Oliva Serie G Churchill

January 23rd, 2022: Delicious, smooth, rich cigar with a remarkable long finish and creeping increase of strength in the final third. 

Appearance and Construction: This is a very well made cigar with a mottled light brown wrapper. According to Neptune the cigar is box pressed, 7 x 50 and mild. Mine was not box pressed and anything but mild. The box contains the inscription, "Aged Cameroon". According to Neptune, the wrapper is from the Cameroon. The binder and the filler are Nicaraguan. 

My cigars were a bit squishy upon arrival. I opened the lid of the box and let them dry out. But I couldn't resist trying one. 

First Puff: The first few puffs were spicy and full bodied, foretelling a cigar. Spiciness abated after a few minutes to reveal the dominant profile of the cigar.

Draw and Burn: Draw was a bit resistant until the final third, but manageable. Burn was razor sharp, despite the cigar being squishy.

Flavour and Complexity: Flavour was rich and complex, very much the Nicaraguan puro flavour. I'm not sure if I'd be able to identify the Cameroon wrapper in a blind tasting. Indeed, I would find it difficult to distinguish the O from G. 

Body: Body started medium in the first third and gradually built up to a powerful full body at the end.

Strength: Quite manageable during the first two thirds, but when I awoke at 1am, after dreaming of having to finish painting a house before getting to the airport in two hours, I knew that the final third of this cigar had provided quite a kick of strength at the end.  

Finish and Aftertaste: The finish on this cigar was remarkable: very long, full bodied and lingering, very rich, very smooth with only a hint of bitterness.

Aroma: Aroma was rich and complex. 

Ash: Ash was light. I didn't trust it for more than 15 minutes per ashing and once I got a tummy-full, despite my caution.

Balance and Consistency: Excellent balance and consistently tasty. Strength might have been a bit much at the end. But I didn't really notice it (until I awoke from a dream). On reflection it might have been wise to leave a longer nub.

Time smoke: 95 minutes

Overall: This was a wonderfully balanced, rich, complex cigar with an excellent aroma, perfect burn and a very fine, long finish. Very satisfying. 

At the one hour mark: note the razor sharp burn.

February 23rd, 2022: A substantial cigar which began mild to medium and ended full bodied with a bit of strength in the second half. Flavour had a little bitterness, not unpleasant, but suggested that perhaps a little ageing might add complexity. The second half of the cigar was particularly satisfying as strength increased to 'quite strong but not overwhelming'. No vivid dreams. Aroma was deep and rich. Burn was perfect, draw a bit resistant but quite acceptable. This cigar smoked much faster than the first dip into the box. 80 minutes. Quite satisfying and good to the nub.

Perfect burn. Good to the nub.

February 23rd, 2022. Light in the hand and lightly packed. The pre-light aroma was sweet like dried apple. The Cameroon flavour had a distinct woody, spicy aspect. The cigar was a straight medium throughout. There was no great increase in strength or body. Burn required a couple of touch ups but the cigar was easy to draw and good to the nub. Around 75 minutes. Quite satisfying.

May 25th, 2022: Much the same as the cigar above. Lightly packed but I eked out 90 minutes from this cigar. Cameroon flavour was pronounced and tasty. Aroma was rich and the aftertaste was spicy and lingered. There was a slight increase in flavour/body around the second half, making the cigar more delicious. 90 minutes. Burn and draw were fine. Delicious to the nub. Satisfying. 

August 15th, 2022: Lightly packed and fast burning with easy draw and perfect burn. Flavour was pleasant with a good, rich aftertaste. Aroma was quite pronounced and fragrant. No strength. The cigar barely lasted 70 minutes: pleasant but not quite satisfying. 

Tasty, easy draw, rich aroma, mild to medium body, but too burned too fast.

December 26th, 2022: Much the same as the previous cigar in August: mild to medium bodied, distinctive Cameroon nutty, earthiness, easy draw but erratic burn, pleasant aroma, reasonable finish/aftertaste. 80 minutes. A pleasant puff.  

June 24th, 2023: Again, much the same as previous: mild to medium, lightly packed, irregular burn self-corrected. Probably only 70 minutes. Not as complex and satisfying as the O but quite pleasant.

August 2023: I smoked two of these. Both were consistently delicious and complex, medium bodied throughout, drew and burned well despite the light packing and had fragrant aromas.  Each smoked for about 70 minutes. Quite satisfying.

February 10th, 2024: Smooth, cool, easy draw, mild to medium body. Quite tasty in the final third but not as much body and flavour as the Cameroon Nub 460. 70 minutes, or just under and quite satisfying.

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Toro and Robusto

I bought two boxes, one robusto and one toro, which I shared with a friend. Both the robusto and the toro have a similar profile, the toro lasted ten or twenty minutes longer than the robusto.

