Brand: Nub
Vitola: 460
Length: 4.00
Ring Gauge: 60
Wrapper: Connecticut (Ecuador)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Price: Around $7.00

Brand:
The Nub line of cigars is a creation of Sam Leccia, a former sales representative for the Oliva brand. In mid 2007 the idea of the Nub was pitched to the no nonsense Oliva Family and they were more than skeptical. After having smoked numerous samples the excitement began to grow on them and the line went into production.

Nub cigars are set to go live with numerous launch events starting in April. The man behind the blend, Sam, will be present for each launch event to speak with the attendees as well as roll some cigars to show what the Nub is all about.

Pre-Light:

The very first thing that stands out about the cigar is its girth. With such a large ring gauge of 60 ( 0.9375 inches in diameter) and its short length of 4 inches, it feels a little strange when held. As the cigar was handled more, I found the wrapper to be smooth with only a few small veins. When held to the light its oily sheen was easily noticed.

When pinched, the Nub Connecticut felt firm from head to foot. The aroma on the wrapper and at the foot was a mild peppercorn scent which did not carry through into the pre light flavor once the head of the cigar was opened up. The draw of the cigar was excellent with some minor resistance which kept me from over puffing.

First Third:

After a lengthy toasting and lighting process (keep in mind this is a lot of cigar to get burning) the burn was even and produced a generous amount of smoke. The first few puffs felt a little awkward due to the sheer size of the stick, but after just a few short minutes I quickly became accustomed to the large ring gauge and began to appreciate the cool and rich smoke it produced.

The first third of my Nub Connecticut kicked off as a mild to medium bodied smoke with a smooth finish which was both soft and short on the palate. The base flavor is very interesting in that it doesn’t take any time at all to get warmed up and start producing deep, rich flavors.

The core component of the flavor profile at this junction of the smoke was that of the Connecticut wrapper. I immediately noticed a buttery toast sort of flavor that began to make me salivate. I also picked up a wood flavor as well as a blush or rose wine flavor, which I found to be the mildest yet most interesting flavor in the bunch.

Second Third:

After an hour of smoking I found myself at the second third of my Nub 460 Connecticut. The body at this point was now firmly seated in the medium spectrum and in doing so, made a slow and steady transition that was difficult to notice until after the transition was finished. The finish remained light on the palate while remaining short and smooth.

The flavor profile at this point did not go through much of a change as far as distinct flavors are concerned. Each individual flavor seemed to develop more complexity. For instance, the blush or rose wine flavor that was mild in the first third, remained mild but developed more sweetness. The buttery toast sort of flavor came off a little richer, more along the lines of something like a Ritz cracker. The wood was still a generic sort of wood flavor but picked up more cedar like flavors. When all of these flavors began to develop into more than they were originally, the cigar became tediously more complex.

The burning characteristics of the cigar were very well behaved. The ash was very light in color while holding a firm shape. The burn line was both thin and even while producing a medium volume of resting smoke that did not offend. Each puff produced a generous supply of cool and thick smoke which was easily passed through the sinuses.

Final Third:

As I came close to the two hour mark, I found myself into the final third of my Nub 460 Connecticut. The body remains in the medium spectrum and seems to have come to a plateau. The finish has built slightly and is a touch heavier on the palate while remaining smooth.

The subtle and enjoyable flavors of the first and second third are beginning to fade and are replaced by a pepper and spice flavor that is prominent when the smoke is blown through the sinuses. The pepper and spice make up that Dale Roush coined “Nic Zing” and make for a pleasant end to a very enjoyable smoke.

As the cigar burns down to the nub, it begins to get a little warm on the fingers and requires the smoking pace to be slowed a bit. Even while warm on the fingers the smoke doesn’t burn the tongue and mouth creating a harsh flavor.

My Thoughts:

Overall I think that this was a very enjoyable cigar. With its short length and large ring gauge it isn’t nearly as unwieldy as many other cigars that contain this much tobacco. In fact, packed in its small size it holds more tobacco, by weight, than a 52 x 8.00 Presidente, which makes it both cool burning and easy to smoke.

I would definitely recommend getting out to an event in April before CA gets their hands on it and makes it difficult to get ahold of.

Sam, thank you for the opportunity to do a pre-release review. I greatly appreciate the offer and very much look forward to smoking many more in the future.

Happy Smoking