Cigar Review: Nub Habano 358

The Skinny:

Cigar: Nub Habano 358
Origin: Nicaragua
Length/Ring: 3.75″ x 58
Shape: Nub
Wrapper: Habano

I had a little conversation with the Rocky Patel rep the other day while over at Barrister Cigars during the launch event for the Rocky Patel summer series and they were moved to follow the same game plan that Sam Leccia was following for the Nub. They felt the hype created by the Nub was unmatched by any other cigar in a long time.

Fast forward to the other day when I was sitting around the table at Barrister Cigars and we were discussing the potential staying power of the Nub. Because let’s face it, at first appearance it looks like a novelty. Will the cigar last, I think it has potential, but not at the current hype the cigar is getting. The cigar has a few issues that will have to be addressed, one of which is the wrapper tends to crack or split during smoking from time to time. More so then other cigars.

Pre-Light:
The cigars had some oils visible on the wrapper as well as some glue from the label. There was a lot of glue to be precise, but I sniffed glue in the past, so why not smoke it. The cigar was spongy to the touch, and my humidor has been perfection all summer long with a 68 % humidity and 65-68 degrees. On the pre-light the draw was smooth and had hints of tea and it reminded me of freshly cut grass. Meanwhile to the tongue I managed to get the sense of tea and pepper.

Smoke: What amazaes me about the Nub is the cigar does not get hot this includes smoking it all the way down til you can’t hold it no more. It remains cool to the touch and to the palate. The cigar was full-bodied and I had zero problems with the draw. The taste was true to the scent for the most part. I was able to taste Tea, Grass/Hay/Earthy notes, and some cedar. My one problem is that about half way though I developed a 1/2 inch split in the wrapper.  These production issues have to be fixed in my eyes for the cigar to remain popular.

Overall, I am a big fan of the Nub. For me the cigar isn’t as good as the Cameroon version, but they are very close. For now the Nub has me as something I enjoy smoking. However, I could see my patience running thin if the cracks continue to happen. For now I will just chalk it up to the demand.

Price: $4.75
Rating: 88 (Out of 100)

Cigar Review: Nub Cameroon

At first glance the Nub looks like something my grandfather would have in his mouth all day. The cigar comes in 3 variations (Nicaraguan Natural, Connecticut Natural, and Nicaraguan Cameroon) and four different sizes (ranging from 3.7″ to 4″). The cigar I smoked was the Nicaraguan Cameroon 464 (4″ x 64 ring), which usually is to thick of a ring gauge for me, but being it was a torpedo I had no problem with its girth. The cigar was nicely constructed with little to no oils visible on the wrapper but had a nice spongy feel to it from being properly maintained in a humidor.

I was informed by the salesperson that the idea behind this cigar was that every cigar has a sweet spot and that every cigar in this line was the sweet spot. All the excess tobacco not inside the sweet spot was trimmed away and not used in any way for the cigar. A great idea if you ask me even though the size was quite funny looking. In fact until I tried it I thought the cigar was pretty much a novelty.

It wasn’t until I decided to write this review that I found out the cigar is made by the Oliva Family, whom I must admit I am not a huge fan of their product. But with the help of one of their sales reps named Sam Leccia who worked with Jose Oliva they realized that this was a complex and hearty smoke that they had created. And the success isn’t new for Mr. Leccia who was also the partner of an award winning Vodka.

The wrapper of the Cameroon Nicaraguan 464 is grown in Cameroon, Africa and due to the size of the cigar I thought it would smoke very hot. In fact I thought it would be too hot to enjoy. But the cigar proved that one can not judge based upon looks. A rich wonderful taste enveloped my palate. The hints of cedar and a glorious coffee taste remained for the 1 hour it took to smoke this beauty. So far this is the best cigar I have smoked in 2008, and quite possibly it will fall into my top 10 of all time.

Cost (At point of purchase): $4.75
Rating: 89/100