more than anything. The cigar is just beautiful, fine oils, no large veins and with a fine aroma before lighting.

Flavor: as I mentioned before, this is one of the most complex NC I've ever had. The cigar started off with a bang, mild spices, not in your face in anyway, but just lingered on the background enough to add complexity to the overall flavor. slight earthiness and a very, very rich roasted coffee bean accompanied by a very creamy texture. This lasted for about half an inch before an amazing rich layer of honey was added to the mix. This continued for the first 1/3rd, where it was perfected balanced between light spice, dark roasted coffee bean and honey. The finish was loooong, lasting minutes on the palate with a slight bitter chocolate taste.
At the 2/3rd, the cigar picked up a little on the strength, it is no medium-full bodied. The spices died down almost completely, what replaced it was hint of leather with a very pleasant oak flavor that accompanied the roasted coffee bean and honey (which died down a little as well). The leather perfectly balanced the oak and the honey flavors that were present, just amazing.
At the last third of the cigar, spice picked up, still not in any level that overwhelmed the taste, but just intense enough to add complexity to the cigar, the honey notes completely disappeared. What remained was a leathery and a very rich dark coffee (espresso) like taste that lasted minutes on the palate. The oak disappeared at the last third but again, the flavors were perfectly balanced, strength was more on the full side but never overwhelming. Dark chocolate flowed through with about an inch left. The cigar never got hot even as I got to the nub, construction was impeccable, it was so smooth through the nose that I was utterly surprised.

Final thoughts: This cigar embodies not only what a great OpusX should taste like, but what a great cigar, NC and CC alike, should be. If I smoked this blind I would swear that this is not dominican tobacco, you can never confuse this with CC but the level of depth, the richness, balance and the amazing complexity of this cigar is stunning. I am amazed by this opusX and I hope that the rest of my batch is as good as this.

Rating: This cigar scored easily a 93, maybe a 94, I wonder what another 6 months would do to this cigar, but I'm afraid the flavors might start to go mild a little if I waited. However, if it does improve with another year or two of aging this could have the potential to reach 96.

Great review man! Like you i have had a spotty record with opus x cigars, but when you do get that special one you realize what the fuss is all about. It's just too bad they aren't this good from the get go.

I've smoked a bunch and have never been disappointed. I got an Opus double corona box filled with different sizes & I'm trying hard not to stick my hand in that cookie jar until they're aged at least a year. I learned a lesson though, one time on an empty stomach I got hit with the double corona's nicotine bomb three quarters into the cigar and almost considered giving up the rest.

Nice review.

I currently have 2 boxes of Opus Robustos aging in my cabinet.

Waiting for them to age a bit is killing me, but in order to assure myself a good balanced smoke I will give them some time.

Nice review Stoke.....tonight I had an Opus robusto, my first Opus of any kind in over 6 months. It was one damn good cigar. The cigar was a gift from "smoketest" and it had a 2005 band on it. I'm guessing it came from the Opus 22 humidor from 2005. With 4 years of age on it, the most glaring aspect of this cigar was it's smoothness. It's been so long since I had an Opus, I'm not sure, but it was probably one of the best Opus cigars I've ever had, mellow and flavorful, just a wonderful experience.



"Laissez les bon temps rouler"

I have many Opus X's about 25-30 aging in my humnidors and can't wait to smoke one. They have about 7 months on them now!

Man, I have two DCs that I've been aching to smoke, I probably will smoke one soon. I do wish they were more consistent though, but the robusto, of all the sizes that I've smoked, has been the best so far. Doc, why do you prefer the super belicoso over the other sizes? I would love to hear your take on the different sizes as I'm certain you've had way more opus than I've had cigars in general.

Don't know about Doc, but I've always found the Super-Beli to be very consistent and have a nice complexity. One of my favorites also.

Excellent review. thanks for the post