As of late, I have been smoking through the Nub 8-Cigar Sampler by Oliva Cigar Company. Thus far, I have reviewed the Nub Cameroon and Nub Habano with the Nub Maduro up for review today. Nub is a brand that was created by Sam Leccia, former Sales Representative of Oliva Cigar Co, and has been on the shelves of tobacconists for over a decade.

Produced in Nicaragua at the Tabacalera Oliva De Esteli S.A. factory, the Nub line is available in Connecticut, Cameroon, Maduro, and Habano wrapper options. Maduro frontmarks include 460 (4 by 60) and 464T (4 by 64 Torpedo).

You can give the Nub Maduro 460 and 464T a try for yourself in the Nub 8-Cigar Sampler from our good friends over at Holt’s Cigar Company.

THE FACTS

• Price: $27.95/8-Cigar Sampler
• Vitola: 460
• Size: 4 by 60
• Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Smoke Time: 1 Hour

PRE-LIGHT

The Brazilian Maduro leaf on the Nub Maduro is dark brown and consistent in color from head to foot. There are a few small veins webbing down the leaf with a fine tooth. Even with the tooth, the cigar feels almost silky to the touch.

Barnyard and a faint sweetness come across on the wrapper, while a big chocolate note, graham cracker, cedar, and pepper are noted on the foot of the cigar. The draw is free allowing cedar and a sharp cinnamon spice to move across the palate.

FIRST THIRD

A traditional Maduro sweetness is first to greet my palate once the Nub Maduro is lit. Earth, a sour edge, and medium pepper follow the sweetness with black coffee on the finish of the smoke. The sweetness fades as the other flavors push to the forefront of the profile about half an inch in. The cigar is burning along with a minor wave as a light gray ash forms.

MIDDLE THIRD

Pulling into the second third of the Nub Maduro, a dry cedar, almost pencil-shavings like, is now alongside the coffee. There remains only a hint of sweetness in the background of the medium profile. A small section of the wrapper is struggling to burn along with the rest of the cigar. A quick hit with the lighter is needed before I move into the final third and it is at this point that the first ash drops.

FINAL THIRD

Pepper, earth, and coffee make up the profile in the last leg of the journey through the Nub Maduro. Retrohaling the smoke, the spice is a little fuller and tickling the sinuses. While the flavors are on the low side of medium, a richness is developing as I near its end.

WRAP-UP

The Nub Maduro presented a mild to medium profile with earth, coffee, and pepper being the dominant flavors with a few other notable flavors moving in and out through the smoke. With that said, I wouldn’t characterize the profile as complex. Additionally, just like the Nub Habano, I wish the sweetness held its ground through the entire cigar. A performance hiccup was encountered in the middle third with some difficulty with the wrapper burning, but the ash still held to the halfway point and the draw was no issue from start to finish. And while I cannot put my finger on it, the Nub Maduro left me wanting something more.