I recently purchased a box of Gilberto Oliva Blanc cigars and could not believe what I discovered in the process. From the packaging to the character of the cigar and how it makes you feel at the end is superb. Do yourself a favor and read this best review today.
Gilberto Oliva Blanc - Before We Begin
The Oliva family of cigars is well known in the industry and frequently has high cigar ratings from Cigar Aficionado. This particular cigar carries a rating of 90 by Cigar Aficionado.
I found this cigar reading through my Favorite Smoke Shop catalog trying to find the next box or two that I want to enjoy. If you haven’t visited their website or seen their catalog you can access it here. I look for more mild to mellow cigars if you haven’t read any of my previous posts. Nonetheless, this is my first purchase from the Oliva family and I wasn’t disappointed.
The cigar make up is from Nicaragua. However, the wrapper is an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade (my favorite). Furthermore, binding the entire cigar together is an Ecuadorian binder with a Nicaraguan filler. All in all this makes for a really smooth and nice medium body cigar. Makes you want to sit back and relax and solve the world’s problems.
Gilberto Oliva Blanc - The Beginning
I decided to smoke this cigar and relax to a college football game. The teams playing did not matter to me but I wanted to watch a sporting event even if it is in the time of Covid and there are not many spectators. Sitting in my office with two fingers of Macallan and this nice cigar.
The cigar is perfectly humidified and has a great aroma. In addition, the tobacco’s earthy smell takes me back to a time of fishing for small mouth bass in the New River in Hinton, WV. I cut the cigar today with a double guillotine cutter and light it with my Vertigo torch lighter. The rabbit air purifier is running on high as I am in my home office with exhaust system running full board. If you are not sure about preparing your cigar, then read my post on Cigar Cutting Techniques here.
As I light the cigar there is a nice melding of the wrapper to the binder and the foot of the cigar ignites easily to an even burn. Smoke billows out but it is mild and the aroma is mild also. A taste of tobacco, earth and almonds fill my palate.
Gilberto Oliva Blanc - The Middle
Football game is on in the background but I am not paying much attention. The cigar is smoking nice and is burning evenly throughout. I did have to correct the burn slightly by reigniting one side to make it even, but I only had to do this one time at the beginning.
The taste of the cigar continues to impress with a smooth draw. No issues with the filler or the binder being too tight or too loose. The smoke is smooth and does not fill the room. Aroma continues to be relaxing and the tobacco taste is mild.
I haven’t gotten around to solving the world’s problems but I am thinking about solutions to many problems. Isn’t that the beauty of cigars to take a step back and relax for an hour or so and think about issues that perplex you. There is an aspect of good mental health with a nice cigar. I believe we should all take the time to relax and enjoy ourselves and think about our own issues and solve any problems we may have. That is a problem in this world today as everyone is always on the phone and always disgruntled with something. Stop saving the world by complaining and pointing fingers. Take the time to find a solution on your own and solve your own problems. Ok, enough of that rant, sorry…
Gilberto Oliva Blanc - The End
The end of the cigar is just as good as the beginning. The cigar smokes evenly to the end and no issues with the label as I eventually peeled it away and smoked a little more. The Macallan is finished and the final take away from the cigar is the following…
The cigar is a nice mild cigar and the 50 ring gauge is nice because it burns slow and smooth. Also, the flavor profile is nice as it takes you back to a mild earthy taste and some almond flavor in there somewhere. Not a lot of smoke to fill up the room but it has a nice aroma. I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar and will definitely buy this product again. Total smoke time was approximately 70 minutes.
On a final note this cigar, to me, is named after my good buddy Gilbert who is a second father to me and a great friend. He is the adopted grandparent to my two boys and a wonderful person. Therefore, this cigar has some meaning to me and my humidor will always have a box of these ready for action.
All the best,
Dr. B