Oliva Serie V Melanio Robusto

 January 23rd, 2023: A 5 x 52 box pressed robusto

Appearance and Construction: According to Cigar Aficionado, Ecuadorian wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigar is light in the hand and quite rough in texture.

First Puff: Deep and rich.

Draw and Burn: Very easy draw. The cigar is lightly packed and draws without any effort.

Flavour and Complexity: Very dark roasted flavour, but smooth and refined. 

Body: Medium to full

Strength: Quite a bit of strength in the final third

Finish and Aftertaste: Long aftertaste, allowing 

Aroma: Delicious, rich, deep, aroma

Ash: Held on well, despite the lightness of the roll.

Balance and Consistency: Very well balanced and consistently delicious and aromatic.

Time smoke: 70 minutes

Overall: A remarkably delicious and full bodied cigar, fuller than the torpedo. Very satisfying.

March 20th, 2023: Flavour and body not as rich as the previous cigar. Aroma was extremely rich. Burn and draw were excellent. No strength in the final third. Medium body throughout. Quite satisfying, but not as much as the previous one. 70 minutes. 

June 17th: Quite a tasty morsel, but a bit thin towards the middle of the cigar. Good draw and burn. Quite satisfying and around 70 minutes, much like the previous sample.

November 20th, 2023: Similar to the June 17th cigar, above. Very smooth, mellow and tasty at the outset, but complexity abated. Long finish made cigar quite delicious during the first two thirds. Ash held on for 20 minutes at a time, despite the cigar being light in the hand. Flavour in the final third was a bit thin. It was still quite satisfying.

December 21st, 2023: Tasty, easy draw, with deep, rich aroma and perfect burn. The cigar is quite light in the hand, but it lasted a good 70 minutes, much like the November cigar. Quite satisfying, as above, but something not quite there to make it great.

June 11th, 2024: A little lacking in body and complexity. Around 70 minutes. Pleasant at best. 

La Aurora Sumo 107 Short Robusto

January 2023

This is a delicious, 4 x 58, short robusto. I smoked two before writing this review. Both were very good.

Appearance and Construction: Solid construction. Heavy in the hand. According to this website: Ecuador wrapper, Cibao Valley, Dominican binder and Cibao, Nicaraguan and Peruvian fillers.

First Puff: Spicy and rich

Draw and Burn: Very easy draw and consistent burn. Excellent performance.

Flavour and Complexity: A complex, spicy, medium roast flavour with a touch of Cameroon (although there is no Cameroon in the cigar).

Body: medium to medium plus.

Strength: no strength to speak of.

Finish and Aftertaste: Excellent long, complex finish.

Aroma: Good, rich aroma

Ash: held on well

Balance and Consistency: Excellent balance of flavour, complexity without overpowering strength.

Time smoke: 70 minutes 

Overall: Excellent cigar. Very satisfying despite its shortness.

February 1st, 2023: Of the several cigars in this box that I've smoked so far, this one was the fastest burning. Flavour was deliciously balanced. Strength was nothing. Body stayed at a solid medium throughout. But the cigar was gone in 50 minutes and I was puffing sparingly. Very nice cigar, but not satisfying at 50 minutes.

February 9th, 2023: This one made up for the previous cigar: excellent flavour, consistent medium body, perhaps a little irregular burning, requiring a few touch ups, but a total smoking time of 70 minutes. Very satisfying.

March 13th, 2023: Delicious throughout! Burn was good, but I probably let it lapse, so a touch up was required. Draw was easy. Medium body and smooth throughout, there was nothing unpleasant, no bitterness, no kick at the end. Very satisfying and almost 70 minutes. 

Delicious throughout: 70 minutes with a touch up. 

June 27th, 2023: Excellent cigar: complex, delicious medium body, medium roast flavour, with deep, rich aroma; required a few touch-ups but draw was fine. Around 70 minutes and very satisfying.

July 20th, 2023: Another excellent cigar: rich, complex, delicious, medium body. Like previous cigars this one required a few touch ups, but draw was easy and I smoked it to the nub. Very satisfying.

Delicious all the way.

September 11th, 2023: Delicious little nugget. The only complaint was that this one felt a bit too brief. Around 55 minutes. Others have stretched to 70 minutes despite their size. Flavour and construction otherwise perfect. Satisfying.

October 28th and 30th, 2023: Two delicious morsels, good the nub. Flavour might have dissipated a little in the second third with one of them, but both were nonetheless satisfying and lasted a good 70 minutes.

November 29th: A delicious example of the blend: luscious, complex, smooth, with a delicious long finish that allowed for 70 minutes of gentle puffing. Very satisfying. 

New box

December 6th, 2023: First of a new box. Wow! This one was quite strong and tarry. Much ligero in it; not the usual smooth, full bodied cigar. Let's see how the rest of the box goes. 

December 27th: Another first rate sample, unlike the first dip into the new box. This one was smooth with perhaps a bit of tarriness, but nothing like the previous. Flavour was complex with rich aroma, long complex finish, easy draw, burn a bit wonky, but overall very satisfying 65 minutes. 

January 8th, 2024: Much smoother than the previous two; no tarriness. Very satisfying at 60 minutes. Excellent rich aroma.

April 13th, 2024, Turin: Delicious, rich, medium plus, nothing harsh, well balanced, complex. Burn slightly uneven, but no problem. 60 minutes.

June 15th, 2024: Delicious, rich, full body, complex, easy draw, etc, as above. Around one hour. Very satisfying.