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.

The post Nub Maduro 460 by Oliva Cigar Company appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Produced in Nicaragua at the Tabacalera Oliva De Esteli S.A. factory, the Nub lines are available in Connecticut, Cameroon, Maduro, and Habano wrapper options. The Cameroon frontmarks include 358 (3 ¾ by 58), 460 (4 by 60), 464T (4 by 64 Torpedo), 466 BPT (4 by 66 Box Press Torpedo).

You can give the Nub Cameroon 464T and 466BPT 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: 464T
Size: 4 by 64 Torpedo
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 5 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

The Nub Cameroon wears a milk chocolate wrapper. Only small veins are found and there are some scattered bumps on the leaf that has a light oily sheen. I find no soft spots, but there are a couple of indentions as I run my fingers down this 4-inch cigar.

The aroma from the wrapper is faint with some generic wood and earth notes. The same woodsy notes are found on the foot of the cigar with an added touch of pepper spice. A quick clip through the tapered head opens up a good draw allowing cold draw notes of rich, warm cedar and potpourri spices to move freely across my palate.

FIRST THIRD

Once lit, medium flavors of nuts, leather, and pepper are first to greet my palate. The smoke is both smooth and thick in the mouth. I find a slightly sour edge to the smoke but it is working well with everything else going on. The Nub Cameroon is burning along evenly as a salt and pepper ash forms.

MIDDLE THIRD

The profile has downshifted from medium to mild as the Nub Cameroon burns into the second third. The sour edge in the previous third is more of a lemon zest now, while the other flavors in the profile remain consistent. The finish of the cigar is very clean with only a lingering black pepper spice.

FINAL THIRD

The sour quality has faded out as the leather kicks up a few notches and a deep earth and cocoa flavor joins in. The thick texture of the smoke remains the same. The retro-hale is smooth but still brings enough spice to the table to tickle my sinuses. The burn is right on up to the very end of the cigar. 

WRAP-UP

This may have been my first go-around with the Nub Cameroon and it was a very positive one at that. The mild to medium profile makes this a perfect morning to early afternoon cigar, but there is also enough spice from the Nicaraguan tobacco to kick your palate into gear. The thick texture paired up with the smoothness of the smoke made it a satisfying experience. And unlike the Nub Habano that struggled to burn, the Cameroon version burned nearly perfect from start to finish.

The post Nub Cameroon 466BPT by Oliva Cigar Company appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Produced at Tabacalera Oliva S.A., the Inferno Singe is a Nicaraguan puro like the Melt and is available in three vitolas: Robusto (5 by 50), Toro (6 by 50), and Churchill (7 by 50).  The Singe comes packaged in 20 count humi-jars and will run you between $90.99 to $99.99 or $7.95 to $8.75 per single stick. You can find other Inferno reviews below:

• Inferno 3rd Degree
• Inferno Flashpoint
• Inferno Melt
• Inferno Scorch

You can purchase the Inferno Singe from our site sponsor Famous Smoke Shop. Make sure to use coupon code “CASASAVINGS” for $15 off orders over $100.

THE FACTS

Price: $7.95
Vitola: Robusto
Size: 5 by 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 25 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

Inferno Singe wears a medium brown oily wrapper. Small veins can be seen criss-crossing down the leaf with only one or two veins medium in size. Oils, an extremely fine tooth and scattered bumps can be felt underneath my fingertips as I examine the cigar for soft spots. There are no soft spots found and the cigar is evenly filled.

An aroma of barnyard, salt and lime come across on the wrapper. The salt and lime combo is just like the Limón Mexican candy packets. Dirt and wood are on the foot. A quick cut through the double cap opens up a good draw. The cold draw flavors are faint with some cedar and light cinnamon spice.

FIRST THIRD

The Inferno Singe begins creamy in the mouth with notes of bright pepper, yeast, wood, and sweetness. There is a sourness to the smoke, but unlike the sour quality of the Scorch that was lighter on the palate, it has an edge to it. The spice is warming my mouth as the cigar burns evenly with a salt and pepper ash being left behind. 

MIDDLE THIRD

Medium flavors and medium strength characterize the Inferno Singe as I make my way into the second third. The smoke production is amazing as the flavors turn to the darker end of the spectrum with dirt and leather matching up with sour flavor. As I slow my pace, the natural tobacco sweetness pulls through and rounds out the profile, along with an added touch of cocoa. While the burn is no longer even, it is of no concern either. 

FINAL THIRD

The earlier wood has made a comeback, but the dirt, leather and cocoa are holding strong. As I pass the smoke through my sinuses, the pepper spice is front and center. With the Inferno Singe winding down, a buttery toast flavor joins in and the dirt is heavy on the finish of the smoke. 

WRAP-UP

Marketed as a full bodied, full flavored cigar, I would describe the Inferno Singe more in the medium realm with flavors pushing to the full side only on occasion. From first light, the Singe evolved from sweet and spicy to dark and spicy with more nuanced flavors moving in and out throughout the experience. And I really don’t have any complaints on the performance. While the burn had a slight wave beginning in the second third, there were no major issues to address. Now to the moment you have all bee waiting for in great anticipation. How do I rank the latest cigars in the Inferno line? Here you have it:

#3 – Inferno Scorch – There were a lot of good qualities to this smoke and some intriguing flavors, but the linear flavor profile lost my interest even in the robusto size. But in no way it is a bad smoke. I recommend trying a couple out to see if it fits your wheelhouse.

#2 – Inferno Singe – See review notes above I recommend a 5-pack.

#1 – Inferno Melt – Rich, spicy and full flavor goodness in a box-pressed format! Doesn’t get much better than that for the price. Grab yourself an entire jar of these.

The post Inferno Singe, a Famous Smoke Shop Exclusive appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Drew Estate

Even with their 2013 releases (Nica Rustica and Kentucky Fire Cured) delayed, the Drew Estate table had no problem drawing the crowds, men and women alike, throughout the day.  With the No. 9, T52, Undercrown, Herrera Esteli, infused lines and Joya de Nicaragua products available, there was something for everyone. Fabian Ziegler, national sales director for Drew Estate, represented the company for their first appearance at Foxtoberfext.

Knowing it would be a full day of cigar smoking, I grabbed a Herrera Esteli to kick off the day.  The more I visit the Herrera Esteli the more I enjoy it. Tony mentioned to me that during his trip to Esteli earlier this year that he smoked a Herrera Esteli each morning. Something about the profile and the way it compliments a cup of Joe makes it a great morning stick.

It was a great event at a great location with lots of happy smokers.  I enjoy hanging and smoking with people who truly enjoy both the simpleness and complexity of a cigar. – Fabian Ziegler

 

J. Fuego Cigars

Jesus Fuego arrived at the event looking like he just finished a deep-sea fishing excursion. Whether on purpose or accident, his apparel was quite fitting since a box purchase of the Edicion de Familia could land you on a deep-sea fishing trip with Jesus. As Tony and I made our way around to Jesus’ table, he introduced us to his new Connoisseur line. My immediate reaction was to reach for the Original size but he insisted that we smoke the Gordo 5 by 60. He couldn’t have been more right. While still uncomfortable in the mouth, the cigar delivered in the flavor department. Unlike my past two experiences with the Connoisseur Originals, the Gordo did not become a dud at the halfway point.

