Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 7 x 50
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero
Binder: Nicaraguan
Presentation: Boxes of 20 cigars, 5-packs, and singles
Location smoked: Office
Paired with: Coffee
Inferno Cigar Review…Tasting Notes:
Appearance and feel: Nice shimmery wrapper. Somewhat veiny, but no protruders. The cigar was tightly packed. I couldn’t find a soft spot anywhere. Top drawer construction.
Draw: Good, not great, but didn’t cause any problems.
Pre-light flavor: Leathery. If you draw on it long enough, it gets spicy.
Toasting & Light: Due to all the ligero in the cigar it took a little longer to toast and light. After a few puffs I had to hit it again, but that nailed it. The draw also opened up a bit more.
First puff: Mellow and creamy, with plenty of thick, chewy smoke, some saltiness, and a touch of spice on the finish.
Retrohale: Smoother than I expected with a distinctive nuttiness.
Base flavors: Leather, sweet wood, nutmeg.
Aroma: Very appealing. Hard to describe, but I thought I picked up a note of caramel in there.
Burn / Ash: Burn was razor sharp. Ash was grayish-white in color and semi-firm. First ash broke-off at 1/2 inch, leaving the beginning of a round cone.
Balance: Dead on. You can taste every nuance of flavor in every puff. None seems to outshine the others.
General Observations:
At seven inches, this Oliva is a LOT of cigar, so I smoked it as slowly as possible for fear of it getting too juicy too fast on such a long trip. The smoke started out a bit salty, then turned a little sweeter just past the first inch. As the cigar burned on, the smoke took on a more sweet spice flavor, and the ash stayed afloat longer, but no ash tapped-off longer than a half inch. Because I was working while smoking this cigar it went out several times. However, it survived several relights beautifully and never became prematurely bitter. Once past the halfway mark, a more peppery character emerged, then rounded out to a more of a sweet, woody flavor.
Inferno Cigar Review Summary:
This cigar is very well-made, flavorful and heady. I’ve smoked a number of sizes in this line by now, and the Churchill seems to pack the most punch. It’s not strong in the overpowering sense; rather, it creeps up on you. The balance was perfect all the way. Though the cigar took on a more peppery spice character the final third, the smoke still had enough sweetness to keep me interested. Suffice it to say, I prefer the Toro and Robusto in this line, but if you’re looking for a good, long, after-dinner cigar, the Inferno Churchill makes a fine companion.
Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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I tried this cigar in the toro size and then the churchill. Then I tried it again because I could not believe that I liked it as much as I did. At this point it is in my regular rotation and I share them with friends. I don’t share just any cigar with my friends. Only ones I would regularly smoke. It has the flavor and strength I like and the Oliva hertiage definiitely come through. Very good cigar at a very good price point.