Nub started as a theory. Born in the Oliva factory, a cigar maker was hell-bent on proving he could capture the essence – the core – of a cigar’s flavor immediately upon lighting and throughout the duration of the smoke. Well, they nailed it.

Click here for a quick reference guide to Nub.

Rather than wait for a cigar to develop and evolve, which typically occurs an inch to two inches in, the idea behind Oliva’s Nub was to specifically blend it to hit its sweet spot right off the bat and remain at its peak right through to the end. Each size is short and stout in stature. That’s by design – not for novelty – as blends and sizes were worked and re-worked a thousand ways from Sunday in order for Nub creator Sam Leccia and the Oliva family to capture the essence of each Nub blend. Anyone can create unusual shapes, each of the Nub blends and accompanying shapes was instead created to summon and deliver the blend’s sweet spot. Sample one today.

Nub comes in three varieties. Each variety shares three common sizes, as well as a special vitola specially crafted to accentuate the blend.

Cameroon – dark and leathery to the touch. A sweet, cedary smoke with an intriguing spice. The aftertaste is dry and toasty. Intense pepper through the nose. A medium to full-bodied cigar that’s toasty and complex, yet smooth.

Connecticut – smooth, silky wrapper. Mellow and creamy to start, with a rich, somewhat sweet core. The aftertaste is toasty, but crisp. Toasted cedar through the nose. Medium-bodied with a rich, milky texture.

Habano – glossy, milk chocolate-brown wrapper. Rich tobacco core with a smoky aftertaste. Hints of peanuts are supported by a baked bread component. Spice through the nose. Medium to full-bodied with a rich, creamy character throughout.

Maduro – dark, thick, and oily Brazilian wrapper. The smoke is rich and toasty with a deep series of chocolate and nuts. The aftertaste is spicy with natural sweet tones. Medium in body with a toasty, full-flavored finale.”

The Review: This is Oliva’s maduro nub. Prelight aroma is aromatic and pleasant: earthy and oakey with hints of leather. On initial light, this vitola produces copious clouds of white/gray smoke. The smoke is not harsh and generally pleasant, but quite as aromatic as the CAO Brazilia. Flavor hits you right in the palate after the first draw, it really lives up to its reputation of providing full flavor throughout. Flavor is definitely typical of most maduros; spicy, earthy, and peppery. Flavor of this stick is almost identical until right at the end where it mellows out and then begins to become ever so slightly bitter; but not unpleasantly so. This is a short cigar, so it does burn rather hot, almost unpleasantly so. I had to pace myself on the draw to keep the smoke smooth enough to enjoy.

Very nice cigar, but I wouldn’t keep it in my daily rotation. – Only for unique occasions.

The Hype:

The Review: This is a very interesting beer; I enjoyed it with friends at a party tonight. The beer is dark like an imperial stout and pours with minimal foam. In the glass, it smells like chocolate, coffe, pine and has a mild hint oc citrus. First drink is like an imperial stout; but then the hops kick in and the flavor intensifies. Each sip seems to unlock more flavor complexity, especially coffee and yeasty notes. This is not an excessively bitter beer, with the hops accentuating the ale flavor. I think I like “dry-hopped” beers a lot more these days; they seem crisper and more aromatic. Aftertaste of this beer is very pleasant, not unlike a good coffee.

After the first two bottles, I enjoyed this beer with a Nub Maduro 460 Cigar and they make excellent companions indeed.

The Review: This cigar looks good, it is consistently firm and the cameroon wrapper is uniform and slightly veiny. There were a few water spots on the wrapper but they didn’t detract from the beauty of this stick.  I like the embossed band also, making it look like a gentleman’s cigar.

Pre-light aroma is grassy and slightly sweet with a faint hint of ammonia in the background.

After a good toasting, the foot light easily and glows red hot with a cedar aroma instantly noticeable. After the first puff, the stick begins emitting wispy gray smoke that smells like any other cigar of the type, nothing striking.

Mouth-feel and flavor is gentle to start, toast, coffee, and a faint hint of pepper.

This cigar burns well, albeit slightly ragged & unevenly.