As the end of the event drew near, I made my way back to the table to purchase a brick of the Sangre de Toro Originals as I did last year. Under $2 bucks a stick, I do not think there is a better deal on the market.

Rocky Patel Premium Cigars

Nish Patel attended Foxtoberfest in place of Rocky Patel this year. With a smile as bright as his head, Nish Patel lit up the event. One of the first cigar we were handed  was the Rocky Patel Royale. The Royale was one of several cigars released by Rocky Patel Premium Cigars this year and wears an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos.

As I mentioned in Post 1 of Foxtoberfest, Matt Booth really enjoyed his brief visit to El Paso. Well, Nish had only good things to say about El Paso as well and he will be making another appearance on November 6th at a local shop.

My Father Cigars

Everyone in attendance could agree that the true celebrity of Foxtoberfest was Sparky D’Lighter. Only making a few brief appearance during the event, we were able to capture a moment between Sparky and Jose Ortega. Along with being Sparky’s personal handler, Jose Ortega is the Vice President of Sales for My Father Cigars. You can follow Sparky D’Lighter’s adventures on Twitter, @SparkyDLighter.

Boutique Blends

Rafael Alejandro of Boutique Blends proudly displayed and promoted their Aging Room Maduro that was released at the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show. Since its release, the AR Maduro has been making a lot of noise in social media and cigar review sites. After smoking the Aging Room Small Batch M356 back in February, I have been intrigued with Boutique Blends and keeping an eye out on their cigars.

Not being outdone by fellow manufacturers, Boutique Blends arrived at Foxtoberfest 2013 with a SWAG event exclusive cigar. Tony and I snagged a 5-pack of the SWAG exclusive and will be posting a review in the near future.

Ashton

I was introduced to Ashton’s La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor Reserva line at last year’s Foxtoberfest which I instantly fell in love with , so I was excited to be one of the first to get their  hands on the new San Cristobal Revelation by Ashton. Tony previewed the cigar before the event and had this to say:  “This new release features an Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper, the same wrapper used on Ashton’s Virgin Sun Grown of ‘VSG’ Cigar only using a lower “viso” priming wrapped around Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The cigar will come in 5 sizes, 3 of which are box-pressed and will carry a price point between $6.95 and $9.50 a cigar. This should be a regular production cigar and will come packaged in boxes of 24.”

262 Cigars

Clint Aaron made his second appearance at Foxtoberfest continuing to fight the good fight to bring lanceros back into fad. At the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show, 262 Cigars unveiled the Revere Lancero which was available at the event. While I did not grab one, this is a cigar I plan on hunting down soon. Along with the Revere line, the Ideology and Paradigm lines were also available. I am not sure if Cliff Coen was trying to punish Clint or was just looking for a little entertainment, but he stuck Clint right next to Matt Booth for the 8 hour event. I am sure Clint is seeking psychological help after that.

The folks at Fox seem to one-up themselves with each and every Foxtoberfest. I was honored to be in attendance again this year. Matt Booth frightened me though. It is true what they say, “Don’t feed the animal. – Clint Aaron

With all that was taking place throughout the day, we didn’t have a chance to visit the Xikar or Oliva Cigar Company representatives.

Below is a gallery containing all photos we took at the event. I know it may be a bit of a cumbersome gallery so if you’d like to view them on Facebook instead (no account required) click here.

[nggallery id=4]

The post Foxtoberfest 2013 – Event Coverage (Post 2 of 2) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Ashton Members Lounge is done up top-notch with leather chairs, ten flat panel TVs, private cigar lockers, and much, much more. According to Cliff Coen, owner of Fox Cigar Bar, the lounge is still a work in progress. The place already looks fantastic and I can’t wait to return to Fox Cigar Bar to see the final product.

Smoking our way into early Saturday morning with Wes Thornton of Crowned heads and Cliff, we headed back to the hotel to finally get some rest for the Saturday festivities. After a couple hours of rest, the wives were up ready to begin their shopping adventures and Tony and I were excited to get down to Fox Cigar Bar and enjoy what the day had offer.

Saturday was  turning out to be a beautiful day with the sun shining and the high being in the low 80’s.  At 1:00 manufacturers began to arrive and Fox Cigar Bar staff put up the final touches before the gates opened at 2:00 for Foxtoberfest 2013.

There was an unbelievable turnout at this year’s event. Those in attendance included Eddie Ortega from Ortega Cigar Company, Jose Ortega from My Father, Jesus Fuego from J. Fuego Cigars, Matt Booth from Room 101, Nish Patel from Rocky Patel, Fabian Ziegler from Drew Estate, Tony Gomez and Anthony Cantelmo from La Flor Dominicana, Rafael Alejandro from Boutique Blends, Wes Thornton from the Crowned Heads, Clint Aaron from 262 Cigars, David Fraser from Xikar, Meera Levin from Ashton, Terence Reilly from SAG Imports, Jeff Nolen from Oliva Cigars, and Glynn Loope from CRA.

Tony and I had an opportunity touch base with several manufacturers throughout the day.  Below, you will find highlights of the events but in no way does this encompass all of the day’s shenanigans.

Crowned Heads

Wes Thornton of Crowned Heads happened to be in the best shape when we arrived at Fox Cigar Bar Friday evening. While I am not sure of Wes’ official title, a blog post at crownedheads.com refers to his position as an ambassador of Crowned Heads who acts as a liaison between the company and their retail partners. Making our way to some open leather chairs, we sat down with Wes to shoot the bull and see what was in the works at Crowned Heads. One topic of discussion was the 2013 limited edition Headley Grange Drumstick. In Wes’ opinion, the Headley Grande Drumstick is the best cigar to come out of Crowned Heads to-date. The first shipment went out the previous Tuesday but had yet to arrive at Fox Cigar Bar the day of the festival.

The Crowned Heads booth showcased all three of their regular production brands: Four Kicks, Headley Grange, and J.D. Howard Reserve. A sampler made up of two cigars from each line above, named the 6 Shooter, was available for under $50.

Ortega Cigar Company

Making his second appearance at Foxtoberfest, Eddie Ortega, owner of Ortega Cigar Company, made quite the arrival with his Foxtoberfest exclusive cigar, appropriately named “The Fox”. Check out Tony’s review here. While The Fox was the talk of the event, the Ortega Serie “D” and Ortega Minis were also out on display. The Ortega Serie “D” has been a staple in my humidor since its release and I do not see that changing anytime soon considering the flavors and excellent price. And if you are looking for a great commuter cigar, I highly recommend trying out the Minis.

Tony and I were able to spend a good amount of time with the lady-killer throughout the day. While most conversation did not involve cigars, I did ask what his favorite cigar was in the Wild Bunch series. According to Eddie, Dandy McCoy (see Tony’s review here) ranks high up there. He even hinted of a possible continuation of the cigar after the completion of the Wild Bunch.

Cliff puts on a great yearly event and I’m very glad to be part of the manufacturers he invites. It was great event again this year, I think it just keeps growing and getting better every year. – Eddie Ortega

La Flor Dominicana

Tony Gomez and Anthony Cantelmo manned the LFD booth. For those unaware, Tony Gomez is Litto Gomez’s son. Also, you may be familiar with Anthony Cantelmo’s work at cigarbrief.com . Anthony was present at Foxtoberfest in 2012 but in a much different role, as an employee of Fox Cigar Bar. In Early 2013, he moved from Arizona to east Texas to start a new job with La Flor Dominicana as the Southwest Area Manager. Anthony must be a good salesman because he was able to get Tony Gomez to attend this year’s event. LFD has grabbed my attention this past year and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to grab the La Flor Dominicana Foxtoberfest exclusive cigar. The cigar sports a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Cameroon binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. Keep your eyes out for a review of this special cigar in the near future.

