Baptiste Maduro review by Don José
Hey team, Don José here back with another review.
Today we have the
Baptiste Torpedo Maduro
by Oliva.
If this is your first time here, my reviews rate each cigar on 10 factors and each factor gets a rating out of 10 giving me an overall out of 100. The 10 factors are: Construction, Draw, Burn, Flavour, 1/3 overall, 2/3 overall, 3/3 overall, Journey (how well it flows), Complexity & Value for money.
In 1886, Melanio Oliva planted his first tobacco crop. In the early 1920s, Facundo Oliva, Melanio’s son, took over the tobacco farm. Today, the Oliva cigars lineup has gained a lot of high ratings from consumers and industry professionals. The brand even won the Cigar of the Year in 2014 by the Cigar Aficionado Magazine with their Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado Cigar.
"Oliva Baptiste cigars present an outstanding, affordably-priced selection blended and rolled by the gifted hands at Oliva Cigars in Estelí, Nicaragua. Named after Jean-Baptiste, the notorious French serial killer from the 1800's who used a knife on his victims, Baptiste presents a full-bodied blend of diverse Nicaraguan long-fillers finished in a gorgeous Ecuadorian-grown Habano wrapper leaf or Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper leaf.
Baptiste carries a well-balanced cargo of earthy-spicy elements accentuated by notes of aged cedar, sweet tobacco, black coffee, and a dash of pepper on the finish for decadently complex, full-bodied voyage. And when we say "decadent," we don't mean "wicked" like Monsieur Baptiste; we mean, wicked-good!"
Details:
Brand: Oliva
Size: 6 1/2" by 52 Torpedo
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
let's get into the review.
First thoughts
Well this is a bit of a cheat... as i have smoked one of these before haha... but first thoughts are I'm in for a real treat. Its a great looking cigar and the cold draw give nuttiness, fresh tobacco and a little earth.
Construction
Exceptional. One of the cleanest, if not the cleanest torpedos I've ever seen. Wrapper is dark and has fine teeth.
Burn & Draw The burn and draw are also bloody exceptional! Plenty of smoke on the draw but not burning away to nothing on its own, burnline is razor.
Flavour & Complexity Flavours are delicious and they weave and grow throughout the stick, opening with caramel, natural tobacco and some sweetness and building in strength and spice as it progresses. Some hints of cocoa and black pepper as well as cedar and earth.
Strength Full strength and body approx. 88%
Enjoyment / Journey Outstanding progression through the thirds, good flavour profile, all round a fantastic stick.
Overall Gah, damn this is a good cigar. Oliva deliver big on this stick. Get some while you can and save a few in your humidor.
I rate this cigar 93 points.
A look at the numbers.
Construction -- 10/10
Burn -- 10/10
Draw -- 10/10
Flavour -- 9/10
Complexity -- 9/10
First 1/3 -- 9/10
Second 1/3 -- 9/10
Third 1/3 -- 10/10
Journey -- 9/10
Value -- 9/10
About the author
Joe Murdie aka Don José has been reviewing cigars in New Zealand for over 10 years now, originally as a writer for NZBlokes, a mens magazine.
Outside of Cigars Joe is an international award winning film-maker based in Wānaka, OTA.
