Flor de Oliva Maduro Robusto

[IlmProcess]

I took a walk down the mountainside with my parent's dogs; it was sunny with a few clouds providing intermittent shade, mid 60's in the Rockies. The birdhouse attached to one of the pines on the property had baby chicks squealing while the mother bird delivered dinner. Decided to pull out a FdO I purchased from a Denver-area B&M along with a glass-bottled Mexican Coca Cola. I've heard good things about this budget cigar but had never smoked one personally.

It certainly smelled nice and the pre-draw was slightly sweet and very earthy. There were a few nicks in the wrapper, otherwise it looked well constructed.

The first third was slightly sweet, a little papery - but not in a negative sense. The aroma was a little salty, but very nice. Notes of chocolate, and, of course, earth were primary.

The second third was more of the same until the halfway mark where it spiced up a little with some pepper. The nose-exhale was pleasant. It began to tunnel, but after 5 minutes it corrected itself.

The last third was more of the same, less spice until the last inch and a half where it picked up again. For moments there were distinct tastes of french-roasted coffee. It tunneled on me in for the last inch and a half - I think it was a little too wet still. However, it never got sour or tarry.

Overall it was a very enjoyable, if one-dimensional smoke; for the price it was excellent. It made for a nice hour of the afternoon.

I really wish that these were made in a corona or petite corona size, the robusto is a little large for my preference, especially for a one-dimensional cigar like this.

Does anyone have recommendations for similar cigars that are made in smaller sizes? Does anyone have a sense of how these end up with a little time on them?

T