Olive Master Blends III - August COTM

jesensten

Pulling this cigar out of it's cello I was really excited to light this up. It smelled amazing on both the foot and the wrapper. You got the feeling like this thing was a beast before you even lit it up. And this thing tasted great! Deep coffee flavors with a lot of spice as the filler is Habano seed. That was the good news. The bad news was that the box-press and roll was so tight that the draw was near impossible for the first 1/2 inch. The next 2 inches were better but still way too tight for my taste. It wasn't until the last 2 1/2 inches that it loosened up enough to really enjoy the flavors. The other problem I had was that it developed a crack along the edge about 1/3 of the way down the cigar after about 10 minutes of lighting. It didn't end up causing any burn issue but it was disappointing to see such a nice wrapper break like that. On flavor alone this is a 4 out of 5 star cigar, but the construction/draw issues knock it down to an average 2.5 stars. Your mileage may vary. I'm interested to know from any of the other COTM members if they had similar issues.

laker1963

jesensten:

Pulling this cigar out of it's cello I was really excited to light this up. It smelled amazing on both the foot and the wrapper. You got the feeling like this thing was a beast before you even lit it up. And this thing tasted great! Deep coffee flavors with a lot of spice as the filler is Habano seed. That was the good news. The bad news was that the box-press and roll was so tight that the draw was near impossible for the first 1/2 inch. The next 2 inches were better but still way too tight for my taste. It wasn't until the last 2 1/2 inches that it loosened up enough to really enjoy the flavors. The other problem I had was that it developed a crack along the edge about 1/3 of the way down the cigar after about 10 minutes of lighting. It didn't end up causing any burn issue but it was disappointing to see such a nice wrapper break like that. On flavor alone this is a 4 out of 5 star cigar, but the construction/draw issues knock it down to an average 2.5 stars. Your mileage may vary. I'm interested to know from any of the other COTM members if they had similar issues.

If this stick was smoked ROTT without sitting for at least a few days to acclimate then that was probably toyr burn issues right there. The tightness may have been over humidification from the water pillow during travel. If you get another one let it rest for at least a week or more in a seasoned humi and you will sit back and enjoy a very nice stick indeed. The churchills in this stick ROCK!

Lee.mcglynn

These are one of my favorite sticks! I go robusto or torpedo when I get them but have never had a issue with them. That being said I let them rest for at least three weeks before I touch it.

Streater

This cigar was recommended to me by a tobacconist at a lounge that me and Irish went to when he was in Dallas. I ordered a 6 pack of box-pressed Churchills. I dry boxed one ROTT as it was 104 degrees that day and very humid. I gave it about 5 hrs before I lit it. I was blown away. It smoked perfectly and developed incredibly well. I now understand what someone means when they describe a cigar as being "well balanced." There were so many different flavors that I can't even describe them. Each third was a completely different flavor profile, but they fit perfectly with each other and didn't clash. Every stick smoked perfectly. I stored then in my coolidor which maintains a 67% RH. Needless to say, I will be ordering more.

Amos Umwhat

I got one of these a couple years back, I think it was COTM, and made the same mistake with the same result. Since that time I've learned, and sometimes struggled, to give my purchases about a month of resting time and had much better results all around.

Right now, I'm struggling with the Ramon Bueso. There it sits. I've been wanting it, but there's only one. It's only been two weeks. Laker says "...give it a week..." in his comment above. Laker's a smart guy, knows his stuff, surely I could light up the Bueso tonight, but what if I screw it up? AAAAHHHH!

Oh, & I've had the MB III since that original, and am looking forward to this one, in a couple weeks.

laker1963

Amos Umwhat:

I got one of these a couple years back, I think it was COTM, and made the same mistake with the same result. Since that time I've learned, and sometimes struggled, to give my purchases about a month of resting time and had much better results all around.

Right now, I'm struggling with the Ramon Bueso. There it sits. I've been wanting it, but there's only one. It's only been two weeks. Laker says "...give it a week..." in his comment above. Laker's a smart guy, knows his stuff, surely I could light up the Bueso tonight, but what if I screw it up? AAAAHHHH!

Oh, & I've had the MB III since that original, and am looking forward to this one, in a couple weeks.

LOL. Laker is actually one of the most NOT patient people you will ever meet.

I agree with Amos Umwhat completley, these are SOOOOOO much better with a good long rest. When I mentioned a week... I was sort of thinking about how long I am able to wait until I have to light one up. I always have to get several of these at a time because of this. With a month (or 6 or more) these are nothing short of EXCELLENT!