Archive for the ‘Oliva’ Category

Introducing Our Top-Selling Nub Cigars

Tuesday, March 10th, 2020
Nub Cigars are among the best-selling cigars in the country that were introduced by Oliva in the early 2000s.

Oliva Serie V Melanio Cigars

Friday, August 30th, 2019
Oliva Serie V Melanio cigars are hand-rolled in Nicaragua using nothing but the best expertly fermented and aged Ligero fillers from Condega and Estelí.

Cigar Trends: Flavored Cigars

Thursday, July 26th, 2018

As per usual, the Millennial generation has once again served to be the catalyst for an interesting trend. This time, Millennials have taken to flavored cigars, making them become increasingly popular among people of all ages. That said, the following is a closer look at one of the latest trends for cigar smokers: flavored cigars.

Available in both machine-made and hand-rolled forms, flavored cigars are all the rage among those who enjoy smoking but also enjoy a variety of different sized cigars. Allowing smokers to simultaneously unwind and enjoy the aroma and taste a vast array of flavors, they are becoming wildly popular among adults and are even catching on with some older adults. Likened to smoking hookahs, the reason cigar trends are taking center stage is due to other similar trends presently permeating pop-culture.

More Info on the Cigar Trend

Younger smokers seem to be switching from big, bulkier cigars to their smaller, more slender counterparts, in favors of little cigars and cigarillos. Yet another reason for the popularity of flavored cigars, the smaller size allows for sampling multiple cigars at a time.

While there will always be a market for traditional cigar products, there’s a strong trend toward flavored cigars.

Brands to Buy

Are you considering trying some flavored cigars and need more information on which brands have the best flavors for your taste buds? Definitely consider the following:

  • Drew Estate – The genius company behind brands such as Acid (the Acid Blue Kuba Kuba is one of the most widely smoked flavored cigars in existence), Undercrown, and more, DE has lots to offer in terms of flavored cigars. For instance, Acid brand boldly fuses new school taste with old school flavor, offering a variety of cigars perfect for those looking to try something bold and different. Flavors include bold mixes such as Acid Krush Blue, which brings a bold mix of herbs and botanicals to create a uniquely bold, creamy flavor.
  • CAO Cigars – Another brand looking to take cigar smoking to the next level, this brand offers unique flavors such as Cherrybomb, Moontrance, and the ever popular, Eileen’s Dream.
  • Other Notable Brands – If you are looking for some fruit infused cigars as well as other unique combinations, check out the following brands: Thompson, Victor Sinclair, Cojimar, Panama Jack, Tatiana, Al Capone, Gurkha, 5 Vegas, and Oliva, among many others.

While traditional products promote a more old-school vibe of relaxation and freedom, newer, flavored product promote embracing novelty, and variety.

 

 

JRCigars.com interviews Cory Bappert, Vice President of Sales for Oliva Cigars

Friday, March 23rd, 2018

Oliva brand is one of the most popular brands in the world.  Get a first look as JRCigars.com sits down with the Vice President of Sales of Oliva Cigars, Cory Bappert, to talk about their new Nicaraguan Cigar factory, the process of making their cigars, and much more.

JRCigars.com – Tell us about your new box factory and the expanded capabilities of your Nicaraguan cigar factory.   How many cigars/boxes can you produce per day?

Cory Bappert – Our new box factory when fully operational and up to speed will be capable of producing 100K boxes a month. We currently make over 20 million cigars a year and with expansion under way will have the capability to product up to make an extra 40% more per year.

JRCigars.com – How large is your staff at the Nicaragua factory in Esteli?

Cory Bappert – Just at factory level we have 1500-1600 workers between both cigar factories as well as the box factory.

JRCigars.com – Do you have Rollers & Bunchers that work in pairs or does one person bunch and roll the cigar from start to finish?  What is the reasoning behind this method?

Cory Bappert – We use a roller and buncher. That work as a pair. We find the quality is better when one person focuses on one task instead of two.

JRCigars.com – What was the inspiration behind the Gilberto Oliva Reserva line that you released at the 2017 IPCPR?

Cory Bappert – The Gilberto line is a brand that we felt would reach the more value driven cigar smokers that we couldn’t previously reach.

JRCigars.com – Do you find it flattering or frustrating that since the successful release of your various Nub lines the cigar market has seen a large influx of vitolas in the 4 x 60 range?

