Oliva Cigar Co. and a former company sales rep have introduced a
cigar innovation that is creating tremendous buzz. The rep is Sam
Leccia, who covered Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania for Oliva since
2004. Sam came from the liquor industry where he was a partner in an
award winning vodka.
After learning from the Oliva family how cigars
are rolled in Esteli, Nicaragua, the Oliva family and Sam created
“nubs”, which is a concept that seeks to deliver only that most
enjoyable part of the cigar. The idea for the nubs came from the theory
that a cigar finds its “sweet spot” at the 3 ½- 4 inch point. All “nub”
cigars must exist within this window. No “nub” is longer than 4 inches.
Further adding to this complex theory, the ring gauges range from
56-66. The result is a range of smokes that have the same amount of
tobacco as any Churchill or even Presidente. Unbelievably, they also
smoke as long.
Sam and Jose Oliva began experimenting with the
concept in mid 2007. After hearing the sizes the no-nonsense Oliva
Family was initially skeptical. The idea of a 4x60 or 4x66 sounded like
a novelty to them. It was not until the family tested the concept and
was able to see and smoke them that they understood that this was no
novelty. They realized that there in fact was something that had not
been done in this business. It is truly an innovation which has the
ability to have one revisit wrappers that they may have had long since
formed opinions about.
Understanding that not everyone is in love
with large ring gauges, you have to first grasp the theory of “nub”
because in the world of “nubs” a 60 is not a large ring gauge. The only
real way to understand it is to smoke one. The cigar starts at the
sweet spot and gets better from there. The large ring gauge allows for
a dense ash which insulates the cigar keeping it cool as you smoke. The
large amount of smoke also allows you to really enjoy the complex
flavors.
Sam ’s excitement really grew on the Oliva’s as they began
to experiment with the concept. After experimenting with hundreds of
sizes and samples they felt ready to support the project. While the
cigar is made and distributed by Oliva, it will be promoted by Sam
Leccia.
The cigar will be launched in three wrappers: Habano,
Cameroon, and Connecticut. There will be three sizes shared by all
wrappers plus an additional size which is unique to each wrapper. The
flavor range is from mild to full but always complex and hearty.