Brand: Flor de Oliva Corojo
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5.00 Inches
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
County of Origin: Nicaragua, Esiteli
Price Breakdown: $1.98 per single from Tinderbox
Brand:
Here we are, back once again with yet another bargain cigar review. This time around I have the Flor de Oliva Corojo. This is a bundle cigar made in Esteli, Nicaragua by the Oliva Cigar Family. Unfortunately there is not a ton of information readily available on this particular stick. Most information I’ve come across has been about the Natural, Maduro, and Gold lines. From what I am told these cigars are first rate, hand made long filler cigars (not seconds, overruns, etc…). They came into existence in 1996 and are packaged in bundles of 25 (or in bundles of 8 for the giant sizes)
Pre Light:
As I started off my pre light ritual I began to visually inspect my Flor de Oliva Corojo. The first thing I noticed was its dry appearance and toothy texture. At the mid point of the cigar I found two medium sized veins protruding from the surface of the leaf. These veins ran a short distance towards both the head and foot, while doing so reducing in size the further away from the middle they got. When gently pinched I found the stick to be firm with a light spring.
After a quick snip with my scissors I had the head of the cigar opened up. The first puff lead to a free draw with flavors of dark fruit and mild spice.
First Third:
After a lengthy toast (tried holding the lighter further away than usual) I had my Flor de Oliva Corojo evenly lit and producing a copious amount of smoke. The body starts out in the medium range with semi sweet finish that is easy on the palate but sharp on the very tip of the tongue. The base flavor tastes of Cedar with a tangy aftertaste.
The burn is even and slow producing a firm, very light colored ash. After a gentle tap against the ashtray the ash breaks free and holds its shape as it lands.
Second Third:
This portion of the cigar isn’t a whole lot different from the first third. The body remained in the medium range (while building ever so slightly) and the finish remained easy on the palate but sharp on the tip of the tongue. The mouth feel is beginning to get a little dry, especially the back of my throat. A sip of water relieves the dryness but it returns after every puff.
The base flavor continued to be mostly Cedar with a nice natural Corojo tobacco flavor. This Corojo flavor was getting deeper and richer as I smoked further into the stick. The tangy flavor faded and all but disappeared while a light black pepper flavor began to come into the picture.
Final Third:
After over an hour and a half of smoking I found myself into the final third of my Flor de Oliva Corojo. The body remained in the medium range while slowly building as I worked my way to the nub. The finish remained easy on the palate and sharp on the tip of my tongue. The dryness of the smoke continued throughout the remainder of the smoke. The base flavor moved to primarily natural Corojo tobacco flavors while the Cedar taste subsided. The pepper flavor I experienced in the second third faded and was replaced by a sharp spice.
The construction has been excellent throughout the smoke. The burn rate was slow and produced an even burn with a firm ash. The draw remained free and put off loads of smoke that continued to please with flavor.
My Thoughts:
Overall I am very happy with this smoke. With a price tag of $40.00 a bundle I was surprised at how much complexity I got out of it. I was expecting something a little more straight forward and along the lines of the Natural and Maduro but was pleasantly surprised by what the Corojo had to offer.
If you are in the market for a good medium bodied cigar with a lot of rich Corojo flavor, I would definitely make it a point to give the Flor de Oliva Corojo a try
Happy Smoking
I think there is some medium filler in the Flor de Oliva’s. I’ve been meaning to get a bundle of the Gold’s for my morning commute smoke.
Another good review Walt. I like the Flor de Oliva bundles a lot. They are a nice bargain for every day. I was just wondering, how do these compare to the other Oliva lines in your opinion?
Joe,
I think these are nice smokes, but don’t really compare to the other lines. The Serie G, O, S, and V are all a much more complex smoke.
Even know you give up complexity when you go to the Bundle over the Serie line, you still walk away with alot of bang for your buck.
Jesse,
The Gold is one I still have to try 🙂
I would say the toothpick says it all!
Walt,
As I always say, great review. BTW, you did get your facts straight concerning Ed and Tom here in St. Petersburg FL.
Great review of a fine smoke. I’ve been buying the Flor de Os for a couple years as my go-to stogie while I’m working in the yard or just want something fun to smoke that I won’t have to pay too much attention to.
I have tried all the Flor de Oliva cigars and like the Gold the best with the Original coming in second, Maduro third, and Corojo forth. Basically I like them all and found that if you are willing to age them 4 to 6 weeks the flavor improves. The Gold can be smoked without aging it’s a nice mild smoke. The Original Sumatra wrapper is sweat at first taste. The Maduro is a must have and is really good and even better after a little aging. Same goes for the Corojo after 6 weeks of aging the Corojo has a smoother taste. For the money it’s a good bet. You can spend more money and not get as good a value as the Flor de Oliva line.
I was pretty hesitant about trying these. They come in a lot of gimmick sizes, so I kind of figured they’d be terrible. I was surprised to find that they’re not really that bad, but these have nothing on the ‘O’ Series, that’s for sure.
I’m smoking the flor de oliva corojo 6×52 belicoso right now and what I will say is that I to was surprised at the complexity of this ( $ 2.00 dollar ) stick , however it is a dry smoke but nothing that a little Wild Turkey bourbon can’t rectify. I’ve purchased about 4 of these sticks and so far I haven’t come upon a dog rocket yet so I’ll knock on wood for now.
I will say that the construction is good and the burn is good also so that’s a good thing and I would say that the strength in the 1st thrid of the cigar is a tad bit under medium but as I got to the 2nd third and finish of the cigar the strength amp itself up to a solid medium. The flavor was somewhat like hay and a little citrus and there was a good volume of smoke after each puff, however with that being said I think I preferred the robusto over the belicoso but for a stick that won’t put a dent in your wallet I think it’s definitely a bang for the buck.