Omar Ortez Originals
I ran across this cigar recently while browsing the selection at the Tampa Humidor. This stick caught my eye because of it’s simple presentation, decent looks, and cheap price of around $3.00 a stick. For that price, I figured “Why not?” If you are new here, I might as well mention I am pairing this cigar with PUR filtered tap water at room temperature.
Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Nicaragua
Size: 54 x 5
Price: Box of 60 $154.95. Around $2.50 a stick.
Pre-smoke & Construction:
Giving the cigar a once over, I found that this thing was hard as a rock. Obviously the pre-light draw was a little snug, but I could deal with it. The dark wrapper looked nice with some cosmetic flaws, but nothing major or worth mentioning. Sniffing the wrapper and foot gave me earthy tobacco flavors. The pre-light draw tasted woody and earthy. The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for an inch. As I progressed into this cigar, the draw opened up and allowed me to enjoy the cigar a little more.
Flavor:
The first third started off simple enough with an easy earthy flavor. I detected a strange flavor that I couldn’t put my finger on. It was very unique, and wasn’t good or bad. I’ll go on a limb and say it was an unidentified wood.
The second third started with a reduction in earthy flavors. Definite woody notes stepped up and took it’s place. The mystery flavor went away. A slight peppery spice was present when exhaling the smoke through the nose. Simple but not bad.
The last third developed a little bit. The peppery spice became more of a sweet spice. The sweetness wasn’t quite mocha, but it tried. The woody flavors continued, and the smoke took on a thicker feel. Again, simple but not bad.
Conclusion:
This pretty much lived up to what I expected… An OK medium to full bodied cigar. For the price, I can excuse its one dimensional flavor profile. I’d definitely call this a “Yard gar,” or something you could smoke while doing some task such as yard work. Since there were not any bad flavors or harshness, I can’t give it a bad review. If you are looking for a cheap, simple cigar, this may be for you.
