Decent flavor, but a bit delicate construction-wise

Cigar Reviewed: Oliva Gilberto Oliva Reserva

Smoked at: Martinsburg, WV

This was another sampler pack surprise for me. Typically I tend to prefer a larger stick, but I am always willing to try something new.

Flavor-wise it was a good tasting stick. Very smooth and about where I prefer a cigar. Not overly strong, and well-balanced. The draw was also quite decent.

Where I might be a bit more critical is on the construction. I use a standard two-fingered guillotine cutter, and I try to cut just as little off the top as possible. I found the wrapper cut easily, but the filler was very hard to cut. I will say, I follow the 135 rule in my digital humidor, and it was in the box for a couple of weeks, so I am fairly confident it was acclimated properly. After trimming the tip, the cap started unraveling as did the wrapper. I was able to address this by licking my lips and rotating it in my mouth to get the wrapper to stick, but I was a little surprised that I'd need to do this with as little off the top as I took. I also noticed the ash was very loose. I couldn't hold it for very long without ash falling off. It seemed ¼" was about all it could handle. So I was afraid to really puff on it too hard. Like a good taco, a cigar tastes better in your mouth than on your shirt.

I'd be open to try another, as the taste was there, but I don't know if it would be my first pick.