Wednesday review for this week, Sol Cubano Sumatra robusto (5×50). No flaws in the wrapper, no visible veins on the surface though you can see one underneath. The wrapper has a slightly rough feel, like a fine grit sandpaper. no hard or soft spots and has a nicely done double cap. Pre-light draw is just right and the wrapper leaves a light, fruity sweetness on the lips.

I thought the sweetness on the lips might have been from the glue used to apply the cap but it lingered much too long, I guess it must come from the Sumatra wrapper. The first third has a nice medium body, with occasional hints of a subdued spice and the lingering sweetness on the lips. I can’t recall ever smoking a cigar with a Sumatra wrapper before, I would certainly remember this flavor, has anyone else experienced this?

Through the second third the cigar continued to produce copious amounts of thick white smoke with a medium body and relatively short finish. The occasional spice from the first third disappeared and was replaced with a nutty flavor that tasted of almonds. I continued to be surprised by the sweet flavor from the wrapper. I was worried when I first tasted it that it would become overpowering and unpleasant but it didn’t. It isn’t like the saccharin-like sweetness that comes from the tip of a Baccarat, more like the natural sweetness of fruit.

The ash left behind by the mostly-straight burn was a light gray that managed to hold on to about the one inch mark but was generally rather flaky and messy to smoke, even indoors. The generous amounts of smoke produced with each draw remained cool even when smoked at a fairly constant pace. I got a little carried away trying to place the fruity sweetness and it got a little hot but never turned harsh or bitter.

Well, color me impressed with this cheap little cigar from the Olivas. The construction was not flawless, as indicated by the slightly erratic burn and flaky ash, but there were also no glaring flaws. If you were to be put off by the sweetness of the wrapper you would hate this cigar as it is persistent throughout the smoke, but I found it rather pleasant and enjoyable. I’ve got another of these in the humidor that I’ll be sure to sample to again this weekend during the Memorial Day celebrating and if it performs anywhere near as well as this one did I’ll definitely be picking up a box (or two considering the price).