Wednesday, August 17 2011
El Cobre by Oliva Double Fuerte 5x50
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Size/Strength: 5" x 50 / Extra-Full
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Presentation: Bundle of 25 cigars
I hadn't smoked my first El Cobre by Oliva cigar until recently. All I heard was how strong these cigars were: "You better be sittin' down when you smoke that one." "Oh man, that thing's a powerhouse." "It was so strong my head was reeling." So, even though I had an El Cobre Double Fuerte 5x50 in my humidor, I kept avoiding it. Finally, I took the plunge and was pleasantly surprised. Though I was sitting in my lounger while smoking it, I had no problem getting out of the chair. That's not to say it wasn't strong, but it didn't live up to the hype I'd been hearing about its uber-potency.
The El Cobre boasts a dark, even toned, and toothy Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that encases an all Nicaraguan longfiller core. The
cap clipped perfectly and the
draw was nice. Once lit, I expected a blast of pepper, but to my surprise it was quite smooth, creamy, and dare I say, mellow. The base flavor was mostly woody from start to
finish. Moreover, the cigar burned evenly with a very firm ash. Every now and then it would lean back and hurl a peppery fastball at me, but even in the last couple of inches the cigar, though much fuller in flavor at that point, never went bitter or overpowered me, to which I attribute its excellent balance.
Now, I can only speak for this one particular cigar. Perhaps the other sizes are more like spice bombs, or I got a freak that somehow didn't have as much ligero, or it mellowed a bit in my humidor. Or maybe my palate has finally become so accustomed to full-bodied cigars they don't affect me that much anymore. Whatever the case, if full-bodied cigars with lots of dark tobacco and wood flavors does it for you, check out the El Cobre 5x50. I'd be curious to see if you had a similar experience.
See pricing and applicable offers for all El Cobre by Oliva cigars.
P.S. One other interesting thing happened while smoking this cigar. Translated from Spanish El Cobre means "the snake." As I was trying to get the band off, it tore a bit. Then, for some reason I pulled the band apart from the center, and check out the photo at the left!
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