Radfords Opus One

The nutty, earthy, woody, lightly sharp. lightly spicy burley is the most prominent tobacco in the mix. I’m not sure about the sweet topping on the burley, but it reminds me a little of brandy. The lightly floral lemon and black Virginias provide a little citrus, grass, wood, and earth as secondary players. The strength is mild, while the taste is a step or two past that level. The nic-hit is also mild. Burns a little slow and warm on the tongue, and may bite a fast puffer. The mildly sweet and savory flavor is a tad inconsistent. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a short lived after taste. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Radfords blended Opus One for Davidoff for awhile. But, while Davidoff pipes were getting rave reviews, this blend was not. So, Davidoff cut its ties with Opus. They are to be congratulated for doing so. Opus One is really a cased burley mixture with a hint of virginia. The flavoring is very sweet. It does burn cool, but lacks the true tobacco taste that I enjoy.

One thing you will notice about Opus, it packs as easily as any ready rubbed blend on the market. It is very finely cube cut, and for those of you pipesters who have 4mm air holes in your pipes, well, be prepared to suck up some tobacco along with your smoke--it is that finely cut.

Opus One is no longer as readily available on the market as it was when it carried the Davidoff name. Lets all count that as a blessing!

Opus one is a very easy smoking mixture that I smoke as a change of pace. There is a light casing in the burleys but there is enough virginia to keep me interested. I found that the casing was not at all obtrusive and that the virginia flavor shined through, giving me a very enjoyable smoking experience.

The flavors stayed consistent throughout the bowl and burned completely with no residue at all.

I give this a 4 out of 5.