Cory Bappert – Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but the size of Nub is only part of what makes it a successful brand.

JRCigars.com – Since being acquired by J. Cortes Cigars, a Belgian company know for European-style cigarillos, will you be introducing more of the European style cigars into your portfolio?

Cory Bappert – We took over US distribution of Neos cigarillos, but that is all we have planned at this time.

JRCigars.com – What makes the Oliva Serie V and Oliva Serie V Melanio so special and sought after?

Cory Bappert – We use tobaccos from special farms we do not use on any other cigars. Also, we have a commitment to the quality of its construction. We use salaried rollers so as not to have the roller and buncher focus on quantity. Our V rollers generally roll half as many a day as a normal cigar roller. Therefore, you’ll find the construction almost perfect.

JRCigars.com – What do you feel distinguishes Oliva Cigars from other cigar manufacturers?

Cory Bappert – Our ability to grow to meet the needs and expectation of the consumer without sacrificing quality. It is a hand made product and rushing cigars out to market is tempting to all growing cigar companies. Holding the line to maintain the quality of the cigars instead of trying to cash in indicates a commitment to the long-term quality of the brand.

Crafted by JR Oliva— An Affordable Masterpiece!

Tuesday, June 6th, 2017

No one grows Nicaraguan cigar tobaccos like Oliva. The manufacturer of a slew of top-selling brands, this family-owned company traces its roots to patriarch Melanio Oliva, who began growing tobacco in the legendary Pinar del Río region of Cuba in 1886. In the aftermath of the 1959 Cuban Revolution, Melanio’s grandson Gilberto Oliva immigrated with his family to Spain before eventually moving to Nicaragua and returning to the premium tobacco business. In 1995 Gilberto and his son, Gilberto Jr, launched the “Gilberto Oliva” brand — a marque which evolved into today’s Oliva, a brand that millions of smokers have come to rely on for its outstanding, Cuban-style craftsmanship and flavor.

Now, joining such notable cigar masters and companies such as AJ Fernandez, Nestor Plasencia, Davidoff, and E.P. Carrillo, to name a few, Oliva has also thrown their hat in the ring to create a very special blend made exclusively for us!

A wonderful new addition to our ever-growing Crafted by JR Cigars line, Crafted by JR Oliva cigars are gorgeous smokes made in the classic old-world tradition handed down for generations. This distinguished puro recipe consists of a dark and oily sun-grown wrapper over aged Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Habano binder and long filler tobaccos. With flawless construction, a slow burn, and a fabulous aroma, you will enjoy a rich, medium body smoke with multi-layered notes of earth, leather, dark spices, cocoa, and cinnamon, all punctuated with a long- lasting creamy finish.

Crafted by JR Oliva is currently available in four popular big-ring sizes, along with a beautifully crafted 6.5 x 52-ring Torpedo. The Cigars come presented in aromatic cedar dress boxes with 10 of these beautiful smokes resting inside. And, like all of our hot-selling JR Exclusives, Crafted by JR Oliva Cigars come to you with a very affordable price.

Oliva Serie V Melanio

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

I rarely smoke Oliva cigars anymore, but I recall liking the original Serie V. When I came across the Melanio at Ed’s shop, I had to grab a few. With some minimal research, I found out that the blend is completely different from the original Serie V.

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian

Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Robusto 5 x 52

Price: Around $9.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was oily, smooth, and blotchy looking. It reminded me of wood grain. The odor of the wrapper and foot was barnyard. There were some tight spots in the cigar, which probably explained a draw that was a bit snug. The pre-light flavor was woody and earthy.

Once lit, the draw loosened up quite a bit. The ash held for about an inch, and the burn required one minor correction.

1 Oliva_Serie_V_Melanio cigars

Flavor:

The first third started off with a smooth peppery spice. Wood, coffee, and cocoa entered the flavor profile, in that order, one at a time. The smoke feel became thick and boarded on creaminess.

2 Oliva_Serie_V_Melanio cigars

The second third had an interesting nutty component. It was mixed evenly with wood, coffee, and cocoa. The pepper calmed down quite a bit, allowing the flavors to stand out. The smoke feel became creamy and tingly sweet.

3 Oliva_Serie_V_Melanio cigars

The last third became very creamy and sweet. Everything fired on all cylinders. Cocoa and coffee coated the entire palate, with just a touch of pepper. Simple, but very good.