My impression was that it went really well and that the Folks at Fox are doing a fantastic job at creating a wonderful destination spot for cigar lovers in the Valley of the Sun. Our sales this year were great and we had a fantastic time making a special cigar to commemorate the festival. – Anthony  Cantelmo

I thought the event was just awesome. Mitch, Rob, Cliff, and the crew over there are top notch. You couldn’t ask for a better venue to enjoy a smoke & a cocktail with good company. It’s definitely an event worth going to. – Antonio Gomez

SAG Imports

Tony found his soul mate during the event, Mr. Terence Reilly of SAG imports.  Not only is Terence a cigar guys, but he is also a huge beer guy. As I smoked away, Tony and Terence lost themselves in conversation over beer. But for real, Terence is one of the most friendly, down to earth guys in the industry.

The SAG Imports table showcased the seasonally released Quesada Oktoberfest that first appeared in 2011. The cigar is blended to be paired with Marzen style beers that are enjoyed during fall season. Tony reviewed the 2011 release here and absolutely loved it. In conversation with Terence, he mentioned that while the 2011 and 2012 releases had very similar flavor profiles, he does note some profile difference in the 2013 release.

Foxtoberfest is an incredible event because it captures everything people enjoy about cigars. The store is incredible to begin with and has an amazing bar selection, and when you combine that with food music anda bunch of cigar lovers it creates an amazing atmosphere. – Terence Reilly

Room 101 Cigars

Just a few days before Foxtoberfest, Matt Booth of Room 101 was in our neck of the woods for an event at a local shop. It is extremely rare for El Paso to see individuals of his caliber from the cigar industry. Our busy schedules kept us from hanging out with Matt during his stay, but a couple of our smoking buddies stopped by. Chatting with Matt on Saturday, he mentioned that he really enjoyed El Paso. Hopefully, this is a first of many things to come for the cigar community in El Paso.

If you have ever met Matt you know he is quite the character with a quick wit. It was a good thing Tony had a few drinks in him because he was able to dish it back out. I on the other hand had to go hide in a corner.  For a $100, attendees could pick up a 10 pack of Room 101 cigars and an awesome ashtray. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I didn’t jump on the deal. I am kicking myself for that.

The cattle are dying, the answer is Room 101. – Matt Booth

Cigar Rights of America

Last year, Patrick Carr, Field Manager, managed the CRA booth single-handily. Whether it was from the great membership turnout the previous year or just not wanting to miss an awesome cigar and beer festival, Glynn Loope, Executive Director, made his way to Gilbert, AZ to enjoy the festivities, as well as represent an organization that is fighting for our rights to enjoy fine cigars.

If you are unaware, “Cigar Rights of America (CRA) is a national advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the rights of the Consumer, Retail Tobacconist, Supply Chain and Manufacturers of premium cigars. In an effort to combat the threats of enjoying, selling, and producing premium cigars, Cigar Rights of America serves as a voice at each level of government and with the public at-large on issues of significance to the industry as a whole, and the cigar consumers of America, specifically.”

I took the time to renew my membership at the event which only took a couple of minutes. The guys over at CRA were kind enough to throw in a travel humidor with the renewal. If you are not a member, I encourage you to sign up here.

CRA was well represented at this year’s Foxtoberfest, during the event we signed up over 75 new members and proceeds from the golf tournament also went to fight the battle to protect our rights to enjoy premium tobacco products. We would like to thank Fox Cigar Bar and its staff for allowing us to be part of this year’s event, Fox is a model B&M shop supporting CRA and our efforts to help protect our rights to enjoy premium cigars and keep our passion alive! – Patrick Carr, Field Manager

Below is a gallery containing all photos we took at the event. I know it may be a bit of a cumbersome gallery so if you’d like to view them on Facebook instead (no account required) click here.

[nggallery id=4]

The post Foxtoberfest 2013 – Event Coverage (Post 1 of 2) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Much like last year’s release, Oliva’s Melanio Maduro made it’s debut at the IPCPR show in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. The blend is based on the Melanio with only one tweak, they replaced the Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper with a Mexican San Andreas Maduro, much like the one used on the past year’s Serie V Maduro (you can read Jeremy’s review here).

Like the Serie V Maduro the Melanio Maduro is a limited to only 10,000 boxes and are already starting to hit shelves. The blend still carries the same Nicaraguan filler and Binder from the standard Melanio blend. The Melanio Maduro will come in boxes of 10 and will run $130 a box of $13 a cigar. The 6.5 x 52 Boxed pressed torepdo is the only format offered in the Maduro line. I got these from the beautiful people over at Bonita Smoke Shop who already have them in stock, and ready to ship! go. now.

Size: 6.5 x 52 Box-Pressed Torpedo
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium/Full
Body: Full
Price: $13
Pairing: Terrapin Dos Cocoas (Chocolate Porter 5.6% ABV)

Prelight: The Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro stats out with this beautifully dark wrapper. The standard Melanio wrapper already carried a pretty dark wrapper and you can see a considerable difference between the two. The wrapper is a dark chocolate brown with a few darker webs throughout the leaf. There are a few very low, almost seamless veins running through the body. Like the Melanio, the Melanio Maduro is box pressed and comes to a very sharp point in it’s torpedo style cap. The wrapper has some slight oils to it and interesting enough the wrapper showcases more and more tooth the closer that you get to the cap. The wrapper is also very, very tough. It feels as hard as a rock and the entire cigar is firm giving almost nothing as I squeeze it between my fingers. The Melanio Maduro carries the same band as the standard Melanio but the secondary  band is primarily gold instead of brown and states “Melanio Maduro” on it.

The wrapper on the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro has a very strong spice aroma while the foot smells like sweet chocolate and tobacco. The cap was a bit tough but after a bit it cup very clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produces lots and lots of chocolate, sweetness, and spice.

First Smoke: Oliva’s Serie V Melanio Maduro starts out with a nice pepper greeting followed up by lots of spice, cinnamon, chocolate, sweet tobacco, and soft cedar. The sweetness is considerably strong right off the bat. The pepper faded quickly, which I wasn’t expecting. I remember the standard Melanio carrying much more pepper than the Maduro so I am pretty sure the wrapper had a lot to do with that. This is such a sweet, creamy, and bold smoke right from the start. The draw is perfect producing lots and lots of thick white smoke with every puff. I need to mention again how much I love this format. The draw is always perfect and the cigar fits so comfortably in your hand. The burnline is razor sharp and dead even right from the start leaving behind a beautiful white, and light gray tightly compacted ash which held on for a bit over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The flavors in this Oliva V Serie V Melanio have become much more creamy. The chocolate and sweetness are still the main factors along with a milky cream, cinnamon and spice, with a bit of nut. The retrohale is very sharp, and very spicy with lots of pepper and cedar. I found it a bit rough and didn’t retrohale this cigar very often. The burnline is stick perfectly even and razor sharp while I am feeling only a very slight nicotine kick as I close out the second third of this cigar.

