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Old 09-18-2010, 12:57 PM   #1
jazznut
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Fuente Opus X Double Corona

Fuente Opus X Double Corona

Country of fabrication: Dominican Republic
Dimensions of cigar: Approximately 7.6 inches by 49-ring gauge
Provenance: Gifted. Well aged.

Date of review: Saturday September 18, 2010
Setting: A sunny afternoon on the back porch.
Accompanying beverages: Blandy’s 1977 Vintage Bual Madeira, bottled in 2006, plus a glass of cool filtered water.

Colour and texture of wrapper leaf: Black walnut to cocoa brown with profuse, dark Indian red markings. A softly glowing sheen from the oils.
Box press: Next to none.
Roll compactness: Exemplary.
Finger feel: Firm with a slight resilience.

Combustion characteristics: Light grey to charcoal ash hue. Some angling of the ash perimeter. Otherwise excellent, with a perfect draw throughout.
Total session time: Approximately 1˝-hour.

Pre-light aroma: Dark chocolate. Red wine sediment. Dried currants. Rich earth. Extremely faint suggestions of wood and herbs along with a whiff of mustiness.
Post-light aroma: A rather sweet, Bourbon-like, fruit fragrance alongside plenty of rich, toasted tobacco. The berry aspect lurked in the background.

Palate overture: Medium bodied. Rounded. Dark chocolate. Nicaraguan coffee. Well matured, toasted tobacco. Leaning marginally toward sweetness. Here, the Madeira accentuated the smoothness of the Opus blend.
Early stages: Even more harmonious, with the dark chocolate element acquiring a distinct earthiness. Subtle floral and herbal notes appearing for the first time. At this stage, the raisin-citrus thrust of the fortified wine lent a plush fruitiness to the proceedings.
Further in: An ascendancy of the core tobacco taste. Some musk as well as a touch of tongue tingling acidity. Balanced. Beautifully pitched interplay between Madeira and cigar at this point.
Mid portion: Yet greater escalation in the intensity of the tobacco flavour, the overall tenor now approaching a full bodied character as drier earth, cedar and spice took center stage. Shades of a Cuban Saint Luis Rey without the honey and citrus, perhaps?
Latter stages: A return to that dark chocolate and coffee demeanour, plus notes of tamarind roasted almonds. Here, the Madeira seemed to elicit nuances of molasses and ginger from the Double Corona.
Toward the finish: Settling back into a medium bodied, more monotone but no less composed flavour presentation. Ripe tobacco to the fore. Mushroom-like hints of old Champagne, too. Quite soft and silky, though evidencing a very slight spice infused prickle near the end.

Summary: An eminently pleasurable cigar exhibiting complexity as well as a quite dynamic flavour progression during the better part of the session. Pairing the Opus X with the Blandy’s Madeira proved a very satisfying match.
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