4 Oliva_Serie_V_Melanio cigars

Conclusion:

This was a very good full bodied cigar. I was ready to slam Oliva for the asking price, which is a bit out of my comfort zone for a robusto. I’m still on the fence about it, and I definitely would smoke more if it were cheaper. But, this was quite a tasty treat. Price aside, the Melanio delivered where it counts. If price isn’t a big deal to you, it’s worth picking up a few.

A Smoky Goodbye to 2011 by Tommy Zman

Friday, December 30th, 2011

First off, wish me a happy birthday, ya slugs! Yeah, it’s today, December 30 and I don’t smell a day over 40.

Okay, I seriously ask you guys, how can it possibly be the end of another year? I remember celebrating the new millennium like it was yesterday and now that’s a dozen years ago? This is crazy! And now we’re facing a glitch in the Mayan calendar, hoping and praying that these ancient knuckleheads simply ran out of paper.

goodbye_2011-saidaonlineA hell of a lot of crap happened during the course of 2011, way too much to talk about in detail, so I might as well just stick with the cigar happenings. First off, the good people here at JR Cigars gave Steve Nathan and I our own YouTube show where we get to entertain and spread the cigar knowledge to the world. The feeling of power is somewhat overwhelming, and gratifying all-the-same. Of course when you mix a ranting, psycho Polack with a chemically imbalanced Debbie Downer of a cigar training manager, you’re going to create a chemistry that is horribly unpleasant, yet for some unexplainable reason, you just can’t stop looking at it. I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you.

As far as cigars go, JR went completely bonkers bringing in a plethora of new brands to the company, the brands you’ve been asking for, ie; Rocky Patel, My Father, Don Pepin, Jaime Garcia, NUB, La Flor Dominicana, Alec Bradley, Oliva, VegaFina, EP Carillo, CAO OSA Sol, Macanudo Cru Royale! Yeah, the list is long and deep and I personally couldn’t be happier. I am definitely gonna celebrate the new year in JR style with more smokes than I could have ever imagined enjoying. Sweet!

cra-logo-colorNow, while the good stuff was certainly good, the bad stuff was incredibly annoying. The Food and Drug Administration decided they wanted to regulate the cigar industry, treating our precious smokes in the same way that they scrutinize cigarettes. If these politico nightmares get their way, an entire industry that employs some 85,000 people will be in for the fight of their lives – so it’s up to us to fight these clueless numbskulls with every last ounce of smoke that we’ve got! January 19 is now the date that the FDA will stop taking feedback from the public on this matter and it’s up to us to make as much noise as we possibly can until then!

And now you’ve got these stooges on the Orange Bowl committee who have been bamboozled by the ancient and out of touch Frank Louseyburg of NJ and his smoke Nazi cronies. Our good friends at Camacho Cigars had a 3-year deal with the Orange Bowl to be an official sponsor of the game which included outdoor smoking lounges at the event. But three holier than thou senators stirred up a bunch of health organizations and bullied the Orange Bowl Committee and the NCAA, getting Camacho tossed out as a sponsor! Of course the Bowl organizers used the lame and shameless excuse of what a poor message a cigar company would send to kids, but somehow it’s okay for collegiate sports to advertise alcohol, fast food, and the pill that makes you call the doctor after 4 hours. From what I understand, a rum company is an official sponsor of the game, which is a hypocrisy that has us all shaking our heads. What kind of message does consuming alcohol send to our children? The message is simple: when enjoyed responsibly by adults in moderation, all of these grown-up products should be allowed to do business under the name of freedom in these here United States of America.

So what’s up for 2012? Well this FDA thing is looming and we need to educate, get the word out, and fight these fascist legislators with everything we’ve got. And while the crap keeps hitting the proverbial fan with new anti-smoking laws and continual tax hikes on our cigars, new brands will continue to come out this year as our industry will stick together like never before.

So, that’s it from the great state of Jersey, guys. You and I will be talking again next year for sure!

TZ.Sig.2

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

Friday, May 14th – Oliva Smoker Event

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Support your local tobacconist TODAY!

oliva_masterblend_cigars_800 Make sure you head to St. Pete Cigars this Friday, May 14th from 6PM – 9PM. The featured brand will be Oliva. As always, there will be one day only deals, raffles, door prizes, and food.

