I know its been a while since I put up a review, and Ricky and I both have been short on time lately.  That being said, I thought it was time for a review, so here comes a quick time on one of my go to premium cigars, the Padilla 1932 Signature Robusto.  I had one of these at my local b&m yesterday, and it had been a while since I had one, and I thought it was time to review one for our loyal readers.

On pre-light, it was firm with a little bounceback.  I clipped it with my Palio cutter, and it cut effortlessly.  The pre-light draw was effortless, with some oak flavors with the typical spice found in a lot of Padilla cigars.  As I lit it up, the first thing I noticed was how easy it was to draw on this cigar.  As I started to get into this cigar I got lots of smooth, oak flavors, with some spice, and earth undertones.  The cigar stayed this way throughout the entire smoke, but they were all flavors I really enjoyed.  The ash on this cigar was just about perfect and firm.  The smoke was billowing, and the burn was just about perfect all the way through the cigar.  My recommendation is that if you see these at your local shop, pick up some to keep in your humidor.  While they are not overly complex to me, they are a very good smoke, and well worth the money.

- Scott

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As most of my fellow cigar smokers know, the government is almost always trying to impose taxes and regulations on us tobacco lovers.  Thanks to joint efforts of cigar smokers, and cigar manufacturers, the Cigar Rights of America (CRA) was founded.  Any and all funds go to fight tobacco legislation, and I think any and all Cigar smokers ought to support this cause.  I know I am in for at least a 1 year membership.  Here is what the website says about the CRA:

FIGHTING TO PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM TO ENJOY CIGARS

* “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”
* “Land of the Free”
* “No Taxation Without Representation”

These are the principles on which America was founded. Unfortunately for cigar enthusiasts, the age-old pleasure of enjoying a cigar is under attack. On a daily basis, your freedom to enjoy a cigar is being stripped away by an overzealous, anti-smoking movement. Their tactics are varied; be it through supporting onerous cigar taxes or lobbying government for restrictive smoking bans. The anti-smoking movement will stop at nothing short of the complete prohibition of tobacco.

The Declaration of Independence of the United States ensures that all men and women have the freedom and the right to the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, cigar enthusiasts have slowly allowed these rights to be removed. Over the past twenty years, the anti-tobacco movement has broadened their reach and scope and are moving towards abolishing ALL forms of tobacco including cigars. Until recently there has essentially been very little organized opposition to their actions. And why should there have been? Most of us assumed that their attention was directed towards cigarettes.

Unfortunately, we were wrong.

Forty-eight states in America have enacted cigar taxes. Some states have gone as far as taxing cigars at a rate of 80%. Currently, the entire cigar industry is threatened by the Federal Government’s State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) that threatens to increase the Federal cigar tax by as much as 6,000% (no this is not a typo). If it weren’t for President Bush ‘s veto of the bill proposed by the House and Senate last fall, you would currently be paying exorbitantly high prices for the cigars you enjoy so much and nearly every cigar shop in America would have been forced out of business. The proposed bill, which will tax cigars to fund SCHIP, is not dead yet. After the upcoming 2008 November election, the House and Senate will again attempt to increase the Federal tax on cigars to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan.

In addition to a tax increase on cigars, regularly introduced anti-smoking legislation has made it close to impossible for cigar enthusiasts to enjoy cigars. In many states, you are not allowed to enjoy a cigar at your local restaurant or bar. Cities around America are now proposing bans which will, if enacted, stop you from enjoying a cigar outside of public buildings. Who would have thought that the day would come when you cannot legally enjoy a cigar walking down the beach or sitting in your local park?

There is a war against cigar enthusiasts everywhere. To combat the very influential anti-smoking movement, we need your help NOW . Join CIGAR RIGHTS OF AMERICA (CRA) and join the fight to protect your rights. Cigar Rights of America has been formed to fight unjustified tax increases and halt smoking bans. For years, cigar enthusiasts have been trampled on by all levels of government. With increasing risk of further local, State and Federal government intervention, now is the time for the cigar community to UNITE and have a powerful voice to protect our rights.

