Cigar Reviews
Oliva Cigar Co. – Inferno 3rd Degree, a Famous Smoke Shop exclusive + Giveaway Winner
Famous Smoke Shop and Oliva Cigar Co. have once again partnered up to release the latest blend in the Inferno Series, the Inferno 3rd Degree. The Inferno 3rd Degree, a Famous Smoke Shop exclusive, marks the third cigar in the Famous / Oliva collaboration following the 2012 release of Inferno and the 2014 release of Inferno Flashpoint. John Pullo of Famous Smoke Shop spoke on their latest project with Oliva:
Inferno 3rd Degree cigars are made by Oliva which already has a sterling reputation for their consistency and quality. This is nothing short of another outstanding cigar in their arsenal. The interesting thing about this that not many people may know, is that it maintains a low price tag for customers to take advantage of because the tobaccos are mainly all grown on Oliva’s farms. That means our customers get premium tobacco without the inflated cost of Oliva buying an outside grower’s tobacco. It’s a genius farm to table concept which resulted in this top shelf cigar.”
This 100% Nicaraguan Puro utilizes triple-fermented filler tobaccos and a Habano wrapper and binder. Produced in four viotolas, Robusto (5 by 50), Toro (6 by 50), Churchhill (7 by 50), and Gordo (6 by 60), single stick prices range from $5.80 to $6.50. A box purchase decreases the per stick price to as low as $3.50 for the robusto. You can purchase the Inferno 3rd Degree directly from famous-smoke.com.
The Casas Fumando crew reviewed two other Famous Smoke Shop exclusives earlier this year including:
The Facts
Samples Provided by Famous Smoke Shop
Price: $5.80
Vitola: Robusto
Size: 5 by 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes
Drink: N/A
Pre-light
Dressed in a consistent medium brown and oily Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, the Inferno 3rd Degree is velvety to the touch with only a few bumps and veins. The cigar gives just slightly when pressed between my fingers. The aroma off the wrapper is of cardboard, barnyard, and a faint vinegar pungency. Black pepper, cardboard, and dirt notes are on the foot of the cigar.
A double cap rounds of the head of the cigar. The cap lines are just about perfect with no creases and even all the way around. Clipping away a shallow portion of the cap, rich woodsy notes and clove spice are the main components of the dry draw. So far so good with the Inferno 3rd Degree.
First Third
Instantly, copious amount of full flavored, full bodied smoke enters my mouth. Notes of cedar, a grassy sweetness and pepper are first to arrive on the scene. The smoke is thick and creamy. A pepper burn is felt in the back of the throat and the retro-hale delivers a pepper blast just short of overwhelming. The early sharpness of the flavors begins to diminish about half inch into the cigar. The lingering finish is dark with earthy notes, coffee, and cocoa. A light gray ash is being formed as the cigar burns mostly even with a thin burn-line.
Middle Third
The flavors have downshifted from full to medium as I enter the second third of the Inferno 3rd Degree. The pepper flavors remains full but the spice has calmed. The flavor is now characterized by dry cedar and earth as the sweetness moves more to the background. Closing out the middle third, the finish becomes rich with some clove and some yeasty bread notes. The Oliva Cigar Co. Inferno 3rd Degree continues to perform well.
Final Third
The Inferno 3rd Degree changes gears as I enter the final third of the cigar. A newly found black tea has joined the mix with the now dominant yeast-like flavor. While the sweetness appears to have made a complete exit, passing a small amount of smoke through the sinuses brings out more of the enjoyable sweetness from early on. After a slight scare with the burn-line, it self-corrected and I was able to close out the cigar without any touch-ups.
Wrap-up
From start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed the Inferno 3rd Degree. There were easily noticeable change-ups in the profile as the cigar progressed, but, more than anything, it just satisfied without any hassle. No touch-up, no flaky ash, just one heck of a cigar. I couldn’t help but compare this cigar to the Oliva Series V as I smoked it. In my opinion, the Inferno 3rd Degree provides a more balanced smoke at less than half the cost. Skip buying a single or a five-pack and grab a box of these. I do not think you will be disappointed if you are fan of Nicaraguan cigars.
Contest Winner!
First of all, thank you all who took the time to enter. Also, thank you guys for the support you have shown us over the last five years.
Now to the good stuff. We used Rafflecopter to pick a winner at random (It’s easy that way). The system chose, at random, Revjava, a long-time supporter of Casas Fumando! If you haven’t received and email from us yet, you will soon. Thanks again and be on the lookout as we are planning some more giveaways in the very near future.
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