Archive for the ‘Oliveros’ Category

Aging Room M21

Sunday, October 20th, 2013

1

If you watched Ed and I review the Aging Room Maduro, you may remember him mentioning this cigar. Ed claimed it to be the strongest cigar in his shop. The M21 is of very limited production, so I jumped at the chance to review it.

This time around, I am without Ed. My intent was to do a written review. After making some changes with how we record video reviews, this became more of an excuse to do a technical test.

So, take 8 minutes, and see what I have to say about the Aging Room M21.

Audio Only – Right Click, Save As

Aging Room Maduro

Sunday, October 6th, 2013

20130914_114457

Ed is back again, and this time we reviewed the Aging Room Maduro. This cigar is made by Boutique Blends Cigars, also known as Oliveros. This is a clean, cool burning, refined, sweet, peppery smoke. There were minimal changes, but subtle differences from third to third kept it interesting. At times, we were stumped. Yes, even Ed is challenged from time to time.

Set aside 19 minutes and see what we thought.

 

Audio only, Right Click, Save As

Aging Room M356

Friday, February 8th, 2013

I’m sure you’ve heard… This cigar was in the Cigar Aficionado top 25 of 2011, and rated at an arbitrary number of 94.  What does it all mean? I have no idea. I’ve heard opinions that are all over the map, so I figured it was time to give em a try. If you want more info, check out the Aging Room website.

 

Wrapper: Habano

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The color of the wrapper was blotchy, but it still looked nice. I could only pick up the odor of earth and hay. The cigar was consistently packed, and pretty soft when squeezed. A lot of the time, this would mean a loose draw. This wasn’t the case, it was perfect. The pre-light flavor tasted just as it smelled, which wasn’t a bad thing.

The flaky ash held for about 3/4 of an inch, and the burn required quite a few minor corrections in the first half.

 1 Aging_Room_M356 cigars

Flavor:

The first third had a pleasant earthy and woody core. Retrohaling revealed what I can only describe as floral. The peppery spice had a strange cooling effect. The aftertaste reflected the flavor profile, and stuck to the tongue for quite some time.

 2 Aging_Room_M356 cigars

The second third kept the same earthy and woody core. There was an added richness, and a slight sweet note, for lack of a better description. It just felt fuller, and more refined. The smoke feel became creamy and dense.

3 Aging_Room_M356 cigars

The last third took on a sweet cocoa flavor. Wood and earth followed behind. That floral note fell to the background, and the pepper became a sweet spice.

4 Aging_Room_M356 cigars

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. My only complaint was a wavy ash. But, I’ve seen much worse, so it wasn’t a big issue. Does it live up to the hype that Cigar Aficionado trumped it up to be? Who’s to say. I enjoyed it, and maybe you will to. I think it’s worth trying.

Swag Sobe Edition

Friday, October 5th, 2012

Swag is a line of cigars brought to you from Oliveros. It is said that “SoBe” stands for South Beach. You know, the place where all the kids like to party. Personally, I think Miami is the arm pit of Florida. But it can’t be denied that it’s a hot spot, even in the cigar industry. Anyway, I found this cigar at a local shop, and got to smoking.

 

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: Toro Gordo 6 x 60

Price: $7.71

1 Swag_Sobe_Edition cigars

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was pretty rugged looking, with some medium sized veins, and random lumps here and there. This isn’t to say it was looked bad, just rugged. The wrapper and foot had a mild cedar and earthy aroma. Squeezing the cigar revealed some minor inconsistencies, but nothing concerned me. The draw had slight resistance, and the pre-light flavor was earthy and grassy.

The burn required a couple minor corrections, and the ash held for just over an inch.

2 Swag_Sobe_Edition cigars

Flavor:

The first third had a nice tingly spice that had a citrusy edge to it. Earthiness was up next, followed by a bitter sweetness, and subtle woody notes. Simple, but good.

3 Swag_Sobe_Edition cigars

The second third had a slight uptick in strength, but kept the same basic flavors as before. The citrusy spice stood out more, and the bitter sweetness was accompanied by coffee. Woody and earthy notes didn’t go away, but they did take a back seat.