Any cigar smokers that read this, please head over to http://www.cigarrights.org and PLEASE make a donation. Its for the benefit of cigar smokers everywhere!

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Despite the name, this cigar is not a Cuban cigar, but it is in fact the most complex cigar I have ever tasted to date. When I bought this one from my local shop yesterday, I originally was not going to do a review of it, but after smoking it, I decided I couldn’t keep this one from our loyal readers! Here is a quick time review for you guys!

As I took this cigar along the length of my nose, I got a lot of spice, and some sweetness that reminded me of nutmeg. I was excited to light this one up. Some of the flavors I got out of this cigar were incredible. As I started out with it, I got a heavy shot of cocoa, along with some nutmeg and raisin flavor all at once. It was really tasty. That combination was just incredible. The burn wasn’t perfect, but I was enjoying the flavors so much, I wasn’t really paying attention to the burn The smoke was abundant, and as I blew it out my nasal passages, it was the smoothest smoke I have ever exhaled through the nostrils. No burn, just smooth, and flavorful. These flavors continued through the length of the cigar, but the difference was, as I burned through the cigar, certain flavors would make themselves more known that the others. At the first third of the cigar, the nutmeg was prominent, as I moved onto the middle, it was the cocoa, then toward the end it was the raisin flavor. Now don’t get me wrong, while those were the prominent flavors at certain spots in the cigar, you could still always taste the others, they were just a bit more in the background. I paid $10 for this stick (CA prices) at my local shop, and it was well worth every penny. I highly recommend everyone try this cigar at least once!

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this was one STRONG smoke. I made the mistake of smoking it on an empty stomach, and even as an experienced cigar smoker, this one threw me for a loop. All in all, I really enjoyed this smoke, and I can’t wait to have another! I highly suggest picking one up.

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Pre-light: I ran the cigar along my nose as I usually do and found a fairly strong floral and spice smell to it. I don’t usually enjoy floral sweetness, but with the slight hint of spice I was also getting, I thought this might be a pretty good smoke. I sat back and clipped the head with my Palio cutter, and lit the end up, and below is what followed.

1/3: As I started in on this cigar, the first thing I noticed was that the wrapper was very fragile. I don’t know if it was the humidity that my humidor was at or not, but I don’t usually have cracking problems with my other cigars. This one cracked at the foot, but was still smoking decently. I was getting some nice peppery flavors, but the overall taste was somewhat floral and sweet. The draw was a little tighter than I would have liked, but it wasn’t un-tolerable. Lots of sweet smoke coming from this cigar, and at this point its pretty enjoyable.

2/3: This is the point where the problems started. I mentioned the crack in foot of the cigar when I first lit it up. Well, this time, it decided to crack again, at about the 1/2 way point. It was still smoking decent, just not looking decent, so I continued with the cigar even though it had cracked. I was still getting mostly floral and some slight spice flavors, but I started to get distracted by the crack in the wrapper, as I could see it going farther and farther down the cigar.

3/3: I continued to smoke this cigar, but the wrapper was all but falling off at this point. It had cracked badly, and the flavors hadn’t changed much. They were very floral, and the spice flavors died down toward this portion of the cigar. I finally couldn’t deal with the crack in the wrapper anymore, as the whole cigar was wanting to come unraveled, so I put it out.

Overall, the flavors were enjoyable, but with a wrapper that fragile, it was really hard for me to enjoy the cigar to the fullest. Again, I don’t know if it had something to do with the way it was stored, but I wouldn’t think so, since all my other cigars seem to have no problem in my humidor. I think I might have to pick up a few more of these, in a few different sizes, and give them a shot to see if the wrapper issue was just a fluke.

