Nub Habano 466
Wrapper: Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Flavor: Rich, Full bodied
I was one of the lucky ones to win a video contest that Sam Leccia was running on www.nublive.com and got my hands on some Nub cigars. I got the Nub Habano 466, which is what I am going to review, a Nub connecticut and a Nub Cameroon. I decided to light up the Habano first, because I have always had a thing for spicy and strong smokes, and this Nub was no exception.
Pre-light: On pre-light, as usual, I ran the cigar across my nose, and got lots of spice, with some leathery notes to it. I clipped it with my ever trusty Palio. This was a bit tough to do, since the ring gauge on this cigar is a 66. It clipped the end nicely though, and I took a pre-light draw. On the draw, I got mostly that familiar spice flavor, and it was predominant through the draw. The original leathery smell wasn’t really present on the draw.
1/3: As I toasted this cigar, I knew I was in for a treat. It took me a little while to actually get it lit, mostly because of the large amount of surface area on the foot that I needed to cover in flame. Right from the start, I got nothing but good flavor. Sam was right to call this the Nub, or the core, the essence. Lots of great spice, and woody flavors were coming at me, headlong. The burn was great, and the ash was holding firm. As I finished the first third of the cigar, I had the cigar resting on the table, ON the ash, with the butt of the cigar up in the air. That should tell you just how well constructed this cigar is. I went to grab the camera off the table, and bumped it, and the cigar came down off the ash, which bummed me out, because I wanted to get a picture of it. That was the first ashing of the cigar, and it would be the last ash until I got down to the end.
2/3: As I continued on with this cigar, the spice seemed to calm down a bit, and the leathery flavors made their presence known. Thus far, its been a very tasty, consistent cigar. I wouldn’t call it complex, but in my opinion, complexity is not necessary. If a cigar tastes good, and the flavors that are there are good flavors, then why mess with it? As I continued on this portion, the burn got just a touch ragged, but seemed to be only mildly off. As I finished this portion of the cigar, I looked at the clock. I had been going at it for about 45 minutes.
3/3: Just like the first portion of this cigar, the spice came back to life in a real way on the last third. The leather and woody flavors seemed to fade into the background at this point, and would not really come back into the fold. The burn also got a little funky on me, but corrected itself before it was all over. Another thing that happened to show up on my palette as I was smoking, was a slight hint of caramel. A little sweetness, which complimented the spice nicely.
Overall Impression: This is a very nice cigar. According to Sam, the price point on these is gonna be anywhere from $4.00-7.00 each. Even at the high end, I find these to be worth it. I will be buying a box or 3 of these when the release hits in April. There were a few burn issues, and the overall awkwardness of smoking something with such a big ring gauge was a bit intimidating, but you can bet I will have some of these in my humidor. Below is a picture of how it ended for me.
Scott
Wrapper: Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Flavor: Rich, Full bodied
I was one of the lucky ones to win a video contest that Sam Leccia was running on www.nublive.com and got my hands on some Nub cigars. I got the Nub Habano 466, which is what I am going to review, a Nub connecticut and a Nub Cameroon. I decided to light up the Habano first, because I have always had a thing for spicy and strong smokes, and this Nub was no exception.
Pre-light: On pre-light, as usual, I ran the cigar across my nose, and got lots of spice, with some leathery notes to it. I clipped it with my ever trusty Palio. This was a bit tough to do, since the ring gauge on this cigar is a 66. It clipped the end nicely though, and I took a pre-light draw. On the draw, I got mostly that familiar spice flavor, and it was predominant through the draw. The original leathery smell wasn’t really present on the draw.
1/3: As I toasted this cigar, I knew I was in for a treat. It took me a little while to actually get it lit, mostly because of the large amount of surface area on the foot that I needed to cover in flame. Right from the start, I got nothing but good flavor. Sam was right to call this the Nub, or the core, the essence. Lots of great spice, and woody flavors were coming at me, headlong. The burn was great, and the ash was holding firm. As I finished the first third of the cigar, I had the cigar resting on the table, ON the ash, with the butt of the cigar up in the air. That should tell you just how well constructed this cigar is. I went to grab the camera off the table, and bumped it, and the cigar came down off the ash, which bummed me out, because I wanted to get a picture of it. That was the first ashing of the cigar, and it would be the last ash until I got down to the end.
2/3: As I continued on with this cigar, the spice seemed to calm down a bit, and the leathery flavors made their presence known. Thus far, its been a very tasty, consistent cigar. I wouldn’t call it complex, but in my opinion, complexity is not necessary. If a cigar tastes good, and the flavors that are there are good flavors, then why mess with it? As I continued on this portion, the burn got just a touch ragged, but seemed to be only mildly off. As I finished this portion of the cigar, I looked at the clock. I had been going at it for about 45 minutes.
3/3: Just like the first portion of this cigar, the spice came back to life in a real way on the last third. The leather and woody flavors seemed to fade into the background at this point, and would not really come back into the fold. The burn also got a little funky on me, but corrected itself before it was all over. Another thing that happened to show up on my palette as I was smoking, was a slight hint of caramel. A little sweetness, which complimented the spice nicely.
Overall Impression: This is a very nice cigar. According to Sam, the price point on these is gonna be anywhere from $4.00-7.00 each. Even at the high end, I find these to be worth it. I will be buying a box or 3 of these when the release hits in April. There were a few burn issues, and the overall awkwardness of smoking something with such a big ring gauge was a bit intimidating, but you can bet I will have some of these in my humidor. Below is a picture of how it ended for me.
Scott
