Oliveros Sun Grown Reserve Churchill

Size: 7 x 48

Wrapper: Nicaragua 

Filler:  Nicaragua

Price: $5.75

Boutique Blends Cigars is rapidly making a name for itself.  Swag Puro Dominicano was named No. 1 Best Buy Cigar of 2011 by Cigar Insider.  Aging Room Small Batch M356 was Cigar Insider’s highest rated cigar of 2011 and one of Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2011. Now, they seem to be the makers of Oliveros Sun Grown as well. I don't know how long Boutique Blends has been making this blend, but I do know the Oliveros brand name has been around a long time.  I had an Oliveros 1927 in 2007 (Bob Arnold gave me one during a poker game).  It was a buck-a-stick deal from some internet site, and it was perfect to be a second-stogie-at-the-poker-table type of smoke. 

This sun grown version is much better. It features a red-hued wrapper with the rich prelight aroma of fermenting apples. There is a significant burst of spice at the beginning, along with a slightly sweet taste.  It's hard to describe, but this cigar always seems to skirt the line between that dense,dank, flavorful yeasty sweetness and an edge of bitterness.  It may be the cigars are a tad wet (they were aged a year at 74% RH, and they've only been in my "ready to smoke" humidor at 65% RH for a few weeks), or it may just be its normal flavor profile. 

Construction has been nearly flawless.  They cigars burn ninety minutes to sometimes two hours.  Recommend to pair with Ardmore scotch or Belle Meade bourbon.  (anCnoc is too tart; Islay malts are too complex).  

These cigars are tasty and strong and full-bodied, but still I have been somewhat disappointed that they are essentially one-note wonders. Other online reviews describe a multitude of shifting flavors, but mine have all been consistently single-minded from start to finish.

Update 7/23/14:  I wrote the above review 20 days ago after having smoked the first two cigars out of a box.  Frankly I have become less and less enchanted with each cigar I've tried.  The harshness is always there, and it always bothers me.  The flavors are good, but they become abrasive after a while... always strength but without spice.  This is sort of like a 5 Vegas Cask Strength, except the Oliveros doesn't have the smoothness or the complexity of flavors.  I've decided to put the rest of this box back down for aging another year.  I really think this one has a lot of potential, but it has to mellow out some.