Ash is medium gray with darker bands. It doesn’t hold ash for quite as long as I would like, averaging about 1″ before falling off.

After reaching a mid-point, flavor begins to intensify with black pepper becoming more dominant but not at all overpowering. The smoke color is becoming more blue and less voluminous.

Approaching the last third, the flavor concentrates and becomes slightly bitter – a short rest fixes the bitterness and the flavor continues as pepper with espresso. Mouth-feel is richer now leaving a pleasant aftertaste of toast and coffee.

Approaching the three-finger mark, the wrapper is beginning to even out on the burn making the ash look more aesthetically pleasing.

Smoke aroma is changing again, hints of cedar are becoming stronger and a faint sage smell permeates in the background – not unpleasant, but different…

This is a good cigar. I rate it in the medium-strength category for my palate. Not to mild and not too bold, just right for a daily smoke or one to share with friend new to the brotherhood of the leaf.

I had friends over tonight, so I thought it would be fun to try some different Utah brews. Dubhe (Utah’s centennial star) pours much like Guinness with a creamy white head and very pleasant aroma. It is inky black and has a different aroma; grassy, piney, chocolatey and a hint of coffee in the background. This brew does indeed smell “hoppy”.

First sip is very bitter, almost astringent. Breathing and swallowing brings the next sip…chocolate, malt and hops. Mouth-feel is tight and bitter, full and heady. Drinking more and savoring the flavor accentuates the hops with an espresso aftertaste.

We were eating cheeses while drinking this beer and there certainly is a difference after a mouthful of Camembert! – each style of cheese reacted with the beer to enhance and detract from the flavor. I like eating Gorgonzola and Stilton while drinking this beer, but aged Gouda is simply sublime!

This is not a normal stout, it has everything an imperial stout offers; the body, fullness and slight bitterness, but it offers a more exciting taste and mouthfeel. It took a while to become accustomed to the flavor profile, but after a bottle I was ready for more.

The hops make this beer very different….the 9.2% ABV doesn’t hurt either…This is a very entertaining beer. I like it.

How to spot a Counterfeit or Fake Cuban Cigars

Box Appearance

A green and white warranty seal should be visible on the left front side of box.  The seal’s color can range from forest to lime-green inside the seal is an insignia that contains a shield with a hat resting on top.   The fold line of the seal should run directly through the center of the shield.  On the box’s upper right corner should be a white Habanos sticker, pasted diagonally.  The box should look in neat and clean condition, free of smudges and scuff marks or dull in color.

On the bottom of box you will find a Habanos heat stamp.  Make sure it is a heat stamp impressed into the box and not an ink stamp.  Below this heat stamp will be a factory code stamp in an ink color (usually green, blue or black).  This tells you the factory where the cigars were rolled and the date.

RED FLAG CHECKLIST

*Websites that always stock limitada Edicions from 2000 and onwards such as Cohiba, Montecristo, Partagas that are always in stock at really cheap prices.

* Never stock smaller ring guage brands. Check brands such as Cuaba, Fonseca, Jose L. Piedra, La Flor de Cano, Por Larranaga, Rafael Gonzales always listed but never in stock! *Never have a selection of brands in tubes or 3 and 5 packs

*Never stock Minis,Clubs and Puritos sizes.

*Websites that have Swiss address but their prices are so much less than the majority of websites based in Switzerland.

*Toll free numbers that end up being answered by outsource centers in Costa Rica or seems to be answered at the same call center for different Cuban cigar websites.

Here is the list of known suspects:
www.finestcigars.com
www.solocigars.com
www.royalhabanos.com
www.gocubans.com
www.bigsmokersonline.com
www.cubancigarlounge.com
www.cubafinest.com
www.cigarstoenjoy.com
www.habanosstore.com
www.todaycubancigars.com
www.havanascigar.com
www.cigarsfrance.com

Box Contents
Upon opening the box pull back the flap, and smell the tobacco.  The fragrance should be pleasing, with a rich, deep aroma.  The cigars should be uniform in both colour and shape.  The top face of the cigar may appear flattened, or what is known as box-pressed.  This is particularly true for torpedo shape.  The caps should look identical, all resting at an equal distance from the top of the box.  The foot of the cigar should be cut clean and straight, and the bands should be identical and aligned perfectly.

