Oliva Connecticut Reserve

The Oliva Connecticut Reserve caught me by surprise, only finding out about the release a few weeks ago. As a person who enjoys the Oliva line of cigars I felt a mild cigar was missing from their catalog. Whenever I was in the mood for a morning cigar I was never able to reach for an Oliva smoke. Now with the release of the Connecticut Reserve I now have that option in the morning. Last night I attended an event hosted by Oliva Cigars at a local B&M, I was gifted this smoke by the local rep in New York City for the review. The Oliva Connecticut Reserve features absolutely no ligero tobacco and is billed as a full flavor, mild cigar.

Cigar: Oliva Connecticut Reserve
Size: 6 x 50 (Toro)
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (Visio & Seco)

Appearance & Construction (18/20): The wrapper of this cigar has a nice golden tan color and a fair amount of veins, but nothing more then to be expected by an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. The wrapper has a thin sheen of oils to it and a nice looking cap. In the hand the cigar feels a little light and I have a feeling without any ligero this cigar could be a fairly quick smoke. The one thing that stands out is the label. The white background with gold and brown has some people referring to this smoke as the Oliva white label smoke.

Flavor & Notes (27/30): The prelight notes off the foot is a very dry hay and the prelight draw offers notes very similar to non-buttered popcorn. The first third offers some faint pepper notes which has caught me off guard as this is supposed to be a mild smoke. The primary notes here are nuts and a dry toast with a creaminess that flirts with your palate. As we hit the second third of the cigar the creamy notes really begin to shine on this cigar giving it a nice rich buttery flavor. The nut like notes remain as well, giving this cigar a nice flavor profile. The final third of the smoke offers notes of nuts and a slight leather on the finish.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): The burn of the smoke has a fairly thick carbon ring, but it remains perfectly straight throughout the smoke. The ash of the cigar is various shades of gray, and holds on fairly well for more than an inch at a time. There is a slight resistance on the draw andthat helps slow down the smoking time on this cigar.

Overall (22/25): While this cigar is advertised as a mild cigar, I would have to say it borders at times on being a medium bodied smoke. The cigar offers nice relaxing notes that are suitable for an early morning cigar. Seasoned smokers will enjoy this stick when looking for something mild but a new cigar smoker might not agree with its billing.

Rating: 90
Price: $5.50