Oliva Master Blends 3 Churchill

As the second-largest grower of tobacco in Nicaragua, the Oliva family's generations of experience in the industry has served them well. They grow some of the finest crops in the world and are known for using the most skilled rollers and blenders in the country to create legendary cigars. Every year, the family cultivates a limited amount of rare, fine tobaccos for one-time run, ultra-premium cigars known as Master Blends. The blends of the cigars are solely based on the tobaccos cultivated, so they differ from year to year. They are so exclusive that the cigars are usually reserved for ‘family use’ due to the scarcity of the tobacco, but due to improved growing methods and quality control we can now enjoy these exclusives due to improved yield. However, they are still produced in extremely limited quantities, so once they are gone, they are gone forever.

The Master Blends 3 (MB3) is the third edition of the Master Blends series and, like the others, is composed of the finest tobaccos cultivated within recent harvests. Available in very limited quantities, this smoke features a gorgeous sungrown broadleaf Connecticut wrapper with a hint of a reddish hue that secures a Nicaraguan binder and a blend of Nicaraguan Habano-seed ligero tobaccos. Pressed to perfection, the resulting cigar is a full bodied smoke that will express earthy and creamy flavors with a spicy, sweet finish. We absolutely loved this smoke and our panel recommended that you pair it with a bold syrah, such as 2013 Gamble Family Vineyards Old Vine Syrah.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.