Oliva Connecticut Reserve
Mornings are usually when I’ll spark up a Connecticut wrapped cigar. This was one of those mornings, so I sat down with some coffee and the Oliva Connecticut Reserve. I switched it up a bit and paired up with coffee.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: Churchill 7 x 50
Price: Around $7.00
Pre-smoke & Construction:
The tan wrapper had a few mid sized veins and a couple blemishes, but overall looked decent. There were no soft spots on this firmly packed cigar. Sniffing the wrapper and foot gave off a woody scent, while the pre-light draw had a sweet, slightly earthy taste. Speaking of the draw, it was great, with a slight resistance. I didn’t have to do any burn corrections, and the ash held strong for over an inch. It took effort to tap it off into the ashtray. Construction overall was good.
Flavor:
The first third was simple enough… I got buttery notes combined with a toast. When passing through the sinus I noticed a faint pepper that was quite nice. As things progressed, the smoke became really thick and creamy.
The second third carried on with a simple flavor profile. Toasty, buttery flavors dominated, and the pepper decreased a bit. The creamy, thick smoke continued and overall everything went well.
On to the last third… The creaminess took over. Mixed with buttery, toasty notes, combined with a slight nutty flavor to round thing up. The smoke remained thick and plentiful right up to the end.
Conclusion:
Although many aspects of this cigar screamed “Another Connecticut wrapped cigar,” this was a good light to medium bodied smoke. It was a very refined, smooth and easy smoke. I could easily put this into my morning cigar rotation, and I probably will.