Nub Habano

Nub Habano

• Strength: 5 / 5
• Size: 4 x 66
• Origin: Nicaragua
• Price (local): $8.95
• Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
• Flavor Text:

A novel concept in handmade cigars from Oliva....a substantive blend that will make you rethink the cigar experience.

Nub cigars started as a theory. Born in the Oliva factory, a cigar maker was hell-bent on proving he could capture the essence - the core - of a cigar's flavor immediately upon lighting and throughout the duration of the blend. Well, they nailed it.

Rather than wait for a cigar to develop and evolve, which typically occurs an inch to two inches in, the idea behind Oliva's Nub was to specifically blend it to hit its sweet spot right off the bat and remain at its peak right through to the end. Each size is short and stout in stature. That's by design - not for novelty - as blends and sizes were worked and re-worked a thousand ways from Sunday in order for Nub creator Sam Leccia and the Oliva family to capture the essence of each Nub cigar blend. Anyone can create unusual shapes, each of the Nub blends and accompanying shapes was instead created to summon and deliver the blend's sweet spot. Sample one today.

Habano - glossy, milk chocolate-brown wrapper. Rich tobacco core with a smoky aftertaste. Hints of peanuts are supported by a baked bread component. Spice through the nose. Medium to full-bodied with a rich, creamy character throughout.

Another rub through the Nub catalog brings us to the Nub Habano. I really can't say much else about this cigar after my review of the Nub Cameroon from last week, but I will say that this is certainly the spiciest Nub in their entire catalog. The Habano wrapper and the Nicaraguan blend of tobacco certainly brings a ton of body and punch to this smoke, and while that's something you'd normally expect from a cigar of this size, it definitely hits harder than most cigars you'll taste.

The flavor of this cigar is translated perfectly, and that is likely because the Nub smokes are so small and just packed with ripe tobacco. The spice of this cigar reminds one of black pepper, but that isn't the only taste you get from this one. This cigar has some beautiful flavors of nuts, dark coffee with cream, and the spice drawer. The interesting part of this cigar is the smooth smoke that it generates and the thickness and creaminess of that smoke as you continue to pull on this one. It's truly interesting how a full-body, spicy cigar can create such a smoke; usually, the harsher cigars don't have such a nice after-effect to them like that, but this Nub brings that creaminess to the table with it's smoke. It was definitely unique, and the thickness of the smoke was a pretty neat change.

There really isn't much to say about the Nub cigars: there is a blend and wrapper for literally every smoker out there. This might be the third or fourth Nub that I have reviewed on the blog to date, and all of them are distinctly different but equally tasty. I really love what the Nub was made for; the half-hour break you have to smoke. Nubs are really versatile smokes and they have something anyone can enjoy, and for that, I really enjoy what Oliva has done with the Nub line of smokes. I'd try this if you like a nice, strong cigar. If you want a milder Nub, snag the Connecticut. If you're a medium body guy or gal, grab the Cameroon. No matter what, you're in good hands with one of these.

Happy smoking! CB