From the way you describe "gold standard" as being the cigar that brought you to "the madness", I would say it was the LGC Serie R #4 Maduro. When I smoked that cigar, I changed from an occasional smoker to a regular smoker. It offered a full body and flavor i had yet to smoke in all the mild stuff i had smoked on and off for years prior to that. The variety of cigars i have smoked since then have seemed to be good and bad, some awful, some amazing. I wouldn't say an Opus or Anejo or some aged Cuban is a measuring gauge because I would be disappointed in an awful lot of cigars I smoke.