Oliva – Atlantic Cigar Company 15th Anniversary Diadema

Yes, yes. I am back in the real world after another amazing Drew Estate Cigar Safari trip to Nicaragua. I’m sure I’ll have more on that trip in the near future so stayed tuned. In the meantime, in non-slacker (DANIEL) form, I bring you a review of Atlantic Cigar Company’s 15^th Anniversary Diadema by Oliva.

The Good Stuff: If you haven’t heard of Atlantic cigar Company, you should probably check them out. They are a retail shop, based out of Pennsylvania with a massive selection and great customer service. I know this from a few passed experiences that Jeremy and I both had recently. Well Atlantic Cigar Company wanted to celebrate their 15^th year in business in style, creating 4 different celebratory blends from 4 different manufacturers. The cigars created are as follows: the Viaje Exclusivo Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th  Anniversary Lancero, the My Father Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th Anniversary Box Pressed Robusto, the E.P. Carrillo Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th Anniversary and this Oliva Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th Anniversary Diadema.  The Atlantic Cigar Company website sums up the blend:

Our last and final installment of four exclusive 15th Anniversary limited releases is the Summer / Fall release by Oliva Cigar Company. The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15th Aniversario Diadema was created by the Oliva Family of Cigars to celebrate our 15th year in business. After brainstorming with Oliva, we decided to come up with something completely new, a blend that they haven’t yet offered in a retail shop. After a period of intensive blending, the final result was an outstanding cigar in a classic Oliva Diadema shape measuring at 6 ¾ x 48. The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15th Aniversario Diadema is blended using specially selected aged Nicaraguan tobaccos cloaked in a unique Ecuadorian Habano wrapper harvested from an area of the plant known for its richness and balance. The final blend is a cigar that delivers a good amount of strength yet achieves an excellent balance, allowing its flavors to emerge. The cigar has all the markings of an Oliva cigar, from its excellent construction with its flawless wrapper to its flavor profile of solid leather and varying wood notes, a good amount of spice with just a hint of sweetness. The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15th Aniversario Diadema is the perfect way to close our 15th Anniversary collection. As with the previous 15th blends, we’ve kept the number’s small, only 400 boxes of 10 cigars were produced in this boutique small batch production. Atlantic Cigar Company is honored to have Oliva Cigar Company take part in this limited edition release for our celebration and your enjoyment.

According to Halfwheel.com, there will only be 400 boxes of 10 made. They run $8.50 a stick and shockingly, are still available on Atlantic’s site here.

Size: 6 ¾ x 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $8.50
Pairing: Samuel Adam’s Third Voyage (8.0% ABV Imperial/ Double IPA)

Prelight: The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15^th Anniversary’s obvious stand-out characteristic is the format. This isn’t a size we see too often. Basically it’s a salomon format that stays consistent in ring gauge through the entire body of the cigar. The Oliva Atlantic 15^th starts out with a tapered cap that quickly opens up to the long, slender body before coming to a quick, tapered, round cap. The cigar is very heavy and feels very dense as there are absolutely no soft spots throughout the entire stick. The wrapper sheds off tons of oils as it almost glows in the light. The wrapper is a consistent, milky brown with an orange hue and only one larger vein running about halfway through the body of the cigar.  The cigar is polished off with an elegant, white and gold band that states: “Atlantic Cigar Company 15^th Anniversary” and a brown secondary band that says “Special Release”.

The wrapper gives off a slight spice and natural tobacco aroma while the foot has much of the same spice as well as some pepper mixed in there. The cap cut very easily using my double bladed palio cutter. The Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15^th gave off a really smooth, light and creamy tobacco and spice cold draw. I was expecting to find a bit more of the pepper in there.

First Smoke: The Oliva Atlantic 15^th Anniversary cigar started out with a lot more pepper than I was expecting. It stuck around strongly for the first few draws and then began to blend in with the cedar, cinnamon, spice, and natural tobacco flavors in the cigar.  The draw was a bit looser than I normally prefer, but it isn’t causing any burn or flavor problems thus far. In fact, I am quite impressed with just how solid the burnline is. Normally I have issues with the starting burn on tapered-foot cigars but this one is burning razor sharp, and dead even. The ash is a tightly compacted, medium and light grey which held on for an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: Into the second third of this Oliva Atlantic 15^th and I am really enjoying how the cigar has since ramped up in body. The pepper has finally faded out with the cinnamon and spice have amped up making a great mixture with the cedar and bold tobacco. There is also a bit of a citrus sneaking in. The draw has also tightened up immensely and is pumping out a thick cloud of smoke with every little puff now. There must have been something in the foot of the cigar that was letting in a bit of excess air. Either way this cigar was off to a great start and has since turned into a great experience. Even the retrohale is fantastic coating my nasal passage with a really smooth cedar and spice. I could retrohale this baby all day. I am feeling absolutely no nicotine at this point in the experience.

Finish: Again, the Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15^th Anniversary is still pouring on the flavor. While the flavor profile remains the same as the second third (Cedar, Spice, Cinnamon, Tobacco), the body has continuously ramped up since the cigar was first lit up. Even though the body has grown stronger, it has remained really creamy and smooth the whole time. This cigar took almost two hours to smoke down to the nub and I didn’t encounter even the smallest bit of harshness. The burnline was flawless the entire time too and the cigar required zero extra attention from my lighter since I first lit up. I felt only a slight nicotine kick from this cigar. I wouldn’t even call it a kick, it was barely noticeable.

Overview: I’ve always been a fan of Oliva and this Atlantic Cigar 15^th anniversary Diadema is a perfect example as to why. Flawless construction, great use of tobacco, and great flavor and an affordable price. This cigar is priced at $8.50 a stick and in my opinion is worth at least a few bucks more than that. Gotta love a company that keeps their consumer’s pockets in mind. As a side note, I LOVED this format. It seems a bit lanky at first, but it’s rather comfortable. Fits well in the hand, burns perfectly, and kicks out an awesome draw. Can’t ask for more than that. As I stated before, Jeremy and I have both had recent experiences with Atlantic cigar and have both been impressed with the service we have received. Add another notch to their belt in bringing a great blend to their consumers.

To Sum it Up: This is something new I will be including in my reviews going forward. It’s a quick summary of the overall experience including my take on the cigar’s worth.

The cigar was a great full-body experience while remaining medium to mild in strength. Great flavors such as cinnamon, cedar, spice and citrus. I would buy this again for sure, especially at the price point. I would smoke it again, I would buy it again and I think this is a box-worthy purchase. It would be a great investment for both novice and seasoned cigar smokers.

Pairing: I took another gamble here. I decided to pair this cigar with a beer I hadn’t had before. Sure, I’ve had lots of IPA’s and tons of Double/Imperial IPA’s so I know what to expect. But this was the first time that I have tried Sam Adam’s Third Voyage. First of all, this beer kicked ass. It’s exactly what you would expect. Smooth, hoppy with lots of caramel, citrus and malt with a very nice sweetness on the finish. This is the exact experience I wanted with the Oliva Atlantic Cigar 15^th anniversary. I wanted something sweet that had a lot of character to marry up with the body and spice from the cigar and the Third Voyage did just that. Neither of the flavor profiles overpowered the other and in closing, it made for a smooth, relaxing experience.