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Page 1 of 2  Tasting and grading some new blends and some old friends from Oliveros!Los Angeles, March 14 – Oliveros cigars have been around for a long time, in fact a little more than 80 years. And that’s cause for celebration for the Habana Cuba Cigar Company, which went out of its way to produce a special cigar to salute its anniversary. But Rafael Nodal and Hank Bischoff weren’t satisfied with just an anniversary cigar and added new blends to their already-popular brands including the Classic Collection, so we took a taste. Oliveros Classic Collection – Ecuadorian Shade wrapper: [Dominican Republic: available in 6 sizes] The Classic Collection has been around a long time and the current blend was revised in 2003. But in 2007, a new line featuring a light brown, shade-grown wrapper from Ecuador added an elegant style to this line. But what about the taste? Starting with a spicy aroma and a medium-bodied presence, the Ecuador-wrapped blend offered a nicely caramelized taste at the start, with a long smooth finish and not even a hint of spice. Gentle and mellow, this cigar smoked easily with an even burn. The flavor flattened out a bit in the second half, and an interesting note of pepper made a cameo appearance that added depth but did not distract you from the main flavor profile. This is a well-made cigar that’s easy to enjoy and leaves no mark on the head after you smoke it. It’s also friendly to your wallet, priced at just $3.50 to $5.50 each, not including local sales and tobacco taxes. Overall grade: A-: Excellent. Oliveros Classic Collection – Dual wrapper: [Dominican Republic: available in 2 sizes] In addition to the Ecuador-wrapped edition, a special line of dual-wrapped cigars with both an Ecuadorian and Maduro wrapper on the same stick was introduced in 2007. There are two different styles: the Mulato (6 1/4 inches by 50 ring) with two wrappers, each covering half the cigar and the wild Meztizo (6 3/4 x 46), which has Ecuadorian wrapper on each end of the cigar and maduro wrapper in the middle! We tried the Meztizo and found it offered a medium-to-full body and had a toasty and spicy aroma. It features a light, caramelized taste like its all-Ecuadorian-wrapped cousin but with a long, spicy finish and a beautiful, even burn. When the maduro-wrapped section was reached, the taste profile moved toward a deeper, sweeter flavor, without much spice at all. This part of the cigar was smooth and the transition – a challenge in construction – was well handled. Despite the three wrapper sections, the overall impression was one of controlled excellence and a delicious balance. And at $5.50 to $5.90 each, both sizes are accessible to all smokers as both a novelty and a very nice cigar to enjoy anytime. Overall grade: A: Exceptional. |
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Did you know?
“Cellophane sleeves on cigars were introduced into wide use only in the 1940s.
