Got another 60 box of these today as part of my recent NC pre-SCHIP stockpiling.
Man, what a great smoke. Deep flavors of wood, spice, and sweet tobacco. I find these to be an excellent Tatuaje alternative for us broke mofos.
The OOO is a perfect example of a NC that benefits from aging. I SWEAR these cigars go through "sick periods" just like CCs. I have about 20 or so sticks left from a box I got back in December '07, and they still get a bit of ammonia toward the end if I don't smoke slowly enough. This fresh one is good so far at about 1/3 through. They have "bite" but the nose exhale is not harsh at all. The aroma is a solid CIGAR smell. The OOO is definitely a cigar that would get a nasty look and a "That cigar stinks!" from your wife.
About halfway...dominant flavors are still the same, but the finish takes on a sort of liquor flavor. 99% of the time I only drink water while smoking, but I could see a Scotch and club soda pairing very well with these cigars.
Final 1/3...leathery flavor is kicking in, with the liquor finish becoming stronger. It has become a sweet liquor flavor though, like Yukon Jack or SoCo. Well maybe not THAT sweet.
Let 'er die at a little over 1". As soon as the box comes out of the freezer they are getting buried in the bottom of the cooler while I smoke through the older ones first.
What sucks is that it is cigars packaged this way that will take the biggest hit once the tax hike kicks in. A box of 20 cigars with an added tax of $.40 per stick is a shitty but still manageable $8 price increase. A big box of 60 of my beloved Omars...you're talking a $24/box price hike.
I may try to snag 1 more box before April Fool's Day.
