Origin: Nicaragua/Oliva Cigars
Size: 4×60
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: African Cameroon
Binder/Filler: Nicaragua
It all started over a decade ago, when a young man from Pittsburgh – Sam Leccia – came up with an entirely new concept in cigar making that begged the question: What if you could start smoking your cigar at the point where it has the richest amount of flavor and strength? Made by Oliva Cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua, in 2008 that concept became reality with the release of the Oliva Nub selection. Nub’s alien-like bearing and rich Nicaraguan character took the cigar smoking world by storm.
Oliva’s blenders observed that cigars fully develop their flavor and strength, which they call “the sweet spot,” about one-third of the way in. By creating a cigar with about the same proportion of tobaccos, but using a shorter length and a much wider ring gauge, when lit it would “open” the sweet spot almost immediately and hold it throughout the entire length of the smoke.
Today, Nub cigars represent a whole host of stubby handmades in a wide variety of top-grade wrappers that neatly encase a diverse blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos. There’s also an infused seasonal selection called Nub Nuance, formerly known as Nub Café.
Beautifully. The Cameroon wrapper is gorgeous and even in color from top to bottom. The cigar itself is well-packed, yet when clipped revealed a nice even draw with cold notes that were salty, nutty, and woody. If you’re not used to short 60 ring cigars, it may take a minute to find your comfort zone.
The opening puffs are peppery, but settle down fairly quickly offering a smooth earthy, nutty, and cedary smoke with a muted sweetness. John referred to it as a “subtle grassiness,” affecting the rear and sides of the palate. A sweet spiciness entered the fray at about half an inch while retrohales added more pepper to the mix, especially in the latter stages.
For the most part, the burn was even with a semi-flaky ash and consistently creamy. The flavors we both agreed upon were earth, cedar, nuts, peppery spice, and a spark of sweetness on the finish.
A rich, creamy smoke that’s earthy, cedary, spicy, subtly sweet in character with a medium strength and body, which turns bolder in the final act.
I had Stewart’s Cream Soda, but found it much too sweet, while John had spring water. The Nub Cameroon would go nicely with bourbon or rum, but I think a mixed drink like a Manhattan, or a Mojito would be more in order if only to add some extra “colors” to the mix.
(Find more cigar and drink pairing combinations here.)
Yes, especially if you follow Oliva Cigars. If you like big ring cigars yet don’t have the time for one with a much longer length. Also, if you like full-flavored, Nicaraguan–forward blends without a ton of strength. Plus, the Nub Cameroon 460 also comes at a reasonable price. Better yet, if you like Cameroon wrapper cigars, it’s worth comparing to some of your other favorites.
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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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