Cigar Rating:

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Pre-light: I ran the cigar across the length of my nose on the pre-light, and got some faint hints of light coffee, and cream. This was smelling like just about every other connecticut wrapped cigar I’d ever had, so I wasn’t really sure I was going to like it. I clipped it with my palio cutter, and toasted the foot.

1/3: As I got into this cigar, the first thing I noticed as I started puffing on it was the strong creamy smoke coming from it. It wasn’t spicy, but it was there in abundance. Fairly sweet, with lots of creamy undertones, I was liking these first couple of puffs! At this point, the cigar was burning perfectly, with solid ash, and lots of smoke.

2/3: I continued to smoke this cigar while playing darts at the cigar shop. I found myself getting distracted from my game of darts because the flavors that were coming from this cigar were just THAT good. I was starting to get a hint of pepper/spice and that creaminess was still there in the foreground. I also noticed a few hints of coffee. This is a good cigar thus far, and I am now thinking about how I can make a purchase of a box.

3/3: I finished up this cigar wishing for more. not much changed between the 2/3 and this portion. I was still getting that creamy flavor with hints of coffee and pepper.

I nubbed this one until my fingers burnt. The contruction and burn were perfect all the way down to the end, and the flavors were great! I recommend you pick one of these up if you have the chance. I liked it so much, I got my local shop owner to order a box!

Cigar Rating:

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It was 6:30 AM, and the sun was just coming up. I poured myself a cup of Jose’s Vanilla coffee, and went to the humidor and one of my Oliva Serie G Cameroon Tubos was just calling my name. I’ve had quite a few Oliva’s and they have all been great, with incredible construction, and this one proved to be no different. The ash held almost the entire length of the cigar, and the woody, leathery flavors with a slight hint of spice was perfect with my coffee. This was one smoke that I did not want to put down. As I sat on my deck, watching the sunrise with coffee and this cigar in hand, I pondered life, and enjoyed the flavors. My opinion on this, as well as the ENTIRE Oliva line is this: BUY SOME. Do it now, and smoke them. You will not regret it!

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Image provided by Stogie Fresh

Wrapper: Connecticut-Ecuador
Binder: Habano-seed Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico

I recently decided that I would light up a CAO Black that I had sitting in my humidor. It had been in there for a couple of months, so I know it was well rested. I generally enjoy CAO products, so I was hoping that this would be no exception. With that said, here’ s what I thought.

Pre-Light: As I examined this cigar, I noticed that there was a small tear in the wrapper leaf toward the head, right where I would put my mouth. I didn’t think much of it, and it didn’t prove to be a problem. As I took the cigar lengthwise along my nose, I got some nice leathery smells, with some spice and a little bit of coffee. I clipped the head with my ever-trusty Palio cutter, and lit it up with my Ronson Jet-lite.

1/3: As I started in on this cigar, the draw was a little tighter than I liked, but not totally unmanageable. The first few puffs were pure spice, with little else. As I continued, the flavor of spice became a bit more muted, and the leathery and coffee flavors started to show themselves a bit. So far, I am really enjoying the complexity of flavors in this cigar!

2/3: As I continued to the next third of this cigar, I decided to ash the smoke, as I didn’t want to end up wearing the ash. The ash was holding firm, and the cigar was burning razor sharp. As I sat and enjoyed this portion of the cigar, the complexity started to fade away, just a little. The flavors became mostly leather and coffee, and the spice seemed to almost go completely away. That was fine with me, since it was early morning, and I enjoy the coffee flavors with my cup of coffee.

3/3: As I was finishing up this cigar, the burn was still razor straight, and the ash was holding strong. The draw still is a little tight, but not so tight that I wasn’t enjoying the cigar. As I got down to the end of the smoke, the flavors didn’t change much. The coffee and leather flavors were still there, but that was ok, because I was really enjoying it.