Finish: The strength in the cigar began to ramp up in the final third. I really didn’t feel much until now which is strange considering the strength of the Serie V lines. With that, the cedar began to fade out while the chocolate and sweetness remained powerful with some spice, and nut in the background. This cigar is a lot more creamy than the standard Serie V, but not as bold in terms of flavor. I didn’t experience any harshness into the final inch, but there was a big drop off in flavors as the sweetness finally fizzled out. The Melanio Maduro left me with a nice little nicotine buzz. Keep in mind, I did smoke this in between a big breakfast and lunch so that may be a factor as well. The cigar took me almost 2 hours to take down to the nub and I never had to touch it up or relight it the entire time.

Overview: Yeah, it’s obvious that I was a big fan of this cigar. I was a big fan of the standard Melanio. I even coined that as my cigar of the year last year (you can see the list here) and I think the Maduro version has a very good chance of sneaking into this year’s list as well. From the construction to the flavors this cigar is top-notch. It’s a full bodied, full strength experience that won’t leave you lying on the floor. The Melanio Maduro is bold, with a complex profile that ends in creamy sweetness. You can’t ask for more than that. While some people may shy away from the price I think it is more than justified for the experience you receive. I really can’t pick a favorite over the two. The standard Melanio seemed to have a bit more punch and stronger flavors while the Maduro is a bit more balanced and carries much more sweetness than the standard. I guess it all depends on what you are in the mood for, but neither will disappoint.

To Sum it Up: Buy it. By the box. Now. Really, it’s a bit pricey but if you are willing to shell out the coin you will enjoy it. It’s complex enough for the seasoned cigar smoker and balanced enough not to overpower the novice. My only suggestion is to make sure that you can handle a bit of power. If you don’t smoke full-strength cigars then you may want to pass on this one.

Pairing: I don’t see many, if any Terrapin brews in my area. I was lucky enough to score this one in a trade with the almighty Timmy D who hooked it up nicely. Terrapin’s Dos Cocoas is a 5.6% ABV Chocolate Porter that sadly, is no longer in production. I know what some of you may be thinking, “A porter, in the summer, really?”. Well I haven’t ever tasted it before, and when I was looking in my pantry I saw it, thinking that the chocolate would pair very nicely with the Melanio Maduro. A quick text message to Tim confirmed this and we were off. The mission was a success too. The Dos Cocoas tastes like straight up chocolate milk. It’s incredibly sweet and smooth with a bit of malt mixed in making it a perfect pairing for the Melanio Maduro’s sweet, chocoately, and creamy profile. Too bad this beer isn’t available, at least at the moment cause I can think of a ton of cigars it would go nicely with.

The post Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: If you haven’t heard of Atlantic cigar Company, you should probably check them out. They are a retail shop, based out of Pennsylvania with a massive selection and great customer service. I know this from a few passed experiences that Jeremy and I both had recently. Well Atlantic Cigar Company wanted to celebrate their 15^th year in business in style, creating 4 different celebratory blends from 4 different manufacturers. The cigars created are as follows: the Viaje Exclusivo Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th  Anniversary Lancero, the My Father Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th Anniversary Box Pressed Robusto, the E.P. Carrillo Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th Anniversary and this Oliva Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th Anniversary Diadema.  The Atlantic Cigar Company website sums up the blend:

Our last and final installment of four exclusive 15th Anniversary limited releases is the Summer / Fall release by Oliva Cigar Company. The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15th Aniversario Diadema was created by the Oliva Family of Cigars to celebrate our 15th year in business. After brainstorming with Oliva, we decided to come up with something completely new, a blend that they haven’t yet offered in a retail shop. After a period of intensive blending, the final result was an outstanding cigar in a classic Oliva Diadema shape measuring at 6 ¾ x 48. The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15th Aniversario Diadema is blended using specially selected aged Nicaraguan tobaccos cloaked in a unique Ecuadorian Habano wrapper harvested from an area of the plant known for its richness and balance. The final blend is a cigar that delivers a good amount of strength yet achieves an excellent balance, allowing its flavors to emerge. The cigar has all the markings of an Oliva cigar, from its excellent construction with its flawless wrapper to its flavor profile of solid leather and varying wood notes, a good amount of spice with just a hint of sweetness. The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15th Aniversario Diadema is the perfect way to close our 15th Anniversary collection. As with the previous 15th blends, we’ve kept the number’s small, only 400 boxes of 10 cigars were produced in this boutique small batch production. Atlantic Cigar Company is honored to have Oliva Cigar Company take part in this limited edition release for our celebration and your enjoyment.

According to Halfwheel.com, there will only be 400 boxes of 10 made. They run $8.50 a stick and shockingly, are still available on Atlantic’s site here.

Size: 6 ¾ x 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.50
Pairing: Samuel Adam’s Third Voyage (8.0% ABV Imperial/ Double IPA)

Prelight: The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15^th Anniversary’s obvious stand-out characteristic is the format. This isn’t a size we see too often. Basically it’s a salomon format that stays consistent in ring gauge through the entire body of the cigar. The Oliva Atlantic 15^th starts out with a tapered cap that quickly opens up to the long, slender body before coming to a quick, tapered, round cap. The cigar is very heavy and feels very dense as there are absolutely no soft spots throughout the entire stick. The wrapper sheds off tons of oils as it almost glows in the light. The wrapper is a consistent, milky brown with an orange hue and only one larger vein running about halfway through the body of the cigar.  The cigar is polished off with an elegant, white and gold band that states: “Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th Anniversary” and a brown secondary band that says “Special Release”.

The wrapper gives off a slight spice and natural tobacco aroma while the foot has much of the same spice as well as some pepper mixed in there. The cap cut very easily using my double bladed palio cutter. The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15^th gave off a really smooth, light and creamy tobacco and spice cold draw. I was expecting to find a bit more of the pepper in there.

First Smoke: The Oliva Atlantic 15^th Anniversary cigar started out with a lot more pepper than I was expecting. It stuck around strongly for the first few draws and then began to blend in with the cedar, cinnamon, spice, and natural tobacco flavors in the cigar.  The draw was a bit looser than I normally prefer, but it isn’t causing any burn or flavor problems thus far. In fact, I am quite impressed with just how solid the burnline is. Normally I have issues with the starting burn on tapered-foot cigars but this one is burning razor sharp, and dead even. The ash is a tightly compacted, medium and light grey which held on for an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Into the second third of this Oliva Atlantic 15^th and I am really enjoying how the cigar has since ramped up in body. The pepper has finally faded out with the cinnamon and spice have amped up making a great mixture with the cedar and bold tobacco. There is also a bit of a citrus sneaking in. The draw has also tightened up immensely and is pumping out a thick cloud of smoke with every little puff now. There must have been something in the foot of the cigar that was letting in a bit of excess air. Either way this cigar was off to a great start and has since turned into a great experience. Even the retrohale is fantastic coating my nasal passage with a really smooth cedar and spice. I could retrohale this baby all day. I am feeling absolutely no nicotine at this point in the experience.

Finish: Again, the Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15^th Anniversary is still pouring on the flavor. While the flavor profile remains the same as the second third (Cedar, Spice, Cinnamon, Tobacco), the body has continuously ramped up since the cigar was first lit up. Even though the body has grown stronger, it has remained really creamy and smooth the whole time. This cigar took almost two hours to smoke down to the nub and I didn’t encounter even the smallest bit of harshness. The burnline was flawless the entire time too and the cigar required zero extra attention from my lighter since I first lit up. I felt only a slight nicotine kick from this cigar. I wouldn’t even call it a kick, it was barely noticeable.

