Got this one in an old school Oliva bomb from papajohn. He smacked me with cigars I haven't seen in years. This is the last of the bunch.
This isn't one of the cloth band ones, it's a normal paper band with a second band that says "Classic". About a toro-sized cigar in perfect condition. No soft spots and the draw is absolutely perfect.
First few draws are a BIG spice blast through the nose. They grow some nice tobacco down there in Nicaragua.
The cigar settles down a bit, but not too much, after about half an inch. Still quite spicy through the nose, with leather and earth on the finish.
About 1" in, the smoke start developing a nice "depth" to the flavor, a characteristic that I have only noticed in full-flavored Nicaraguan cigars, certain Camacho cigars, and Cubans. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying this Oliva tastes Cuban. But the flavor is multi-dimensional like a Cuban. Lots of subtle flavor changes. Spice, earth, soft fruit, even a mint/pine sort of flavor.
About halfway...same sort of flavor changes, but the "strength" of the cigar is picking up a bit. The burn is picture perfect.
Man, I am enjoying this cigar. Who says you can't age NCs?
Thanks again, papajohn! A truly rare opportunity.