Oliva Master Blends III in Robusto

This 5 X 50 dark brown oval shaped stick smelled of cedar and sweet tobacco.  I decided to pull this one from the top shelf of my humidor which is where I keep the best of the best cigars that I can acquire (below is a picture of my current top shelf).  The cigars on my top shelf are usually the pricier sticks in my collection and I know that they will give me a great smoking experience.  This cigar I have had resting for about a month.  On first light this cigar hit me with a large amount of black pepper and sweet cedar.  The draw was open almost completely open and I knew right away that I would have to watch the rate of how many puffs I would take so I do not heat up the cigar to fast.  The cedar and pepper were at a medium to full body but very smooth.  This flavor stayed for the first inch of the cigar where the first ash dropped off.

The second inch or so required a touch up, but not a major one.  The flavor transitioned quickly in this next inch and brought in a cedar and dark roasted coffee and kept a strong black pepper feel and taste.  The flavors were at a full body and stayed long into the finish and after taste.  The coffee was literally like drinking a fresh cup of dark Folgers.  The pepper was going down into my throat and stayed with the coffee.  Before the next inch the burn required a bit of a touch up again this being number two, but it was nothing major and corrected quickly.( I want to note that I do not have many cigars require a touch up, and I keep my cigars at 64-68 percent humidity and anywhere from 68-71 in temperature).

The third inch transitioned quickly as well dropping the coffee and cedar, but keeping the black pepper and added a dark chocolate flavor.  This flavor was very nice and sweet, but did not last long into the finish, where the pepper quickly reigned supreme.  The Chocolate literally tasted like I put a pinch of black pepper on a bite of a Hershey's dark chocolate bar.  It was very distinct and obvious to pin point.

The last inch and a half or so did require another touch up and started to bring back the cedar note and kept the chocolate and spice. At the one inch point the flavors started to get washed out by heat and I sat it down for the last time at around the one hour and 10 minute mark.  Altogether these were flavor combinations I do not get out of most cigars and I enjoyed them very much.


Price: $9.45
Appearance: 95
Draw: 85
Burn: 82
Flavor: 97
Burn Time: 93

Overall Score: 91


If I didn't have to give so many touch ups it would have been a higher overall score.

 My Humidors Top Shelf