Oliva Grand Cameroon Robusto (circa 2005/2006 according to B&M)
A little history: I've been traveling back to my college stomping grounds
of Champaign, IL (GO ILLINI! Long live the CHIEF!). A few trips back, I
noticed that the B&M I use to frequent had some 'vintage looking' Oliva
branded cigars as well as the new Serie O, G, V stuff. Vintage only because
the bands are like version 2 of the same coloring and the celo had some yellowish tinge to it. Vintage because the owner recalls a discussion with the Oliva rep about having boxes of the old stuff still. So I decided to pick up a box of the Oliva Grand Maduro Robusto and one stick of the Cameroon (I prefer a more full flavored cigar). They have a few more boxes of older Olivas as well as the MB2 and MB3. Who knows what else they have in their stock. If this stuff isn't vintage for the Oliva brand, you guys can correct me.
Location: brown leather sofa at my favorite B&M:Bull and Bear of Naperville, IL
Weather: it just poured outside and the rain continues to come down
Camera: crappy ass Razor V3M camera phone
Drink: Small Cafe Europa from Corner Bakery across the street
Cigar accessories employed: Palio cutter and Ever Torch lighter
Pre-light inspection: very nicely constructed box-pressed vitola with very
little vein-iness; as I squeeze the edges, the filler gives way..this is
good..I hate a tightly packed puro; the puro smells delicious; pre-light
draw provides a light nutty taste and a hint of spiciness. It is a Nicaraguan
filler and binder with a cameroon wrapper.
First Third: I toasted the foot with the torch of my Ever Torch and then lit
it up with the soft flame of the same Ever Torch lighter. This is one awesome
lighter that replicant_argent dug up for us gorillas. Draw was perfect; lots
of smoke with every puff. The first few mouthfulls provided a very strong peppery taste, most likely due to the nicaraguan filler and binder. I purge for a few seconds and take in another puff....BOY did this stick mellow out quick after the purge. Every puff starts producing a very creamy taste tainted with a nice light oily tint on my tongue. There is a slight hint of pepper but it isn't strong like the Pepin blends.
Second Third: The stick started to canoe on me, so I take the torch to it and correct it. At this point, the taste doesn't change much. I'm still experiencing the creaminess followed by the pleasant oiliness on my tongue. I wash the taste down with my cup of java producing an even more pleasant taste of peanuts with the combination. The experience is a bit one-dimensional, but with the 4.5" size, I didn't expect any major changes.
Last Third: There seems to be a small build-up of chemical taste, so I purge again and it disappears. Again, continues to be one dimensional...same creaminess...same oil tint on my tongue. I must say...it is still a very enjoyable stick. The rain has stopped right now and my coffee is lukewarm. I'm an hour into the smoke and i'm still getting volumes of smoke. The pepperiness picked up a few notches, a definite notable change. I've unbanded the cigar in an effort to try to nub the smoke. Interestingly enough, it starts to canoe again...but I decided not to correct it and let it burn naturally to the end.
Overall thoughts: Being an Oliva fan myself, I wanted to see how this family of cigars had evolved. For a short smoke, this is a very nice and creamy cigar. It lacks the moderate intensity that the Serie V have now, but it does have a similar flavor profile of the Serie G Super G. At under $3 a stick, this is definitely a puro I would recommend to those who prefer a mild smoke, that is if you can even find them. I'm excited to try out the Maduro version of this vitola since I took a gamble and bought a whole box of them. A few more days of rest and I'll pull one out and do a review of that one.
I'd give this stick a 6/10 rating, only because it is a mild body smoke (not my preference) but it is very reasonably priced for an NC that most likely has 2-3 years of age on it if you can find them.
I apologize for the terrible cell phone pics....but pr0n is pr0n.
A little history: I've been traveling back to my college stomping grounds
of Champaign, IL (GO ILLINI! Long live the CHIEF!). A few trips back, I
noticed that the B&M I use to frequent had some 'vintage looking' Oliva
branded cigars as well as the new Serie O, G, V stuff. Vintage only because
the bands are like version 2 of the same coloring and the celo had some yellowish tinge to it. Vintage because the owner recalls a discussion with the Oliva rep about having boxes of the old stuff still. So I decided to pick up a box of the Oliva Grand Maduro Robusto and one stick of the Cameroon (I prefer a more full flavored cigar). They have a few more boxes of older Olivas as well as the MB2 and MB3. Who knows what else they have in their stock. If this stuff isn't vintage for the Oliva brand, you guys can correct me.
Location: brown leather sofa at my favorite B&M:Bull and Bear of Naperville, IL
Weather: it just poured outside and the rain continues to come down
Camera: crappy ass Razor V3M camera phone
Drink: Small Cafe Europa from Corner Bakery across the street
Cigar accessories employed: Palio cutter and Ever Torch lighter
Pre-light inspection: very nicely constructed box-pressed vitola with very
little vein-iness; as I squeeze the edges, the filler gives way..this is
good..I hate a tightly packed puro; the puro smells delicious; pre-light
draw provides a light nutty taste and a hint of spiciness. It is a Nicaraguan
filler and binder with a cameroon wrapper.
First Third: I toasted the foot with the torch of my Ever Torch and then lit
it up with the soft flame of the same Ever Torch lighter. This is one awesome
lighter that replicant_argent dug up for us gorillas. Draw was perfect; lots
of smoke with every puff. The first few mouthfulls provided a very strong peppery taste, most likely due to the nicaraguan filler and binder. I purge for a few seconds and take in another puff....BOY did this stick mellow out quick after the purge. Every puff starts producing a very creamy taste tainted with a nice light oily tint on my tongue. There is a slight hint of pepper but it isn't strong like the Pepin blends.
Second Third: The stick started to canoe on me, so I take the torch to it and correct it. At this point, the taste doesn't change much. I'm still experiencing the creaminess followed by the pleasant oiliness on my tongue. I wash the taste down with my cup of java producing an even more pleasant taste of peanuts with the combination. The experience is a bit one-dimensional, but with the 4.5" size, I didn't expect any major changes.
Last Third: There seems to be a small build-up of chemical taste, so I purge again and it disappears. Again, continues to be one dimensional...same creaminess...same oil tint on my tongue. I must say...it is still a very enjoyable stick. The rain has stopped right now and my coffee is lukewarm. I'm an hour into the smoke and i'm still getting volumes of smoke. The pepperiness picked up a few notches, a definite notable change. I've unbanded the cigar in an effort to try to nub the smoke. Interestingly enough, it starts to canoe again...but I decided not to correct it and let it burn naturally to the end.
Overall thoughts: Being an Oliva fan myself, I wanted to see how this family of cigars had evolved. For a short smoke, this is a very nice and creamy cigar. It lacks the moderate intensity that the Serie V have now, but it does have a similar flavor profile of the Serie G Super G. At under $3 a stick, this is definitely a puro I would recommend to those who prefer a mild smoke, that is if you can even find them. I'm excited to try out the Maduro version of this vitola since I took a gamble and bought a whole box of them. A few more days of rest and I'll pull one out and do a review of that one.
I'd give this stick a 6/10 rating, only because it is a mild body smoke (not my preference) but it is very reasonably priced for an NC that most likely has 2-3 years of age on it if you can find them.
I apologize for the terrible cell phone pics....but pr0n is pr0n.