On the top and bottom row of cigars there should be a small strip of wax paper running across the bands.  Next pull a cigar out of box and feel it, by holding between your thumb and forefinger.  Press together down the whole length of the cigar, it should feel firm and even (not a hard spot and then a soft spot).  This is always a dead giveaway that the cigars are counterfeit.

New Habanos SA authenticity warranty seal verification for 2009 onwards:http://www.habanos.com/Sellos/Info/VerificaSelloCajon

IMPORTANT NOTICE NEW CUBAN WARRANTY SEAL.

 As a way to keep all Habanos lovers as well as our Exclusive Distributors updated all over the world, it’s necessary to notify the changes to be occurred as regards as to the Cuban Warranty Seal.

From now on, a new Warranty Seal will be gradually introduced in all the packaging where two new elements are to be added. On the right hand, a hologram as a security item will be added and on the left hand, next to the Cote d´ Arms, a bar code will personalize every package.

This label will always be placed from the upper left side of the box or display, leaving 3 to 6 mm from the edge and to be bending up to the front right over the center of the Cote d´Arms whenever possible.

This Seal has been developed through a base of synthetic paper with special characteristics such as an auto-destructive feature before any attempts of removal and with several maximum security techniques added.

•   Tamper-evident label. Any attempt to remove it, will cause invalidation of the seal by self destruction.
•   Highly adherence of the paper (plastic) Auto-destructive, Self-destructive.
•   Scan and Photocopy Protected System.
•   The holographic band will show a bi-color text in 2nd and 3rd dimension.
•   Elements with optical variations attached.
•   Microdot only visible through laser scanner.

On the other hand, a unique bar code will be applied on every single box thus customizing every packaging. This information will be saved in a data base allowing the identification of this product everywhere, whom this product was addressed to as well as the Invoice number, amongst other details.

The fact is that there will always be a time in which both old and new Warranty Seals designs will exist at the same time in the markets. The length of time in which the two seals will coexist is not so easy to foresee because it depends on the stocks and on the rotation of the different products.

As a reference please find attached here a file of the aforementioned seal and the proper way of affixing it on the boxes, in jpg format.

Under the leadership of Brewmaster Mark Ruedrich, the brewery has developed a strong reputation for quality having won more than 70 awards in national and international competitions.

In addition to Red Seal Ale, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, Scrimshaw Pilsner, and other fine North Coast brands, the brewery has resurrected the old Acme label with a heritage dating back to the San Francisco of the 1860’s.

These exceptional beers are available in 47 states now and also are exported to Europe and the Pacific Rim.

Their Pranqster Beer is touted as a Belgian Style Golden Ale and I have to say that it certainly doesn’t miss the mark!

North Coast Brewing’

s Pranqster is brewed with “antique” yeast to impart a delightful flavor that tastes just as good as a young Trappiste.

This Belgian-style ale is a dark straw color and pours with a very attractive white head and minimal lacing. In the mug, this beer has floral aroma with a pleasant hint of cloves. First mouthful is light and citrus with little bubbles that dance across the tongue in a most delightful way.

Eath mouthful of this beer is progressively more pleasant and I certainly enjoy the subtle hopping; making it an intersting blend of Belgian spiciness with a pleasant nod towards the IPA category. Yeastiness is certainly Belgian with a bready note when you breath in after a drink – not entirely unpleasant at all. The 7.6% ABV is subtle and contributes a nice body to the drink with pleasant mouth-feel and aftertaste. After a bottle or two, I noticed a slightly metallic aftertaste, but it passed when opening the next bottle, so one has to assume that it is an irregularity.

I finished 10 of these tonight (Just to be sure that I liked it) and I DO like it.

North Coast brewing company produces very fine beers, this one will be part of my regular rotation.

The Bridgeport Ale House at 3632 SE Hawthorne Boulevard in  Portland is a fine little establishment offering decent pub fare and an excellent selection of specialty brews.