Overview: I’ve always been a fan of Oliva and this Atlantic Cigar 15^th anniversary Diadema is a perfect example as to why. Flawless construction, great use of tobacco, and great flavor and an affordable price. This cigar is priced at $8.50 a stick and in my opinion is worth at least a few bucks more than that. Gotta love a company that keeps their consumer’s pockets in mind. As a side note, I LOVED this format. It seems a bit lanky at first, but it’s rather comfortable. Fits well in the hand, burns perfectly, and kicks out an awesome draw. Can’t ask for more than that. As I stated before, Jeremy and I have both had recent experiences with Atlantic cigar and have both been impressed with the service we have received. Add another notch to their belt in bringing a great blend to their consumers.

To Sum it Up: This is something new I will be including in my reviews going forward. It’s a quick summary of the overall experience including my take on the cigar’s worth.

The cigar was a great full-body experience while remaining medium to mild in strength. Great flavors such as cinnamon, cedar, spice and citrus. I would buy this again for sure, especially at the price point. I would smoke it again, I would buy it again and I think this is a box-worthy purchase. It would be a great investment for both novice and seasoned cigar smokers.

Pairing: I took another gamble here. I decided to pair this cigar with a beer I hadn’t had before. Sure, I’ve had lots of IPA’s and tons of Double/Imperial IPA’s so I know what to expect. But this was the first time that I have tried Sam Adam’s Third Voyage. First of all, this beer kicked ass. It’s exactly what you would expect. Smooth, hoppy with lots of caramel, citrus and malt with a very nice sweetness on the finish. This is the exact experience I wanted with the Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15^th anniversary. I wanted something sweet that had a lot of character to marry up with the body and spice from the cigar and the Third Voyage did just that. Neither of the flavor profiles overpowered the other and in closing, it made for a smooth, relaxing experience.

The post Oliva – Atlantic Cigar Company 15th Anniversary Diadema appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I have been a huge fan of Oliva cigars since I first started smoking.  Between the price point, the excellent construction and wonderful flavor profiles, you just can’t seem to go wrong with most of their lines.  The Oliva Cigar Family has been releasing a Maduro edition of their Serie V on an annual basis since 2008.  This year’s production is limited to 5,000 boxes of 10 cigars. While we haven’t reviewed all of the years, you can find the 2008 and 2010 releases below:

• Oliva Serve V Maduro Especial 2008
• Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2010

The Facts

Price: $85.00 Box of 10
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 by 50
Wrapper: Mexican – San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Pairing: Water
Smoke Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Pre-light

The band is almost identical to the regular Serie V band except for the word “Maduro” on the side, taking place of “Liga” in the regular Serie V line. The San Andres Maduro wrapper is quite appealing being coated with tons of oil.  The deep brown wrapper is bumpy with a fine tooth and mainly small veins. However, there are two medium veins running on opposites sides of the cigar.   As I check for soft spots, I can feel the oils on my fingers. The half closest to the foot is somewhat spongy and the foot is extremely soft.

Visually examining the foot, I am able to tell that it is somewhat under filled.   The wrapper gives off a vinegar pungency with an underlying cocoa sweetness.  The foot presents chocolate, earth, and a slight spice that is tickling my nose. The triple (maybe quadruple) cap has been neatly applied and clips clean.  Unlike the foot, the head of the cigar is packed full but a beautiful draw is revealed with the least amount of resistance.

First Third

Right off the bat, a nice amount of spice hits the back of my throat.  Instantly, I can pick up similarities between the Serie V Liga and the Serie V Maduro 2012.  Pepper and spices are in the forefront of the flavor profile. About a half inch in, the pepper and spice give way to a rounded profile of earth, cocoa, and some woodsy notes.  The retrohale is sharp with tons of spice and black pepper.  The spice sting runs from the back of the throat all the way through my sinus passage. Ouch, that woke me up! The burn is just about perfect with a layered salt and pepper ash.  Additionally, the smoke volume is outstanding, with a single draw pulling a mouth full of smoke.  The flavors are full and the strength is coming in at the high end of medium. Approaching 1.5 inches of ash, it easily knocked off into the ashtray.

Middle Third

The flavors of the San Andres Maduro are really highlighted.  I think a great example of a San Andres Maduro wrapped cigar is the Ortega Serie D Maduro, which is a stick I smoke by the box.  If you are familiar with the Ortega Serie D Maduro, you will note some flavor similarities between the two sticks.  Some sweetness is beginning to pull through and darker, toasted flavors linger on the palate. Dark fruit, specifically cherry, is peeking its head out. No changes in the burn or ash.  Both are exceptional so I have nothing to add.  A bulge has formed causing a crack in the wrapper that runs about three-fourths of inch below the burn line,  which is surprising due to the smoke being so cool. So far this has had no impact on the performance of this Serie V Maduro.  The flavors are delivering full and the strength remains in the high end of medium.

Final Third

A noticeable saltiness is now in the flavor make-up and the earlier woodsy notes are now identifiable as oak. The retrohale has calmed in the spice department allowing some cedar notes through. The crack is running underneath the band and I am concerned that the band is the only thing preventing the wrapper from cracking all the way down. Removing the wrapper very carefully, my fears are calmed as the crack is only running another quarter of an inch.   The combination of spices, pepper, and cocoa reminds me of Mexican style hot chocolate, which is made with cinnamon and chili powder.  A coffee bitterness is now on the finish of the smoke.  Burn line remains razor sharp and ash is still firm. Flavors have remained full and strength remained in the sweet spot (for me) of borderline full but never made it over the hump.

Wrap-up

Well, I am a little upset at myself.  Going into the box purchase, I thought it was a good idea to find someone to split it with.  Now, having enjoyed this stick so much, I wish I hoarded the entire box. Good thing I know Tony’s work schedule, he may have a few Oliva V Maduro Especial 2012 missing from his humidor when he comes home.  While this is a limited production cigar, the price is comparable to the regular production Serie V line.  I love when I come across a stick that is so good it could be considered a “celebratory cigar” but at an everyday price point.  My words of wisdom: Get them while you can because they will not be around forever and you won’t be disappointed with your purchase.

The post Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2012 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

First off, I want to thank Tony and Daniel for giving me this opportunity to do a guest review and share a little piece of my passion with fellow B/SOTLs.

With the Oliva Serie V Melanio (Find Tony’s review of the Melanio here) beginning to hit the shelves of local B&Ms, I decided to touch base with the original Oliva Serie V.  Today, I will be firing up the Oliva Serie V – Ligero Especial Double Robusto Tubo.  This cigar was purchased by my better half at Fox Cigar Bar in Gilbert, AZ and gifted to me for Father’s Day.

The Facts
Price:  $6.39
Age: 3 Months
Size: 5 by 54
Wrapper: Habano Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Jalapa Valley Ligero
Pairing: Water
Smoke Time: 1 hour and 40 Minutes

Pre-Light
The band is the traditional Oliva Serie style band found on the Serie G, O, and V.  Simple but elegant.  It is the type of band that says “I will let the cigar speak for itself”.
The wrapper has the appearance of well aged leather with a slight reddish hue.  Light dances off the beautiful oils on the wrapper.  The triple cap has been neatly applied and there are small veins running the length of the cigar with a slight tooth.