January 11th, 2022 - Toro: This is a 6 x 54 Nicaraguan binder and filler with a US Connecticut broadleaf wrapper from the My Father group. The first thing I noticed about the cigar was a yellowish cellophane wrapper. That suggested that the cigars had aged more than a year. Indeed, upon first light, it was apparent that this was a well aged cigar with a very deep, smooth, dark flavour and a very refined, intense aroma.

Appearance and Construction: The cigar is well made. It's quite heavy in the hand. The wrapper is dark, almost maduro.

US Connecticut broadleaf wrapper

First Puff: A very encouraging first few puffs, full of flavour and spice. 

Draw and Burn: Draw was a little tight, but not plugged. Burn was acceptable throughout. Perhaps one or two minor touch ups. 

Flavour and Complexity: The flavour was a deep, dark roast. Not much spice after the first few puffs. One of my friends at the dinner table commented that it tasted like a maduro. 'Almost'. There wasn't the leatheriness of a maduro. Neptune describes the wrapper as maduro. So maybe it is a maduro cigar. In any event, the flavour was consistently rich and complex; perhaps a little dirt in the second half.

Body: Full body throughout.

Strength: I didn't detect much strength, but my friend, smoking the same cigar, started to feel a bit of a kick towards the beginning of the final third and left the cigar before the nub. (I usually have to tell him to put out a cigar before his fingers burn. So this speaks of a bit of strength.)

Finish and Aftertaste: Finish was long and clean enough, despite the dirty slightly aftertaste around the middle of the cigar. The next day I could barely taste any residue. 

Aroma: Rich and satisfying, deep and complex.

Ash: Half an hour per ashing. 

Balance and Consistency: Very balanced flavour, body and strength profile. Consistently good. Perhaps a little fading of flavour close to the end. But still enjoyable to the nub. 

Time smoke: 90 to 100 minutes. I think my friend lingered 105 minutes on his.

Overall: Very satisfying dark roasted flavour, slow burn, plenty of flavour even without billows of smoke. The only defect was a slightly resistant draw. But this did not affect overall enjoyment. 

Very satisfying first dip into the box.

January 15th, 2022 - Robusto: Almost identical to the Toro in every way: slow burn, dark roast, very balanced and complex. Delightfully deep aroma. 80 minutes. One difference I noted was that the cellophane of the robusto was not yellow with age. Nonetheless, flavour was rich and complex. Very satisfying.

February 7th, 2022 - Toro. This one was slightly plugged. Draw was difficult to the end. Flavour was good, as described above: dark roast, quite a bit of ligero, pepper dominated the beginning of the final third then dissipated. But the full measure of flavour was difficult to extract from the cigar, due to the dreadfully tight draw. Finish was long and quite dirty. I could taste it the next day, although it was attenuated and not unpleasant. I think we'll write this one off to the luck of the draw, pun unintended. 85 minutes. Not satisfying.

March 5th, 2022 - Robusto. The first puff gave a wonderfully rich and complex blast of flavour, which continued, full bodied but smooth and spicy throughout. Burn and draw were fine, although burn was a little fast. Around 65 minutes. The cigar also became quite hot in the second half. Overall flavour, body and strength were quite well balanced. Quite satisfying.

At the one hour mark: only a few more minutes remaining

April 6th, 2022: Toro: Draw was a bit resistant but not plugged: it took several puffs to generate a good plume. Burn was perfect. Aroma was rich 

and satisfying.

Flavour was a very balanced, complex, mellow, dark roast with spice and body building in the final third. No overwhelming strength. Everything was well balanced. Similar to the Joya Black, but with more complexity. 90 minutes. Very satisfying. 

May 18th, 2022: Robusto: A bit thin on flavour on lighting, but the complexity of the cigar soon manifested. There was a certain sweetness along with the dark roast, espresso, flavour; but without any spice or bite. The texture of the smoke was creamy-smooth and medium to full body. The aftertaste was lingering and intense. Construction was a bit wonky, with dips in the surface. But burn and draw were perfect throughout. The cigar lasted just under 80 minutes. Satisfying. 

July 3rd, 2022, Robusto: Plaka, Naxos: quite windy, but this cigar nonetheless delivered good flavour, balance and complexity with a medium body for the first two thirds, after which it became a bit bitter and vegetal. Satisfying, around 70 minutes.

December 24th, 2022, Toro: Medium bodied with a pleasant dark roast flavour. Aftertaste came and went. When it was present, aftertaste made the cigar. Burn was irregular, requiring a few touch ups. Around 90 minutes. Quite satisfying

A pleasant chomp, despite the uneven burn

. 

July 6th, 2023: Robusto Almost delicious! Many nice flavours with smooth chocolate and light roast coffee in a medium body; smooth, easy to draw, pleasant aroma but nothing rich. The cigar delivered a pleasant degree of complexity, but not very deep. Around 70 minutes and quite a pleasant puff.

November 30th, 2023: Robusto. Much the same as the previous, however the second third was the best, with a very smooth maduro flavour and cool smoke, due to quite a tight pack. Not much aroma. Tasty long finish, but a bit woody. Good to the nub. Around 70 minutes.