4 Swag_Sobe_Edition cigars

The last third kept the same flavors, but the delivery changed. Basically everything was equal in strength. Nothing stood out over the other. It was very well balanced.

5 Swag_Sobe_Edition cigars

Conclusion:

This was a solid medium to upper medium bodied cigar. The flavors were simple, but they switched up and kept things interesting. All Miami gimmicks aside, this cigar delivered where it counts, and it meets the price point. I’d smoke more of these from time to time. 

Swag

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Swag is a cigar line from Oliveros. It features all ligero tobacco from the same farm in the Dominican Republic. It is said that the body and flavors are full, and you’d never know this was a Dominican puro. Their slogan – “The SWAG cigar is not your father’s Dominican cigar.” The Swag line apparently is all about a lifestyle. I am not concerned with all of that stuff. It’s all about how it performs. You can read more at Swag’s website.

A quick lesson – Ligero refers to the top part of a tobacco plant. The leaves are exposed to the sun and tend to be thicker and fuller bodied. They usually contain the most nicotine, and often require a bit more aging.

I was given a few samples at Ed’s grand opening. Ed and I may review this one day. In the mean time, I figured I’d give you my take. As I do in all reviews, I paired with water.

 

Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Dominican Ligero

Size: Quickie – 5.5 x 42

Price: Around $5.00

 

Pre-smoke and Construction:

The wrapper was a little blotchy looking, with minor variations in color. This isn’t an issue. The wrapper and foot had a mild odor of cedar. The cigar was pretty evenly and solidly packed, and the draw was good. The pre-light draw had a dark woody and mild earthy taste.

The burn required one minor correction, and the ash held for about 3/4 of an inch.

1_Swag

Flavor:

The first third began with a simple cedar taste. It didn’t take long before it opened up a bit. There was an easy pepper when passing smoke through the nose that had a tinge of sweetness. The cedar stepped back a bit and nutty notes joined in. Overall, it was very smooth and easy.

2_Swag

The second third took on a creamy feel. The smoke volume was plentiful and thick. It left a sweet coating in the mouth that reminded me of caramel. The cedar notes were still there and mingled with a sweet nuttiness. If I literally chewed the smoke, I swear I picked up a fruity flavor. There wasn’t a lot of spice when passing smoke through the sinus. It was more of a sweet woody flavor with a tinge of pepper.

3_Swag

The last third pretty much kept pace with the second third. There may have been the addition of coffee, but it was hard to tell. The spice picked up a little bit when exhaling through the nose. The body and strength definitely hit the full range. I had a slight nicotine buzz at this point. Otherwise, the core flavors stayed the same, and it was pretty good.

4_Swag

Conclusion:

This was a very good cigar. It started out as a medium and went into the full range. The flavors were good and mixed together well. It was just a well refined flavor profile and strength wasn’t the focus (although it was there). I’d recommend at least trying a few of these. I liked em.

Oliveros Kopi Luwak

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Kopi Luwak is very expensive coffee. The beans are fed to a fuzzy wuzzy animal called the Asian Palm Civet. The beans are pooped out, rinsed, dried, and ready to be made into a cup of coffee. Oliveros claims to capture this flavor in the cigar I am reviewing today.

 

Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro

Binder: Dominican Olor

Filler: Cuban seed ligero Cubano & Seco Dominican

Size: Corona 5 x 42

Price: Around $4.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a smooth look with only a few small veins and a water spot or two. The smell of the foot and wrapper reminded me of pipe tobacco and coffee. The pre-light draw had some resistance, and had a definite taste of coffee. Pinching the cigar, I found a couple tight spots. Luckily this didn’t seem to effect the draw too much.

The burn required a couple corrections, and I let the ash go for around a half of an inch.

1KopiLuwak

Flavor:

The first third consisted of an earthy flavor with of course coffee. I believe the cap was sweetened, which left sweet notes on the lips.

2KopiLuwak

The second third pretty much had no change. Perhaps the earthy flavors were reduced in strength a bit, allowing more coffee to come out.