The wrapper gives off minimal aroma of spice and clove, while the foot highlights rich tobacco with spice lingering in the background.  The cap clips easily with my Xikar Xi cutter exposing an effortless draw.

First Third
After torching the foot of the Serie V, I am presented with an ocean of dense, flavorful smoke that fills my mouth with each puff.  A hefty amount of spice warms my mouth and awakens my palette.   Flavors of pepper, cedar, and pencil shavings excite my taste buds. As I retrohale, pepper coats my nasal passage followed by notes of cedar.  I find a slight bitterness peeking out behind the more dominant flavors leaving a char finish.  The even burn is producing a gray ash. Flavors are at full force, with the strength in the medium-full range. I have only a slight nicotine kick at the close of the first third.

Middle Third
Entering the middle third, I have yet to ash the cigar.  Cedar notes are coming to the forefront, spice begins to lessen, and a black tea flavor shows through.  The retrohale continues to deliver the pepper found in the first third leaving me with a sensation to sneeze.   I love when a cigar does that. And Yes, I am a huge fan of pepper.  The char finish picked up earlier has transitioned into a burnt roast coffee taste, similar to a Starbucks’ roast.  The strength has picked up steadily through the Oliva Serie V.  Can you say nicotine buzz?   The ash continues to hold on strong as it approaches the band.  Deciding to avoid any accidents, I tap off the ash into the ashtray. The band peels off easily with absolutely no worry of damaging the wrapper.

Final Third
Time is flying by as I settle in on the final third of the Oliva Serie V.   The cigar has balanced out noting flavors of black coffee, pepper, cocoa, and cedar.  Nearing the end of the cigar, clove enters the flavor profile.  The start of the Serie V warmed my palette, now the nicotine kick is warming my body. It is the familiar warming sensation you get after sipping a whiskey.   The flavors are well balanced and the ash drops on my lap at ¾ in.

Wrap-UP
I am a sucker for lanceros and try to keep a few Oliva Serie V lanceros in the humidor at all times. You just can’t beat the awesome price point of the lancero.  But I do believe the Serie V Double Robusto V delivers more full flavors and strength which could be attributed to a larger ratio of the ligero filler in the larger gauge.  There is no babysitting this cigar.  The Serie V burned razor sharp, and it is ready to produce tons of smoke even after sitting for a few minutes. This cigar did not disappoint.  I encourage everyone who enjoys medium/full cigars to pick up the Oliva Serie V – Ligero Especial, fire it up, kick back, and enjoy the journey.

The post Oliva Serie V Ligero Especial Double Robusto Tubo – Guest Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Debuting at this year’s IPCPR show just a few days back, Oliva showcased it’s newest addition to their already vast portfolio. The Serie V Melanio. The Melanio was created to pay tribute to Melanio Oliva, who has been growing tobacco for Oliva since 1886. Here is a bit of background on Melanio taken from the Oliva site:

Melanio Oliva first grew tobacco in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba in 1886. His growing operations were suspended while he fought in Cuba’s War of Independence. After returning from war Melanio resumed his operations. In the early 1920’s Melanio’s son Hipolito Oliva took over the growing operations. Hipolito cultivated the Oliva family fields for several decades. As Cuba became over-run by communist the tobacco landscape changed. Hipolito’s son Gilberto Oliva shifted from growing to brokering tobacco. In the early 60’s the pressure became too great and Gilberto traveled from country to country in search of the distinct Cuban taste. His travels took him to Honduras, Panama, Mexico and even the Philippines. Gilberto finally found fertile ground in Nicaragua. Today Gilberto along with his family are Nicaragua’s second largest grower of Cuban-seed tobacco.

The Melanio is composed of all Nicaraguan fillers and binder. Like all of the cigars in the Serie V, the cigar contains some of the most aged tobaccos. Along with the aged tobaccos Oliva concentrated on tobacco grown in the Jalapa region of Nicaragua. The Melanio actually uses more Jalapa tobacco which adds much more flavor, but less strength. The cigar is then wrapped with Sumatra seed wrapper grown in Ecuador by Oliva. This is the first cigar made using this wrapper and the first Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper on any cigar since the Master Blends 2. The Melanio will come in 5 sizes, all box-pressed: Robusto (5 x 52), Torpedo (6.5 x 52), Churchill (7 x 50), Pettit Corona (4.5 x 56), and a crazy figurado (6 x 52). All will come in boxes of ten and will range between $8 and $14 a stick.

Size: 5 x 52  Box Pressed
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.50
Pairing: Schneider & Sohn Aventinus Dopplebock

The Oliva Serie V Melanio reminds me of the Master Blends so much as far as shape, and appearance are concerned. The cigar starts off with a nice, rounded box-pressed format. I’ve said it too many times to count, but this elongated box-press has to be my favorite format. It fits perfectly in your hand, perfectly in your mouth, and always pumps out a perfect draw. The wrapper is a very dark brown with lots of medium brown, light brown, and orange inconsistencies. Again, I love when a cigar’s wrapper looks as natural as this. I’m not one for dye. The wrapper is very hard and very thick and displays only one, tiny vein all the way up to the stubby round double cap. There Melanio feels tough, and very well packed with no soft-spots. The Melanio sports the exact same brown, gold, and red “Oliva Serie V” band as the rest of the Serie V cigars only with two exceptions. The words “Gran Reserva Limitada” written around the large band, and the addition of a smaller secondary band with the words “Melanio – Gran Reserva Limitada” embossed on it.

The wrapper smells of very sweet tobacco, deep spice, and cedar while the foot gives off a very powerful, pungent tobacco and sharp pepper. The cap cut clean from the Melanio and the cold draw produces a lot of the same flavors I would expect from the Master blends. Lots of sweet tobacco and a ton of cedar. The main difference is with the sweetness I also got a whole ton of spice and black pepper. Needless to say this is going to be an interesting experience.

First Smoke: The first couple of draws on this Oliva Serie V Melanio shaped up exactly how I was expecting. The cigar opened up with lots of sharp, back pepper, strong tobacco, coffee, and chocolate flavors back by lots of sweet cedar and spice. What I wasn’t expecting is for the pepper to fade so quickly and all the remaining flavors to blend in so perfectly. Seriously, this is starting out as one seriously creamy, balanced, flavorful cigar. The draw on the Melanio is just perfect. Every little puff kicks out a massive amount of thick, white smoke. The cigar doesn’t give off much more than a tiny amount of tobacco scented stationary smoke. The burnline has only a few small waves as it exposes the cigar’s tightly compacted, white and light grey ash. The ash held on well over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The Oliva Serie V Melanio continues to be this creamy flavor bomb. The sharp spice from the aged tobacco has really started to take the forefront into the second third. Backing the spice is some soft cedar, a bit of a grape flavor, coffee, bitter chocolate, and sweet tobacco with just an undertone of leather. The amount of flavor in this cigar are ridiculous. The retrohale was not even close to as sharp as peppery as I thought it was going to be coating my nasal passage with a soft cedar and spice. I am feeling some slight nicotine from the Melanio already, but nothing close to the standard Serie V.

