Ok, well, I was in the same boat, reading all the gushing that was being done by the members here about the Opus' and I hadn't tried one.
Well, I had a BOTL SamuraiJack hand me one last week, and I will say it was a good cigar.
Was it something I enjoyed . . . Yes.
Would I smoke one again . . . Yes.
Was it the best I'd ever had . . . No.
Was it something I would horde for special occasions only . . . No.
Was it something I would kill my family for . . . No.
Was it something I would ever pay more than the retail for . . . No.
Did it live up to the constant hype it recieves on this board . . . No.
Now I may not be an aficionado, but I have a decent idea of taste and can normally pick out the nuances of flavor in a cigar, especially when I sit down with a clean pallete and focus on nothing but the cigar, like I do when I want to review something.
Now I smoked the Opus while playing poker with my buddy's only one of which I would consider a real BOTL and he's the one who gave it to me, and primarily a CC smoker.
I wasn't paying as much attention to the cigar as I could have been, but I did nub it.
Now, I liked it, I truly did. But it did not live up to the constant creaming of the pants that goes on here in regards to the Opus.
It is rare, and people seem to be in love with them, and if that is what you prefer . . . great, but I still say it's largely psychosomatic, based on the hype, you read over and over again about how it is such an amazing cigar, and then you buy into it and you smoke it, with the foreknowledge that "this is what a great cigar should be" well, self fullfilling prophecy and all that, and you have, what has, in your mind, become the best cigar. And there is nothing wrong with that, what is wrong is assuming that anyone who doesn't like it is stupid, or just doesn't know what is good. Taste is subjective. While I would never pick up a macanudo from walgreens and claim it is a good cigar, that is not because of it's price, or because of the stigma around it, it is because the taste doesn't appeal to me. It's the same thing with more pricey cigars, I will try it, before I make my opinion on whether or not it is a good cigar.
This, to me is how you can really get to enjoy cigars to the fullest, don't trick yourself into loving a stick because of the hype, figure out what you like, and enjoy that to it's fullest!
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the Opus, and if another one comes my way or crosses my path, I will smoke it, but I'm not planning on hunting any down, and I certainly won't pay the exhorbinant prices that some people (not on this board) would consider charging for one simply because of the rarity and the hype.
Disclaimer: this next comment is in NO WAY meant to be connected with the Opus, but IS connected with the idea of HYPE!
A piece of Leonardo DaVinci's feces would certainly be a rare find, and of incredible value to someone, and I'm sure if the rumor was out that it existed, people would be hunting it down and willing to pay anything for it, but that doesn't mean I have any desire to pick it up and smoke it!
*edited to add . . .
First of all, your average Opus shouldn't cost much more than your average Montecristo. The fact that there are scumbags that mark up the price by a few hundred percentage points, doesn't mean that this is the price of the cigar. While some people love the Opus X, I know of many that can't smoke one. My suggestion is to pick one up from an honest retailer and try it for yourself. A good cigar is one that YOU like....not anyone else.
Israel hits this one on the head. Taste is a very subjective quantity.
Also, as your interests in the leaf progress, so will your tastes and the ability to discern more and more subtle differences. An Opie might not be "worth it" to a newcomer, but well worth it to a more experienced smoker. Or, you may dislike them.
I understand the idea here, but the implication is that you are saying, if you are a real smoker, you will like the Opus. I assume that is not your intention, because you do leave it open for dislike, but I just had to point that out, as I really hate that sentiment of discounting someone's preferences because they haven't "developed" into your own, taste is subjective, no matter how long you have been smoking.
I mean no ill will or provocation towards anyone with any of these comments, just had to put my thoughts out there. Please understand.