3KopiLuwak

Like before, earth and coffee remained dominant. A slight spice was noticed in the sinus and on the lips. The overall strength crept up but remained in the medium bodied range. There wasn’t really anything more to it.

4KopiLuwak

Conclusion:

I guess for a flavored or infused cigar, this was OK. It fell in the upper mild to medium bodied range. I prefer unaltered tobacco, so the Kopi Luwak just isn’t for me. There wasn’t any bad flavors, but I was underwhelmed with it’s one dimensional flavor profile. It was mediocre at best. If you enjoy flavored or infused cigars, then give this one a try. As for me, I will never smoke another…

St.Pete Cigars-Oliveros One Week Deals!

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

This post will be stuck at the top of the site for a week. I’ll still be posting normal content.

So Ed scheduled the Oliveros event on the same night of some other local happenings. Although the turnout was good, a lot of people missed out on the one day deals.

The only solution was to extend the deals for an entire week on all Oliveros cigars. Go to Ed’s website for more details!

kinghavanotoppage

This applies to all Oliveros cigars and runs from Saturday, April 10th to Saturday April 17th.

Fri. April 9th-St.Pete Cigars Smoker Event!

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

This post will be stuck at the top of the site until the event passes. I’ll still be posting reviews.

Mark your calendar for Friday, April 9th, from 6PM to 9PM. St. Pete Cigars will be hosting a smoker event featuring Oliveros (AKA Habana Cuba Cigar Co.).

kinghavanotoppage

Go to the St. Pete Cigar website and check out the flyer. There will be door prizes, one day only deals, and of course food.

See you there!

Oliveros Classic Collection Maduro

Monday, June 29th, 2009

I ran across this cigar from a couple sources. I won one in a raffle, and I believe I was sent one in a grab bag awhile back. There really isn’t a big story behind this cigar that I’m aware of. As we all know, I paired up with PUR filtered water and got to the review.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $3.00

1OliverosClassicCollection

Pre-light & Construction:

First things first… During the pre-light inspection I was immediately annoyed. This cigar was rock hard. I had to massage it and ended up using a draw poker to make it acceptable. I was moments away from trashing the cigar and review, but I pressed on. Not a good way to start a review. Moving on… The wrapper looked nice and had a woody, earthy, and grassy smell. The foot produced a similar smell, with a tinge of pepper. As for the pre-light draw, as I mentioned, it was tight. I was too annoyed with that and didn’t even take notes on what it tasted like. The burn required a few corrections, and the ash was rock solid for over an inch.

 

Flavor:

The first third had a simple earthy taste. As I reached the end of this third, a slight sweet, dry mocha flavor arrived. Not bad, not great.

2OliverosClassicCollection

The second third didn’t offer much more then the first. I still had plenty of earthy notes, and a buttery flavor came about. Later on I had a bitterness that wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t pleasant either.

3OliverosClassicCollection

The last third really didn’t do anything for me. I was pretty bored at this point, but I pressed on. The earthy flavors fell back a lot, and that buttery component remained. That bitterness remained and started to get on my nerves. As the cigar came to a close, I may have gotten some slight nutty notes that weren’t bad.

4OliverosClassicCollection

Conclusion:

This cigar wasn’t for me. The flavor profile just rubbed me the wrong way. The tight draw was the most annoying part of the experience. If you took that away, I would have enjoyed this cigar a little more. I think it boils down to a cigar that doesn’t fit what I like in a flavor profile. Your mileage may vary, so give it a shot. It wasn’t horrible.

3 Regular Guys Review: Oliveros Silver Eagle (Size: Gold Eagle)

Friday, January 25th, 2008
We Two Regular Guys have admittedly been slacking. Let us qualify that: we’ve been extremely busy with our other job responsibilities, and have done a terrible job of smoking cigars and writing reviews. Not to worry: we’ve been smoking lots of cigars, we just haven’t blogged about any of them.A few weeks back Corona Chris gave us each an Oliveros Silver Eagle Toro. We stashed them in our desk

Looking for something?

Use the form below to search the site:

Still not finding what you're looking for? Drop a comment on a post or contact us so we can take care of it!