Finish: I am happy to report that both the secondary and the large band came off with ease. I really hate when bands are glued to the wrapper of the cigar, but I have never had a problem with Oliva. The strength of the Melanio really ramped up into the final third of this cigar. Along with the strength so did the body. The main flavors are now a strong coffee and tobacco with lots of cedar, sweetness, chocolate and fruit undertones. I’m really impressed with all the flavors in this cigar while the experience has stayed overall smooth and creamy. I didn’t experience and harshness at all into the final inch. All in all it took me and hour and a half to smoke this cigar and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Overview: Needless to say, this was one hell of a cigar. The Master Blends series have always been my favorite Oliva blends, and some of my favorite cigars of all time followed by the Serie V and Serie V Maduro series. You can guess how excited I was when I heard about the Melanio. I had hoped that it would be a Serie V/Master Blends love child, and that’s exactly what it was. The Melanio brings the Serie V to a whole new level with it’s full bodied, flavorful, aged tobacco wrapped up in a sweet, cedar package. This is by far one of the best cigars to come out of the Oliva factory. The blend and format are perfect, not to mention the appeal this cigar will have to cigar enthusiast based on it’s complexity and balanced flavor while it comforts the novice smoker with a full-bodied, but not too strong experience for those who want to venture into the premium market. This is box worthy for sure, and I urge any of you to pick up quite a few once they start landing in your local shops. Really, I know the price tag may be high for the normally value-priced Oliva, but it’s well worth it.

Pairing: Want to see a perfect pairing? Look no further than the Oliva V Melanio and Schneider & Sohn Aventinus. This German Wheat-based Dopplebock is produced at the Weisses Bräuhaus G. Schneider & Sohn and rings in at a whopping 8.2% ABV. As soon as I decided that this week’s review was going to be the Melanio, the only beer that I could think of for pairing was Aventinus. This isn’t your normal Dopple. Aventinus is a dark, wheat based dopple with more character than most. Instead of the thick, malty build up most dopples produce, Aventinus lets looks a ton of natural flavors such as clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cherry all wrapped around in chocolate malt and barely. Mouth watering yet? It should be. This is by far the best pairing that I have had lately.

The post Oliva Serie V Melanio Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Now the label on the Onyx Reserve has no information on it other than its name and the word “handmade”. I actually did no research on this cigar prior to smoking it and I’d never really read much about it before so that allowed me to give a more unbiased review. A little research after smoking it and making notes revealed to me that this cigar is made by Altadis. Historically I haven’t really hit alignment with the flavor profiles of most Altadis sticks, so will smoking it without knowing that ahead of time affect my opinion???

A little more research showed me that this cigar has an interesting mix of three different fillers and if you check out me pre-light inspection notes below you’ll see I actually picked out three distinct coloured filler in the foot. I thought that was interesting that they are so easily discernible. It’s also wrapped with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper which Tony and I are both big fans of.

There isn’t too much other info on the cigar out there but I can tell you that it is made in the Dominican Republic. It also seems to have some pretty good ratings from a variety of sources, mostly outside of the blogging world though. I especially liked the vitola here today, it’s a box-pressed Mini Belicoso and you don’t see many of those around. Reminded me of the Oliva Serie G Belicoso. So let’s jump right in and see what I though of the Onyx Reserve by Altadis Cigars.

Cigar: Onyx Reserve
Drink: Chimay Yellow Trappist Ale
Vitola: Mini Belisoco (5 x 52)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican, Peruvian and Nicaraguan
Price: A little over $4 (Gifted by Lou B!)
Burn Time: A little over an hour

Construction:
• A nice darkly colored cigar with fairly consistent dark chocolate tone
• There is a nice bit of oiliness on the wrapper as well as very few veins to be worried about
• The tapered cap is finished cleanly with a single leaf that blends in almost seamlessly
• The foot is well packed and I find it interesting because I can pick out 3 distinctly different colors of filler, possibly the different types of leaves from the blend or just a coincidence?
• The cigar is quite firm from cap to foot with almost no spring to it, hoping that doesn’t cause a tight draw
• The cut was pretty easy and even, also kept itself in a neat and clean pile
• Draw ended up being a little tight, maybe it’s cause I didn’t cut much but a couple pokes with my toothpick opened it up nicely

Burn:
• Toasting was almost too easy, the whole foot lit up evenly without much effort or time
• The first bit of the cigar was smoking dead even with a single wave to be seen
• Through the whole first half this cigar burned razor sharp without a hint of problems at all
• It also stayed lit without the need for extra attention, this is how all cigars should burn! Let’s hope it keeps up
• I spoke a little too soon… right after ashing in the middle area the burn started going a little lopsided so I gave it a little correction
• No more corrections required right to the end, great overall burn on this Onyx Reserve cigar

Smoke & Ash:
• The smoke from each draw is a little light on this Onyx Reserve, even with a few extra draws it just doesn’t seem to produce a very thick smoke
• The resting smoke is very very light, after just a couple seconds you actually can’t even see smoke anymore
• The ash is looking awesome, very white with only a few darker accents
• The cleanliness of the ash is also looking great with no flaking or signs of weakness
• Ash is holding on nicely just past an inch, gonna tap it off now to prevent any messes tonight
• Subsequent ashes kept holding on past the 1 inch mark with ease, very nice construction here

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has very little aroma on this Onyx Reserve, maybe just a touch of sweet tobacco and thats about it
• The foot is pretty light on aroma too but there is a bit more sweet floral scent there
• The pre-light draw is pretty light on flavors as well, just a bit of the sweet tobacco again
• Initial draws are pretty flat, no interesting flavors here to start but nothing harsh either, just a sort of mild sweet tobacco taste
• For the most part, the cigar is in the mild range and the retrohale has a bit of woodiness to it and a smooth tasteless finish
• There is a bit of woodsy flavors making an appearance with the sweet tobacco notes, maybe a little leather in there too
• It seems the body creeped into the medium area somewhere in the middle but the flavors are still very washed out
• There isn’t much to report here, the profile hasn’t really changed as I approach the final third
• I’m still getting some light wood and leather flavors backed by the stronger tobacco notes

Final Thoughts:
The Onyx Reserve didn’t quite do it for me tonight. It had some good elements to it and definitely had some quality construction but the flavors were just a little too weak for my liking. For the price, it could be a decent cigar to hand out but I think there are better options out there for the so-called “yard-gar” ideal. I’m hard-pressed to see why this got such high ratings in other places. Perhaps there is a market for the more bland tobacco flavored cigars? Maybe they appeal to past cigarette smokers a little more? I’m not quite sure but for me it just wasn’t the profile I enjoy. It might be worth trying if you are looking for something different to add to a regular rotation but I’d suggest opting for a sampler before you venture into a whole box here. One thing I can take away from this cigar is that it is another stick that confirms Altadis and me just don’t agree on flavor profile. I’m sure there are people that disagree with me but this is just one little fishes opinion in the big pond.

Pairings:
Another Belgian Trappist ale on Casas Fumando? Yup, you got it! But this time it’s not from Tony! Chimay is one of the few Belgian brands I can actually find regularly here in Ontario. Mostly it’s the Yellow label or the Red label and today we have the Yellow. Now I should note this particular brew is also sometimes known as the “White’ and it is actually a Tripel although it doesn’t really say that anywhere on the front label. This bottle clocks in at a full 8% alc./vol. and is definitely a lot less fruity than a lot of other Tripel’s. It’s super carbonated and has a bit of citrus backed by a heavy malt and slight bitter flavor. I think I missed the pairing here though, a darker more robust beer would have gone better. Perhaps a dark ale or stout, even a coffee, would have matched up better.