Go to the event page at St. Pete Cigars website for more info. See you there!

Flor De Oliva Natural

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Continuing with my exploration into value, or bundle cigars, I ran across Flor de Oliva. This is a bundle cigar offered by Oliva, the maker of many fine cigars. I took a chance and ordered a bundle recently, as I was looking for a cheap morning cigar. Let’s see if the Flor de Oliva natural does the trick…

 

Wrapper: Sumatra

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua & Dominican

Size: Toro 6 x 50

Price: Around $40.00 for a bundle of 20

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The natural wrapper looked nice, with no major flaws or veins. The cigar was moderately packed with tobacco. When I squeezed the entire length, I found a few soft spots, but nothing alarming. Sniffing the wrapper and foot revealed a simple natural tobacco odor. The pre-light draw was good, and had a sweet earthy flavor.

The burn required a couple corrections in the first third, and the ash held for just under an inch before falling off.

1FlorDeOlivaNatural 

Flavor:

As I got into the first third, I though to myself… “Is the cap sweetened on this thing?” I say this because of a distinct sweetness that was left on the lips. Anyway… when exhaling through the nose, there was that definite Nicaraguan pepper I so often speak of. It was on the mild side and combined with earthy notes for an overall good experience. The main flavor was basically a natural tobacco and earthy taste.

2FlorDeOlivaNatural 

The second third saw the addition of woody and cedar notes. The sweetness that was like a sweetened cap reduced in strength. Other then that, there wasn’t any more change. That peppery zing remained, as did the natural earthy tobacco taste.

3FlorDeOlivaNatural

The last third had minimal change. The smoke feel took on a thicker, somewhat creamy feel. The pepper remained but calmed and smoothed out. The sweetness basically went away, which left the basic woody, natural earthy tobacco flavors.

4FlorDeOlivaNatural 

Conclusion:

First things first… Does this have a sweetened cap? I could only find conflicting or vague information on the web. Anyway… This was a decent mild to medium bodied cigar. Basically you get what you pay for. It obviously isn’t the most complex or interesting smokes out there. But if you are looking for a yard gar, or something to smoke while sipping your morning coffee, I think this will fit the bill. Not a bad value cigar!

Oliva Master Blends 3

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

I was pleased when Cigar Direct chose to send me a couple of these cigars to review. The Master Blends 3 is the third installment in the “Master Blends” series of cigars. Tobacco for this line is limited, which I imagine accounts for the higher price and limited availability. I paired up with the usual glass of water and got to the review.

 

Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf Sun-grown

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero

Size: Robusto 5×50

Price: Around $9.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

With small to medium veins, the dark sun grown wrapper had an overall rich appearance. Squeezing the cigar’s length, I found no inconsistencies. The wrapper and foot had an earthy smell with a hint of sweet spice. The pre-light draw was free, and had a smooth earthy taste.

The burn required two corrections, and the ash held for 1.5 inches. No complaints in the construction department.

1OlivaMasterBlends3 

Flavor:

The first third started with pepper. It was strong, but not over the top or harsh. After smoking about an inch, coffee notes kicked in. As if on queue, mocha flavors came minutes later to round out the first third. It was pretty cool how each flavor came in individually, as if they were being introduced.

2OlivaMasterBlends3 

Mocha, or chocolate, was the main flavor of the second third. The pepper remained but it was joined by a sweet spice. Like the first third, black coffee rounded things out. The smoke feel was dry, but not in an annoying way. I did feel the need to drink more water then I usually do.

3OlivaMasterBlends3 

The last third still held that dominant mocha flavor. Earthy notes helped to mellow out the pepper and the sweet spice. Coffee was still very noticeable like the first two thirds. The parched feeling remained, but I got used to it. Not a whole lot of change, just an enjoyable melding of flavors.

4OlivaMasterBlends3 

Conclusion:

It was interesting how the flavors introduced themselves. For the most part they held their positions in the overall picture. After some debate, I determined this was a full bodied cigar. Overall it was very enjoyable and relaxing. The only bad thing I could think of is the price. For a cigar of limited availability, I guess you have to expect that. If you want to give this cigar a try, Cigars Direct has a selection of various sizes. Any Oliva fan should at least give the Master Blends 3 a chance.

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