From their promotional literature:

“The specialty beer movement in the Pacific Northwest began in 1984 when Richard and Nancy Ponzi teamed up with Karl Ockert, graduate of the University of California at Davis’ Malting and Brewing Sciences program, to establish the 600-barrel Columbia River Brewery. Setting up shop in a three-story, century-old former rope factory in Portland’s industrial Northwest neighborhood, they founded what is better known today as BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon’s Oldest Craft Brewery™, and a pioneer of the state’s craft brewing revolution.

Today, BridgePort Brewing Company is one of the top specialty brewers in the state of Oregon. As BridgePort Brewing grew in popularity, it also grew in its brewing capacity from its 600-barrel beginnings to over 100,000 barrels per year. Distribution has grown from Portland to 18 states, and the brewery’s emphasis on producing quality, innovative ales has provided it with an international following and numerous awards.”

We walked into the Bridgeport Ale House expecting yet another tired faux-restaurant serving greasy food as an accompaniment to their selection of beers. Thankfully, we were wrong.

I chose their Cottage Pie and enjoyed an American slant on traditional pub lunch. Good beef, creamy potato and delicate seasonings. My traveling companies shared a “Steel Pizza Pie” which they described as perfectly crusted with a good balance of cheese and sausage. – I’m not a pizza pie man.

I wasn’t there to eat though…..I was there to drink!

I started with their bottled Kingpin – A red-ale that is very hoppy and easily drinkable. This “Double Red” is characterized by higher alcohol content and citrusy hoppy overtones – just the way I like it.

Next up was the Summer Squeeze – a seasonal varietal that is apparently enhanced with lemongrass and yuzu – an “exotic fruit. This missed the mark completely for me and tasted like a blend of heffeweizen and lemonade – I barely mad it through even half a glass.

I gave BridgePort the opportunity vindicate themselves with their famous Blue Heron Pale Ale – It did not disappoint. Typical of “Northwestern” Pale Ales, it is crisp and eminently drinkable.

Moving on to the Cafe Negro Porter, I tasted something pleasantly unique. This porter is a fusion of malt an coffe that created a delightully layored coffe/beer flavor. The porter deliver its own espresso-esque flavor, but the coffee infusion rounds it to make for a delightful drink. A predict a growler of this escaping into the wild…

I ended my excursion with “Hop Czar”, their Imperial IPA. This IPA definitely boasts 7.5% ABV and delivers a hoppy, malty mouth-feel  reminiscent of Belgian beers. This beer made my day.

As with many American establishments, they are not tobacco-friendly, but the good bears vindicated them.

I decided to smoke this little beauty today while on holidays in Alaska; I brought my trusty herf-a-dor and new colibri lighter along for the ride.

The Edge Lite is very nicely built; it feels solid and even. The Approx 5.5 – 6″ long 52 ring torpedo is like a long robusto, which makes for my ideal smoke lately, with my taste leaning towards the longer Churchills when time permits.

Prelight aroma is alfalfa and ammonia. Lighting thit vitola brought pleasant gray smoke. The Edge Lite is an easy smoke with an effortless draw the at time felt airy but not to the point of being irritating.I had to relight once due to high wind conditions, there was no bitterness at all. Ash was tight and dark gray.

Flavor is similar to a CAO Gold, just slightly stronger…Cream, coffee, and a mild peppery finish to remind you that this is indeed  a good cigar.

I ordered a box last night from the boys at CI.

