 SMOKE Magazine's Flavored Cigar Review! 
HEAVENLY Raging Rum
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
One of the classic flavors to come out of the innovative Dominican factory of Heavenly Cigar
Company, the Raging Rum provides a more straightforward flavor than many of the unconventional blends that followed it. Exquisitely constructed and pleasantly oily, the cigar offers a
well-balanced sweetness and medium-bodied spices that tickle the tongue. Unlike some other
rum flavor-infused cigars, this cigar’s taste emphasizes the sweet, burnt sugar cane notes of
a good rum and downplays the sharp, liquor-like tang. The cigar draws wonderfully, leaves behind a solid, light ash, and brings forth clouds of light, honeyed smoke. It may have you reaching for the Caribbean’s signature drink to sip alongside it.
OLIVEROS FLAVORS D'Vanilla Maestro
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
Oliveros is a cigar brand that originated back in Cuba in 1927, and is now produced in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Recently, the Oliveros name has also come to mean care and quality in the flavored cigar category. The D’Vanilla, in the torpedo-shaped Maestro frontmark, is one of the brand’s popular mainstays. The slightly gritty Indonesian Sumatra wrapper has an aroma of sugar and vanilla cream, and the sweetened tip is a pleasant prologue for the cigar’s smooth vanilla flavor. Upon light-up, the cigar burns well and delivers mild-bodied overtones of vanilla, honey, and toasted marshmallow creaminess. The finish is lingering and tasty; the aroma calls to mind a warm, baking cake.
FLAVORS BY C.A.O. Earth Nectar
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
Connoisseurs of Italian red wine and Tuscan cuisine would be well-advised to give this one a try. C.A.O.’s Earth Nectar is a true tribute to the rich tastes and sensual pleasures of Italy’s famed Tuscany region. The complex flavors here are the product of an all-natural mixture of toasted almonds, cocoa, and raisins, combined with a touch of honey infused with fine chianti. The filler blend is Cuban-seed Dominican tobacco, and is topped with a nicely-fermented, lightly veined Cameroon wrapper. Like the other C.A.O. flavors we’ve tasted, the construction is top-notch, offering a smooth draw, straight burn, and light, clingy ash. The sweetness is subtle, never cloying or saccharin-like.
SWEET DADDIES Chocolate Corona
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
Chocolate is perhaps the most compatible flavor additive to meld with tobacco, and this nice-sized cigar from the Frey Brothers, the kings of Las Vegas cigar retailing, takes full advantage of the tasty marriage. This handmade, long-filler cigar boasts a velvety wrapper with classic caps. The lightly sugared tip ushers in the mellow, cocoa-tinged flavor reminiscent of a chocolate milk-shake. The cigar burns comfortably cool and slow despite softness near the foot. The cigar builds from mild creaminess up to a medium-bodied taste that never loses its chocolate edge. The aftertaste is thick and creamy on the palate, and the smoke produced is airy and pleasant, like a warm cafe au lait. SMOKE - Spring, 2004   |