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| Sorry for the poor picture – Oliva Nub Cameroon |
When it comes to a short vitola with a big ring gauge, the Nub line is pretty much the industry leader. Originated by Sam Leccia (formerly with Oliva), he Nub line is a brand under Oliva Cigars. In fact this type of vitola has garnered a reputation similar to calling adhesive bandages “Band Aid” – namely this type of stick is commonly referred to as the “Nub” size. The Nub line has been out for several years and last year, Sam Leccia’s Cain line was expanded to include Nub versions of his Cain sticks. Being a fan of Cameroon wrappers, when it comes to reaching to the actual Nub cigar, this is the one blend I normally reach for. Since I recently just lit one of these up, I figured I would share my experiences with the Nub Cameroon.
There are a variety of different blends of the Nub that identified by the wrapper – namely: Connecticut, Habano, Maduro, and Cameroon. The Cameroon wrapper, which comes from Africa is one of the more difficult wrappers to work with. As a result, there are only a handful of cigars that I feel do a good job with the Cameroon wrapper. From what I also understand, Cameroon wrappers come from Sumatra seeds and are simply grown in Africa (open to corrections here if I’m wrong…). Typically, I’ve found the Cameroon wrapper to provide a nice sweetness (not too sugary) to the blend that it is a part of.
Here are some details around the composition of the Nub Cameroon:
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
The Nub comes in a variety of different vitolas. These are all true to the definition of what I consider a nub – big ring gauge and short in length. Note there are different variants of the vitolas across the blends – therefore, what I have listed below is specific to the Cameroon:
358: 3.75 x 58
460: 4 x 60
464T (Torpedo): 4 x 64
466BPT (Box Pressed Torpedo): 4 x 66
For this review, I opted to go for the Box Press Torpedo. I put a straight cut into the torpedo-shaped cap, I toasted the box press foot and began my smoking experience. Immediately at the start there were cedar notes that had a good balance of sweetness and spice. This was not unexpected with the Cameroon wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler. While I also detected some light coffee notes, one unique note I did not expect was butter. This actually provided a smooth experience right off the bat.
About 20 percent into the smoke, the cigar settled with more of a leather taste. Most of the cedar and butter notes had settled down. I found this to be brief because by the time I hit the 1/3 point of the cigar, I saw a return of the butter flavor and cedar sweetness. Eventually as I crossed the halfway point, I noticed some of the cedar spice notes also return. The end of the cigar was soft, however it still was not a hot burn at the end – that surprised me considering the ring gauge.
Overall, the burn was good. I’ve found the burn pretty much the like this each time I’ve smoked this particular cigar. The draw was excellent – this cigar required no maintenance with this at all. The cigar will not overpower you with strength as I would categorize this as a medium. The flavor notes definitely provide for a medium-bodied cigar.
As far as Cameroon wrappers, I still prefer reaching to the La Flor Dominicana Cameroon Cabinet and the CAO Cameroon when it comes to a cigar with this wrapper. Still, this is my favorite blend of the Nub. If you are looking for a short smoke that is smooth and not overpowering, this would be a cigar worth checking out.
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Assessment: Nice to Have
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