Asahi Super Dry

The hype: “SUPER DRY went on sale in Japan on March 17, 1987. As soon as the product hit the store shelves, it became an instant bestseller. Sales expanded rapidly from major cosmopolitan areas to nationwide. While we were all convinced that we had achieved our goal of realizing the taste that the customer wanted, the actual production of SUPER DRY fell short of the growing demand. Once again, we had to　take an unprecedented action: placing an apology in the newspapers for not producing SUPER DRY fast enough to meet the demand. The taste that the customer waited for Soaring sales and the popularity of SUPER DRY shook the beer industry in Japan. Other breweries also introduced dry beer in the following year, and so-called Dry Beer War broke out. Nonetheless, ASAHI SUPER DRY has continued to grow its sales, consistently being chosen for its original taste.  In response to an expanding demand for SUPER DRY, we pushed ahead with a large-scale capital investment in order to bolster our production. By 1990 all our production facilities were updated with most advanced technology and equipment. The revamping of production helped us supply more SUPER DRY, and its sales passed the milestone of 100 million cases* only 3 years after its introduction. *One case is equivalent to 20 large beer bottles, approximately 12.66 liters.  Since the launch of SUPER DRY, we have hitherto continued to improve on its production technology and quality management, and we have conducted various activities to bring the fresh and crisp taste of SUPER DRY to customers around the world. Our challenge and our search for innovation will go on to ensure that SUPER DRY tastes as good as ever.

The review: This pale lager pours very well and looks like any European lager. Aroma is hoppy with hints of pine and grass. This is pleasant and mild, the girlfriend liked it. Carbonation is medium-high, but not unpleasant. This is my favorite “Japanese” beer  so far. Nothing massively exciting, just like a Stella. This is one time where rice didn’t ruin a beer. I like this one for “light” drinking, but still prefer Stella.

Kirin Special Premium Reserve

The hype: “With his gold label and Special Premium Reserve appellation, Ichiban outclasses and outperforms. In 1990, Ichiban’s debut made a splash in the world of super premium beers. The luxurious single wort (or first press) process yields a unique, complex flavor. With his gold label and “Special Premium Reserve” appellation, Ichiban outclasses and outperforms. But don’t be fooled by a snooty attitude — this is a great beer that goes with anything. What makes Ichiban great – Prominent wort. Finest barley malt, premium hops, smooth finish, no bitter aftertaste.”

The review: This is beautiful to look at, it is a straw yellow, develops a nice head of foam and looks great in a Pilsner, the iconic “glass of beer”. Aroma is mild, almost grassy, but not unpleasant. First sip reminds me of Stella Artois; crisp and clean. Aftertaste is slightly metallic, but not unpleasant. Carbonation is heavy and makes the mouth-feel pleasantly sharp.

Sapporo Imported

The hype: “With lush use of aroma hops, Sapporo Premium has an amazingly crisp taste, refreshing flavor, and refined bitterness to leave a clean finish.  Whether in our iconic \”Silver Can\” that is long loved by our American fans, in bottles, or on tap, Sapporo Premium can be enjoyed on any occasion.
*Sapporo Premium is not a gluten-free product.”

The review: Yes, you guessed it, straw-colored, white head, carbonated, crisp mild drinkable beer. This is not imported from Japan, it is made in California by Anheiser Busch.

I suppose growing up in IOM and the UK has conditioned my taste-buds; I prefer stronger ales and stouts, I find these Japanese beers too light for my general consumption. The Asahi is my favorite of the three, but none of them will find a place  in my home bar. The flavor profile of all three lends themselves well to consumption with fish, since they are very light and fizzy. I suppose that’s why they are served with Sushi. These beers are certainly better than many of the Mexican brews, but are just too light for me.

I’ve left this box languising in my large gumidor for at least a year and today is the day to try one…

Packaging and presentation is classy and elegant, the cigars are all uniformly smooth with very little veinage. The ecuadorian connecticut wrapper is beautiful.

Prelight aroma is grassy with a hint of ammonia, like a milder cousin of the CAO gold. The stick is firm in hand and punches easily.

Toasting the foot liberates a pleasant and comforting blue smoke that immediately hints of the flavor profile; creamy and spicy.

First draw is quite effortless, smooth flavor fills my mouth and the cigar begins to yield a medium volume of white smoke as I continue to draw on it.

1st and 2nd third are identical, almost boringly so.

Final third of this cigar begins to concentrate flavor with a peppery infusion; leather and spice permeate with a hint of woodsmoke.

Overall smoking time is approximately 1 hour to the nub.

This is a nice mild cigar, it is probably too mild for some, but Isee this as a pleasant change of pace.