Review of Flor de Oliva and Flor de Oliva Gold Cigars

Unlike most cigars reviewed on this website, the Flor de Oliva Gold Toro was the subject of a series of cigar taste tests conducted over a period of one year. The purpose of this experiment was not only to rate this cigar after smoking more than just one (or only a few), but to determine how aging a box or bundle of cigars affects the taste and enjoyment of those cigars over a period of time. In addition to the effects of aging the cigars in a properly maintained humidor, other factors such as accompanying libations were also considered. For the record, a frozen White Russian accompanied the final cigar tested after one year of aging, and the taste of the cigar was rated as 3 ½ stars.

The Flor de Oliva Gold Toro cigar is made in Nicaragua, using a Connecticut shade wrapper and filler tobacco from Nicaragua. The cigar measures six inches in length, with a ring gauge of 50. The regular Flor de Oliva line of cigars are also made in Nicaragua, but use sweet Sumatra wrappers or Maduro wrappers. For comparison, a torpedo shaped cigar from the regular line measuring 6 1/2 inches in length with a ring gauge of 52, and having a Sumatra wrapper, was also included as a part of this review.

Flavor

A total of 16 Flor de Oliva Gold Toros were included in a taste test which covered a period of one year, earning these cigars an average rating of 3 ½ stars. Although a few cigars in the test bundle scored as high as four stars, the taste was not consistent enough at that level, even after one year, to deserve a final four-star rating. A couple of cigars that were tested early during the experiment scored less than two stars, and needed some time inside of a humidor to stabilize and improve. Cigars rated on this website are aged for at least two or three months (most are aged longer) before being rated. Cigars that are aged for several months to a year are not comparable to the same cigars smoked right out of the box.

The Flor de Oliva Torpedo cigar also earns a rating of 3 ½ stars, in my opinion. This cigar was aged for about 1 ½ years before smoking. The torpedo was medium in flavor, with a nice sweet taste on the head of the cigar to compliment the rich tobacco flavors. On the other hand, the Gold Toro did not have any sweetener added to the head of the cigar, but did have a smoother and milder flavor than the torpedo because of its Connecticut shade wrapper. Although the flavors of both cigars were different, they were equally enjoyable.

Draw and Construction

Both cigars were well constructed and had excellent draws. The burns were mostly even, and none of the Gold Toro's required any relights, but a few of the cigars did need a touchup light. The Gold Toro's took about 45 minutes to smoke down to two inches remaining. The torpedo did require one relight during the hour that it took to smoke the cigar down to two inches. There were not any major construction issues to prevent the smoking enjoyment of either of these cigars.

Value

Both the Flor de Oliva and Flor de Oliva Gold line of cigars are excellent values. The Gold line might be compared to Macanudo, but at a fraction of the price. The regular line is more comparable to Montecristo, but only sweeter, and at a fraction of the price. Both lines of cigars are excellent choices for both beginner cigar smokers and seasoned smokers who like to enjoy an occasional mild-to-medium flavored cigar. By the bundle, both of these cigars have a price tag of around $35 to $40 for 25 cigars, which works out to less than $1.60 per stick. You can't go wrong with either line of Flor de Oliva cigars, but as is the case with most bundled cigars (and many boxed cigars), they should be aged in a humidor for at least two or three months before smoking, and they will continue to improve and mellow with age.