I might have bought a dud

[VeLoRoK]

Hey there BOTL. I'm new here, and like all internet forum newbs i am going to post without searching because I'm the most important person ever so even if this question has been asked before only my case actually matters. Lol. (Sorry if this has been asked before, seriously)
OK, that said, here's the situation. I went to a very popular local cigar shop today, wanting to try something I've never had, you know, really treat myself. So as I'm in the humidor, the clerk is stocking the shelves with some Opus X, and he kind of soft sells me on one and i go for it. I sit down in the lounge, fire it up, and it's just…nothing. A cigar flavored cigar. No nuance, no discernable flavor of anything other than its a cigar. And it was very dry in my palate. The wrapper cracked while i was smoking it. And it wouldn't stay lit (which confuses me because i want to think that the cigar was dry from transit or something). So i was really disappointed. I mentioned to the guy, when he asked what i thought, that it wasn't my favorite, it's just OK. Which it was. Or it would have been if it's paid $2.50 instead of $20 for it. So, i smoked it. But i feel like it wasn't right. There's no way that cigar could be so hyped if that's all there was to it. Should i go back and say something? Or just take it as a lesson? Maybe these really are fantastic cigars and i just got a bad one. What, if anything, would you do? I just started smoking again after a long time away, and it was only my second time at this shop, and the first time I've ever seen that clerk so i don't know if they would even care if i said anything. Anyway, just looking for some feedback. Going to go smoke an El Rey del Mundo (which at $3 are waaaaaay better than that Opus X). Thanks all.

 

[navyvet]

i wouldn't say anything alot of people don't smoke cigars straight from a shop humidor, and like you said it may have just been a dud. most of the opus i have had i liked but when you are paying 20+ for a cigar alot of people imagine it's going to be tits sometime that just isn't the case with some of those higher priced cigars. the god of fire series b maduro i bet you wouldn't have the same reaction or the 20th don carlos higher priced and miraculous. if you smokem and you don't think so there has to be something wrong with ya

 

[StogieNinja]

I'm betting it was actually wet. The cracking wrapper and issues keeping it lit along with the muted flavor scream over humidification to me, which is common.

Also, Opus X need some downtime to reach potential. Several years. They're not great fresh.

 

[D Quintero]

outright favoring fresh opus tends to grow out of a many years / well advanced familiarity with ffox's blends age vs. profile spectrum .
in effect , a level that relatively seldom reach let alone voice

loved fresh 5's and power rangers - paired with stagg that is .

*disclaimer* raw opus often detrimentally oozes oils

 

[sean]

I'm betting it was actually wet. The cracking wrapper and issues keeping it lit along with the muted flavor scream over humidification to me, which is common.

Also, Opus X need some downtime to reach potential. Several years. They're not great fresh.

I'm with D, here. Wet cigars crack, and taste flat. Classic issue with smoking straight outta the B&M humidor...

 

[VeLoRoK]

I'm with D, here. Wet cigars crack, and taste flat. Classic issue with smoking straight outta the B&M humidor...

Well that sucks. I feel like they should sell it in a ready to smoke fashion, or tell you otherwise at least.

 

[wantacigar]

Well that sucks. I feel like they should sell it in a ready to smoke fashion, or tell you otherwise at least.

They are in the business of selling cigars to smoke. They don't care what most experienced cigar smokers say or do. Whenever I go to a cigar store/lounge I buy a decent cigar, put it in my travel humi and proceed to smoke something I brought. That cigar I bought I place in my humi at 65%rh for a minimum of 4 weeks. Cigar shops keep their stuff at least at 70% They do this because the walk in doors open and close all day sapping the RH out of there and they are terrified of their cigars drying out.

A little tip if you are going to smoke straight out of the B&M humi......Look through some of the cigars and narrow down what you want to smoke in profile and/or manufacturer. Look for the cigar box "hidden" behind other boxes that may have a little dust or yellow on the cellophane. This will let you know that the cigar has been there for a little longer than a month. The older the better. If they've been "hidden" behind other stuff they are not taking the full force of their fog machines. This will give you a cigar that has been aging a bit and possibly not too over humidified.

 

[VeLoRoK]

They are in the business of selling cigars to smoke. They don't care what most experienced cigar smokers say or do. Whenever I go to a cigar store/lounge I buy a decent cigar, put it in my travel humi and proceed to smoke something I brought. That cigar I bought I place in my humi at 65%rh for a minimum of 4 weeks. Cigar shops keep their stuff at least at 70% They do this because the walk in doors open and close all day sapping the RH out of there and they are terrified of their cigars drying out.

A little tip if you are going to smoke straight out of the B&M humi......Look through some of the cigars and narrow down what you want to smoke in profile and/or manufacturer. Look for the cigar box "hidden" behind other boxes that may have a little dust or yellow on the cellophane. This will let you know that the cigar has been there for a little longer than a month. The older the better. If they've been "hidden" behind other stuff they are not taking the full force of their fog machines. This will give you a cigar that has been aging a bit and possibly not too over humidified.

Excellent advice, and is it OK to bring your own cigar to smoke at a shop? i thought that might be frowned upon, like bringing a flask to a bar.

 

[wantacigar]

Excellent advice, and is it OK to bring your own cigar to smoke at a shop? i thought that might be frowned upon, like bringing a flask to a bar.

Depends on the shop. Most don't mind as long as you purchase at least one there. In my experience.

And besides, if you buy a cigar, sit down and pull out a another, cut and light it. I don't think they're even watching

 

[sean]

Depends on the shop. Most don't mind as long as you purchase at least one there. In my experience.

And besides, if you buy a cigar, sit down and pull out a another, cut and light it. I don't think they're even watching

Yeah, that is good advice. I don't think I'd even thought about digging...

...but I always buy as many sticks as I smoke out of my own stash.

 

[sean]

Well that sucks. I feel like they should sell it in a ready to smoke fashion, or tell you otherwise at least.

They have to error on the side of caution... keep things extra-wet to offset how many times the walk-in door gets opened. And they get to brag to the regulars about how their sticks are kept at 75% RH, which reinforces the notion that you gotta keep the sticks humid.

It is a vicious cycle of over-humidification...

 

[atllogix]

A little tip if you are going to smoke straight out of the B&M humi......Look through some of the cigars and narrow down what you want to smoke in profile and/or manufacturer. Look for the cigar box "hidden" behind other boxes that may have a little dust or yellow on the cellophane. This will let you know that the cigar has been there for a little longer than a month. The older the better. If they've been "hidden" behind other stuff they are not taking the full force of their fog machines. This will give you a cigar that has been aging a bit and possibly not too over humidified.

I really like this advice, thanks!