Oliva Master Blends 3 Torpedo

I have had a few of the robusto vitolas of the Master Blends 3 (or MB3), but have not had the privilege of the torpedo yet. I have definitely enjoyed the ones I have had, though I honestly didn’t find them to be anything special or to justify their high price tag. I’m a sucker for torpedoes though, so perhaps the shape will turn this one into a more memorable experience. Let’s go.

Statistics

CotM: December 2013



December 2013





Shape: Oval-Press Torpedo

Oval-Press Torpedo





Chosen by: Sequenc3







Size: 6” x 52







Country of Origin: Nicaragua







Wrapper: Nicaraguan-grown Broadleaf







Binder: Nicaraguan







Filler: Nicaraguan







Color: Colorado-maduro

Colorado-maduro





Strength: Medium-full







Price Paid: $11.43

$11.43





Smoke Date: January 7, 2014

January 7, 2014





Age: 1 month

Accessories Used

Palio Composite cigar cutter, Silver & Chrome Vector Stratos single-flame torch lighter, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Loose-leaf Aged Wuyi Yancha Fo Guo Yan Chinese oolong tea served in a small porcelain teapot with painted floral feature and matching cup. The name of this tea is a bit of a mouthful, and so is the tea. This tea was picked from 100 year-old trees and aged for 20 years after processing. It’s dark, rich, and earthy with a lot of sweetness and a little spice. What a pairing! Both elements here were so rich and complex that at times it was sheer ecstasy. The tea was several notes earthier than the cigar, and the cigar was a few marks spicier and sweeter than the tea. This might have been my most inspired pairing ever.

Appearance/Nose

Oliva really does torpedo heads well. I think I mentioned this in my Oliva Serie V review, but the torpedo head on this thing was just flawless as well. The wrapper was a mottled brown with a lot of tooth. It wasn’t as dark I’m used to seeing Connecticut Broadleaf. Perhaps it isn’t fermented as to a full maduro, or perhaps this is a difference in the Nicaraguan-grown broadleaf strain that Oliva uses. The oval press is a very nice shape. The band was…well…the band…It’s detailed to the point of being ostentatious. It contains a painting of what I assume is a field of wild tobacco and palm trees, surrounded by intricate gold embossed logos, but it doesn’t end there! There is even a portrait of a man (who I’m assuming is the Oliva family patriarch) in gold on the left side.

The back of the band says “Liga Maestra 2006,” which I believe means that the leaf was harvested in 2006 and aged for several years before rolling. I feel a bit goofy smoking a cigar that has such an intricate and gaudy band. The nose was reminiscent of black tea and dried fruit. Very inviting!

Construction

The stick was evenly springy throughout, with a little bit of give that is common in pressed sticks. The oval press is an interesting shape that makes the cigar very easy to hold, but difficult to rotate. The burn got a little crooked once or twice as I stopped to write or take a photo, but was easily corrected each time with a touch of rotation (though the oval shape makes rotating 90 degrees to catch a stray burn a bit more awkward than it had to be). No need to open up the lighter again. This one kept burning no matter how much I neglected it. The ash was white and gray, a bit flaky, and held on for a respectable inch and a half at a time.

Cold Draw

The cold draw was sweet. It tasted like honey and spice and nuts. I was tempted to forgo lighting the cigar and just puff on it cold. The draw itself was perfect off of a cautious clipping of the torpedo cap.

Smoking

First third

The first puff tasted of cinnamon, chocolate, and honey. A smooth, nutty taste joined in on the finish.

The puffs immediately following were stronger, with more pepper joining in. The smoke volume was immense, and the cigar had smoke pouring out of both ends as it lied idle in the ashtray.

The flavor was a very nice and complex mix here. There was definitely cinnamon, chocolate, red pepper, and a dark honey-like flavor that was almost maple-syrupy. The retrohale had a strong black pepper sting.

About an inch in, a definite black coffee note began to emerge.

The dried fruit note I noticed on the cold draw never made an appearance, but there was a slight element of it in the honey-maple aspect of the flavor.

Second third

In the second third, the pepper and cinnamon began to die down a bit, allowing the sweet, honey flavor to dominate. A strong floral, nutty element became mixed in with the rich coffee base.

I found that the hotter I burned it, the more pepper I got, and the colder I let it get, the more delicious honey and coffee I was able to get. Taking my time with those cigar turned it into a stick of pure caramel around the halfway point. The retrohale was much mellower and sweeter at this point than it had been in the first third.

An earthiness joined in towards the end of the second third.

Final third

The black pepper returned in force in the final third. The coffee and floral honey stayed strong too, as the overall intensity of flavor ramped up. The smoke volume also increased to epic proportions here at the end.

The honey notes began to fade into the finish, as an earthiness and black pepper combo dominated the fore, combined with an intense dark chocolate flavor that came out of nowhere. Quite a strong transformation at the end!

Notes

Draw: Perfect

Perfect





Body: Medium-full

Medium-full





Primary Flavors: Coffee, honey, black pepper

Coffee, honey, black pepper





Smoke Output: Full

Full





Smoke Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Overall

I was utterly wrong about this cigar. I must not have taken my time with it in the past, because a bit of patience turned it into an absolute dream. The pairing was also magnificent and may have added to my appreciation of this Nicaraguan puro. The middle third was sublime, and the powerful finale was the perfect send off. The high price is completely justified–this is an amazing cigar. Definitely recommended, but let patience and small sips be your guides.

Rating