Last week, I was rooting around West Coast Cigars humidor looking for something to smoke, and Bob, one of the owners, told me about a Foundation event they recently had and pointed out the boxes they put out. They had the obligatory Charter Oak and Tabernacle lines and they also had a box of Olmec Claro. Bob pointed to that box and said that it was a delicious cigar.
I smirked and asked, “Yeah, but are you saying that from personal experience? ‘Cause this has been one of the most hyped-up cigars of late. Sorry, I’m a bit wary. The hype this has received is on the order of the Opus X. Good cigar, but not really my style – I’ll take a Padron over one of those ANY day.”
Bob said, “I hear you. But I had one of these the other day, and even though I prefer a much bolder cigar (he powers through LFD DL-700s, btw), I really enjoyed this. I know it’s hyped up, but it’s a great cigar.”
So, I paid the premium of $22.00, sat down at my chair, gave it a punch cut, toasted the foot, took a puff, and nearly shit my pants! It was jaw-droppingly good. Slightly spicy and a little nutty at light-up. Then it immediately shifted into high gear with an ever-shifting lineup of flavors: Cashew, chocolate, toasted almond, coffee, leather, cedar, teak wood, citrus, stone fruit, burned oak, black licorice, white pepper, grilled skirt steak, sweet red bell pepper. And the uncanny thing is that I couldn’t nail down how it smokes by thirds. The transitions came too quickly.
So, unlike other cigars where I sit in contemplation over a section of the cigar, I instead just went along for the ride. When a different flavor popped up, I’d write it down. It was just another flavor in an ever-shifting landscape.
Bob had sat down across from me and commented that I looked like I was enjoying it. I told him, “Okay… the hype is justified. This is a fuckin’ awesome smoke. The experience, to me at least, is like smoking a Padron ’64 Natural. Forget about trying to nail down the flavors in sections. The transitions are fast and plentiful.” Bob smiled and nodded.
That was the afternoon of December 30. Before I left, I bought one more and smoked it at home. Then, as luck would have it, I spent New Years Eve at the shop as it was near where I dropped my son off at a party and I didn’t want to drive all the way home and back to pick him up, so I went to the shop instead. As soon as I got there, I bought another and started off my New Years Eve celebration by buying yet another Olmec!
Kyle, the other owner of the shop was there that evening, and when I brought the stick to the register, he chuckled and said, “Yup, that’s what I’m smoking right now.”
Since I’ve had those, I did a bit of research on them and read a great interview in Cigar Aficionado with Nicholas Melillo. After reading the interview, I was not at all surprised why I love this cigar so much. It’s produced at AJ Fernandez’ factory in Nicaragua. I’ve been on a bit of an AJ bent these past few months. It’s as if everything that dude touches turns to gold! That his factory is producing these gems explains a lot why these are so good.
The way it works is that Melillo selects the tobacco he wants for the Olmec from Dunn & Foster. Then AJ then buys the selected tobacco then rolls out the sticks according to Melillo’s blending formula. Melillo then buys back the completed product and puts a Foundation label on it. So, Melillo may specify the blend, but having a master like AJ do the production instantly brings the quality up several notches. And holy shit! AJ knows a thing or two about Nicaraguan tobacco which the binder and filler consist of.
So yeah, with AJ rolling this cigar, no surprise that I love it. Even if AJ didn’t produce it, I’d still love it. But knowing that he does is added insurance that this will be a great smoke.
Unco B's Stogie Diary 