All in all, I didn’t want to put this cigar down when I was done with it. It started out pretty complex, then settled down to a solid, enjoyable smoke.

cigar rating:

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Strength: Full
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Rosado Oscuro Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-light: As I pulled this cigar out of my humidor, I was excited to try it. I have read all about this smoke on the various cigar forums that I am a part of, and it was seriously hyped up, so I was anxious. As I smelled the foot of this cigar, the predominant flavors I was anticipating were coffee and nutty, with a little spice. As I cut this with my Palio cutter, and took a pre-light draw, I got those same flavors. I was very excited to try this!

1/3: As I started in on this smoke, I took a few small puffs right after I lit it. I was getting some nice spice flavors, but it was predominantly coffee and nutty. I could tell this was going to be a tasty smoke with my coffee! As I continued to puff on this smoke, the spice kicked up a bit, and it seemed to be burning a little faster than I would have liked. That could have been because I was enjoying the coffee flavors I was getting out of it. I may have been puffing it quickly.

2/3: As I continued through this smoke, the spice kicked up a bit and the coffee and nutty flavors settled into the background. The spice reminded me of white pepper in strength. The burn wasn’t perfect, but it would correct itself later down the smoke. It wasn’t bad enough that I had to touch it up at all. At this point, I am REALLY enjoying this smoke.

3/3: As I was finishing up this cigar, the flavors didn’t change much, but I was enjoying them, so I didn’t really want them to change. As I was getting to the end of this cigar, the spice did seem to die down just a little, and the coffee and nutty flavors kicked up for the last few puffs. The burn corrected itself for the most part, although it was a little bit wavy toward the end. The burn wasn’t bad enough to bother me though.

All in all, this was a really good cigar, but I am not sure that these are worth the price point. I do think that these are a little overhyped for what they are. I didn’t find them as complex as others have, but all in all, it was an enjoyable smoke

Cigar Rating:

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What is Nub?

“Oliva Cigar Co. and a former company sales rep have introduced a cigar innovation that is creating tremendous buzz. The rep is Sam Leccia, who covered Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania for Oliva since 2004. Sam came from the liquor industry where he was a partner in an award winning vodka.

After learning from the Oliva family how cigars are rolled in Esteli, Nicaragua, the Oliva family and Sam created “nubs”, which is a concept that seeks to deliver only that most enjoyable part of the cigar. The idea for the nubs came from the theory that a cigar finds its “sweet spot” at the 3 ½- 4 inch point. All “nub” cigars must exist within this window. No “nub” is longer than 4 inches. Further adding to this complex theory, the ring gauges range from 56-66. The result is a range of smokes that have the same amount of tobacco as any Churchill or even Presidente. Unbelievably, they also smoke as long.

Sam and Jose Oliva began experimenting with the concept in mid 2007. After hearing the sizes the no-nonsense Oliva Family was initially skeptical. The idea of a 4×60 or 4×66 sounded like a novelty to them. It was not until the family tested the concept and was able to see and smoke them that they understood that this was no novelty. They realized that there in fact was something that had not been done in this business. It is truly an innovation which has the ability to have one revisit wrappers that they may have had long since formed opinions about. Understanding that not everyone is in love with large ring gauges, you have to first grasp the theory of “nub” because in the world of “nubs” a 60 is not a large ring gauge. The only real way to understand it is to smoke one. The cigar starts at the sweet spot and gets better from there. The large ring gauge allows for a dense ash which insulates the cigar keeping it cool as you smoke. The large amount of smoke also allows you to really enjoy the complex flavors.

Sam’s excitement really grew on the Oliva’s as they began to experiment with the concept. After experimenting with hundreds of sizes and samples they felt ready to support the project. While the cigar is made and distributed by Oliva, it will be promoted by Sam Leccia.

The cigar will be launched in three wrappers: Habano, Cameroon, and Connecticut. There will be three sizes shared by all wrappers plus an additional size which is unique to each wrapper. The flavor range is from mild to full but always complex and hearty.”

Sam is also having launch parties at different B&M’s around the country, and also raffling off this mini cooper:

For more information on these cigars, as well as news and events for the Nub brand, check this out:

Nub Cigars

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