Oliva Blue Silk "O" Torpedo

[lenguamor]

And, my smoking companion for today:


Before anything else, I have to say that this is one beautiful cigar. The presentation begins with the uniquely lovely blue silk band with gold brocade; a class act. The wrapper is a gorgeous, dark and mottled maduro and the construction is flawless. It feels heavy in the hand.

Pre-light, the two predominant impressions in the draw are nutmeg and clove; singularly pleasant. The aroma...the only thing that I can say is that it smells distinctly Cuban, like a Partagas with some age on it.

The first draws are rich, powerful coffee, like a good French roast. An underlying sweetness tantalizes but doesn't make itself fully known; maybe the warm spices I detected pre-light.

The first couple of inches reveal flavors and aroma of roasted lamb, warm spices and a hint of charred wood, all on an assertive bed of yummy saltiness; a foundation which will be present throughout the entire cigar.

Through the nose, more roasted meat on a background of cedar and freshly-ground coffee. There is not a hint of harshness; this is a mature cigar, to be sure.

The ash is a taupe-gray; I don't know that it's even noteworthy, just that I'd never seen that before in almost 40 years smoking cigars. It's also rather flaky and doesn't hold on much longer than an inch at a time.

The second third brings aboard some orange peel and dark, sweet cherries through the nose, while the roasted meat and wood flavors fade gracefully. The mouth-watering saltiness remains throughout, underneath everything, like a well-seasoned dish.

One remarkable note: this cigar is as challenging a cigar as I've ever tried to review; I'm describing as much as I can, but for every flavor I manage to note there is at least one that eludes me. It is as complex and flavorful a smoke as I've ever had; somewhat humbling, I have to admit, for a self-professed Cuban cigar snob like me.

I knew nothing of this cigar before Scott Shilala gifted it to me, along with a couple of others. I did some research and found out that the silk bands were discontinued in 2003, so my impression that it was a well-aged cigar was spot-on. I don't know what it cost new, but I can say with certainty that now, at least nine years later, it is worth whatever that was. Kudos to Scott for collecting, keeping and aging something that a lot of us never heard of, and for generously sharing it with me.



In the home stretch, all the accumulated strength and age of this cigar comes to bear. Thorough purging and self-control keep any harshness at bay, but I believe that the retrohale portion of our program is now finished. Rich flavors persist to the end, although there is little presence of nicotine, even now.

A thoroughly enjoyable smoke. Thanks again, Scott!