The post Onyx Reserve Mini Belicoso appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

If you are a follower of ours on Twitter or Facebook, you will have seen recently that Tony is off slacking again. That’s right, again! lol. Ok maybe not. He’s actually on a trip to the Dominican Republic and visiting lots of people, cigar factories, and even some tobacco fields. I’m sure he’ll have lots to tell everyone when he gets back. In the meantime, keep up with what he’s doing by following him on Twitter or following the Casas Fumando Facebook Page.

So I’m still stuck at home and while Tony is probably burning up in the Dominican, and I’m pretty much freezing over here. Terrible forecast for the week full of rain and near freezing temps, winter is almost here! The summer flew by… So for no particular reason I made a mess in my humidor searching for my next review and what I came up with was my very last Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial from 2010.

Now Oliva should be a name most people know by now, they’ve been around for a long time and have a great reputation of turning over quality cigars year after year. They haven’t been much in the past for really branching out with drastic ideas but rather have been that “staple” cigar brand that you could always fall back on. Their 4 main lines are the Serie G, Serie O, Serie V and the Connecticut Reserve. Of their 4 lines mentioned, the Serie V is the fullest on the body scale.

If you have been keeping up with the cigar news, you would actually see that Oliva is starting to bring a lot more variety to their lines. They’ve had the Master Blend series for awhile now and are also hitting a few winners with the Studio Tobac project. Tony actually just recently posted a review of the cigar made by a joint venture of Studio Tobac and Padilla, appropriately named the Padilla – Studio Tobac Figurado. As you can see from his thoughts, Oliva is on the right track with their new project.

Oliva’s core lines don’t usually change much but a few years ago they decided to bring out a special edition of their Serie V. It was to be wrapped with a Maduro leaf, limited in production quantities and restricted to a single vitola. It’s full name is the Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial and usually a year is appended to that. In the case of today’s review it is the 2010 to mark the year it was released. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to distinguish some of the various years.

With regards to the 2009 and 2010, you will find 2 main differences, firstly, the 2010 is a slightly larger ring gauge than the 2009 even though it maintains the same vitola. Also, the 2010 is wrapped in a nice dark San Andreas wrapper versus the previous years Broadleaf wrappers. Looking a little forward to 2011, the vitola is changing to a 6×50 Toro and should actually be hitting shelves very soon. It also has the same San Andreas wrapper. The production for the 2011 is also the same as the 2010 I’m reviewing today which is 5000 boxes of 10 cigars.

With a price point of $10.70/cigar they aren’t that steep but aren’t cheap either. It seems to strike a nice balance of a slightly high end or limited production stick. I’m also told that the 2011 version is dropping the MSRP to $9 which is a welcome change. Each of the Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial cigars are packed with a Ligero longfiller from the Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua which is well known for producing tasty and quality leaves.

The band on this cigar is fairly unassuming and doesn’t venture far from the standard Oliva lines. It adds “Maduro” on one side and “Especial” on the other but I’m disappointed that it doesn’t include a year. Not a huge deal but it would be a nice touch. I’m sitting down to enjoy this cigar on a fairly chilly evening here. The cigar also has a fair bit of age on it so that will affect the flavors. I have smoked a few of these before so I’ll make a quick comparison to then and now in the summary. Enjoy!

Cigar: Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2010
Drink: Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2005
Vitola: Torpedo (6 x 54)
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: MSRP $10.70
Burn Time: A little over 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The Oliva Serie V Maduro is surrounded by a dark chocolate brown wrapper that has a rough look to it and an oily finish
• The exposed edges of the wrapper jump off the cigar a bit, especially near the cap which is extremely firm to the touch, this worries me
• The rest of the cigar has a nice little spring and give to it when squeezed
• The foot of the cigar appears to be very well packed with almost no room left in there at all
• I started with a small cut which clipped off fairly easily but I was met with a pretty tight draw
• I cut just a bit more and got a good draw, we’ll start here with a little more than a half inch clipped off the cap

Burn:
• Toasting was nice and slow but it kept even and glowed nicely
• Unfortunately, the cigar started off with a pretty drastic canoe despite what seemed to be an even toasting, needed to be touched up fairly early on
• Another little touchup after about 2 inches as the cigar tried canoeing on me again
• The cigar requires a small touch up pretty much every inch or so, luckily it’s not ruining the flavors
• The last 2.5 inches of the cigar REALLY slowed down the burn, making the cigar last that extra special bit longer

Smoke & Ash:
• There is a good amount of smoke coming from each draw
• Even while resting the cigar is producing a decent amount of smoke
• The ash is coming out to be a wonderful white color when it’s burning properly, my touchups are turning the ash black in some spots
• Even though the ash was looking clean, neat and strong, it still fell off into the ashtray after just about an inch

Tasting Notes:
• I was surprised to notice that the wrapper had barely any aroma to it, maybe just a touch of hay and that’s all
• The foot is also not too strong of an aroma, just a slightly more concentrated hay-type of aroma with just a little touch of a peppery spice
• The pre-light draw is also pretty bland here with only hints of hay again, I really hope the full experience will be more than this
• The initial draws were much more enjoyable with some roasted dark chocolate almond type of flavor and a hint of spices, maybe some coffee tucked in there too
• The chocolate almond flavors dwindled down a bit and I’m left with mostly coffee, spices and now some cedar. It’s still good but the start was much more enjoyable, let’s hope it returns!
• The body started off in the low end of medium and the cigar has a soft bite on the retrohale with an interesting cedary/peppery finish
• The coffee notes are really developing nicely and I’m also getting some nice warm earthy notes in the mix
• All the flavors are balancing well and the cedar finish is a nice touch
• As the 2010 Oliva Serie V Maduro progressed into the last third the body is slowly building and I’m on the edge of full now
• The spices have remained fairly soft so far and the retrohale reflects that with a soft bite and retains the smooth cedar finish
• The last bit of the cigar was still enjoyable until my fingers were burning, a nice buildup of coffee, light spices and cedar rounded out the final flavors

Final Thoughts:
Overall this was a pretty good smoke that I enjoyed. I feel that it never really did recreate that initial awesome roasted almond flavor. The beginning of the cigar was great and the remainder was good. Nothing about it was really bad, my only complaint would be the burn issues. Thankfully they didn’t negatively affect the flavors but it did take away from the whole experience a bit. I think the cigar could have earned itself a few more points with a bit more age as it already has. The ones I smoked earlier this year were not as good as this one. So my suggestion, grab a few and let them sit a few more months and they should be excellent. If those roasted almond flavors can linger a bit longer this would have been a fantastic cigar. The little bit of body buildup at the end was a nice touch for me as well. The price is a little high at just over $10 but I’m excited to see what the upcoming 2011 release brings since it will have the same wrapper and be $1.70 cheaper!

Pairings:
Tonight’s pairing is a new Port wine that I picked up at the liquor store the other day. It’s from Dow’s Winery which comes from the Symington Family Estates in Portugal. The 2005 Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Port has a fairly light and fruity feel on the palate with some deep notes like a touch of chocolate and woodsiness. It’s probably not the best Port I’ve had but it’s not bad in it’s own right either. It paired excellently with the flavors of the 2010 Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial. Other than Port I think this cigar would pair wonderfully with a heft stout, a strong or chocolate flavored coffee or even a nice scotch.

The post Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2010 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.