Nub Maduro

Last night I attended the Nub event at The Stogie in Rockville Centre, NY. It was good to see Sam again and I wish I could of stayed longer but my back was hurting again mainly because of the audacity of the location. The Stogie features a lounge which is for members only and this appears to be a growing trend I could do without as it prevents the casual customer from partaking in the camaraderie that smoking a cigar brings. It also reduces your customer base. Anyway, when I arrived to the event the parking lot was full and was told there was no spots. I did however spot a handicap parking slot open. Having recently obtained a handicap permit due to my back I was informed by the staff I could not park there as it was being held for a member which is a direct violation of state law. I then had to walk 2 and a half blocks to the location on wet pavement with my cane. This wound up putting my back out of whack again.

I wish I was able to hang out and hang with Rick the local Oliva Rep, Sam the mind behind Nub, and Dave the Sales Manager for Oliva Cigars. All 3 of them went the extra mile trying to see to my comfort but alas it was not meant to be. Rick even offered to go get my car for me which gets him mega kudos from me. I should also mention his wife’s band “Undercover” was performing and they kicked ass.

Anyway my reason for going other then to hang with Sam was to get my hands on the Nub Maduro which I am glad I did. I have smoked a couple already and here is my review…

Cigar: Nub Maduro
Size: 4 x 60 (460)
Wrapper: Brazillian Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Mediun/Full

Appearance and Construction (18/20): Like most Nub Cigars this stick is 4″ of sheer beauty. The roll of the cigar is virtually seamless and the wrapper has a few veins, a lot of tooth and a nice oily sheen. The cigar is extremely well packed with a lot of weight to it and has no soft spots at all. The one thing Nub did wrong though is the band. The color difference between the Habano and Maduro is so slight it is hard to tell them apart on the shelves other than the color difference of the wrapper and in a dimly lit humidor this could be an issue.

Flavor & Notes (26/30): The pre-light offers a nice mocha note on the foot and on the pre-light draw there were some earthy notes with a touch of mocha. Upon lighting the cigar it is very bitter but luckily it fades somewhat to reveal notes of wood, dark chocolate and some leather. The second third of this cigar mellows out some and the dark chocolate notes really begin to shine with some wood notes in the background. The final third picks up in strength again and the cigar finishes with a touch of sweetness from the chocolate and some wood.

Burn/Ash/Draw (24/25): The burn of the cigar is pretty even with only slightest bit of jaggedness to it. The ash is dark, but holds on strong in typical nub fashion. The draw is flawless with ample amounts of smoke.

Overall (22/25): The Nub Maduro has been a cigar many people in the community have been waiting for including myself. It does not disappoint although it is a little rough around the edges and it could use some aging time. The cigars have finally begun to ship and should be appearing in Brick & Mortars around the country.

Rating: 90
Price: $6.00