The Oscar is kind of a sequel to the Leaf by Oscar. Both are made by Oscar Valladares in Honduras and contain his name, the latter is made for “Island” Jim Robinson of Leaf & Bean, a shop in Pittsburgh and is distributed nationally by Key Enterprises.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The Oscar is also made and owned by Oscar Valladares. The blend is completely different using an Ecuadorian habano wrapper over a Honduran binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan filler. There are two very cool things about the cigar: first, the boxes are partially made out of cigar molds; second, it is wrapped in a candela leaf similar to the Leaf by Oscar.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
Factory: Oscar Valladares Tobacco & Co.
Blender: Oscar Valladares
Number of reviewers: 4 – Matt C.(Big Matt) Eric(smalls29) Derek(StogieNinja) Gregg(McGreggor57)
Price: $12.00
Age: 1 year
Release Date: July 2016
Contributed by: Oscar Valladares
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 93
“This is a great looking cigar.. dark mocha brown wrapper, seams are almost invisible, great handfeel, and a nicely affixed cap.” –Matt C. (Big Matt)
Aroma: 91
“There is a nice smell of peat and soil. It is sweet and inviting to the nose. A smell that invites you to light up.” –Eric (smalls29)
“Premium cigar sample 600 is more than just good looks… as I toast this cigar to perfection, I am immediately greeted with a medium strength/medium bodied stick, both which are building.. The initial exhale is cedar, dark chocolate and earth after about 10 pulls a habano spice enters the party. Finish is medium. Retro is pepper, spice, charred wood and a flighty cream. Smoke is everywhere, my mail man comes in my yard and compliments the aroma and then coughs a little bit. I digress. Dry roasted nuts coat the palate” –Matt C. (Big Matt)
“Huge pepper blast meets dark, rich earth at the start. The pepper coats everything, and it’s definitely not for noobies! Sweet cedar, cinnamon and nutmeg join the fray, and it’s an immensely satisfying first third.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
“This is a wonderful cigar in my book. It is smooth and robust. The flavors are a medium strong combination of charred steak and nuts. There is even a hint of peppers giving it a nice tangy flavor on the lips and tongue. The flavors are a wonderful match with the cold air out tonight. I think it would pair very nicely with a scotch whiskey because of the sour notes that are present.” –Eric (smalls29)
“The middle third begins with less char as a sweeter tobacco replaces the oak. More leather steps up with a developing toast in the background.. This provides a bit of a palate cleanser from the heavier flavors of the first third.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
“This cigar is getting better as it progresses. The wonderful sour taste of charred meat and nuts are wonderful. Since I imagined this being paired with a good scotch I am beginning to think I am tasting the after tastes of a scotch. Awesome is all I can say right now.” –Eric (smalls29)
“Pepper, leather, oak, sweet cedar, spices, some espresso, and rich milk chocolate. This is a cigar you really have to retrohale to get the full experience, as the rich chocolate really only shines there.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 94
“It seemed a little snug on the cold draw but opened up nicely once lit.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
Burn: 91
“Combustion is excellent, with thick smoke on every draw. The burn line wavers a bit, but requires no touch ups. There’s a bit of coning when the ash falls, but no issues.” –Derek (StogieNinja)
Construction: 95
“Excellent! Bravo to the skilled hands of the torcedor.” –Matt C. (Big Matt)
“This was an excellent cigar, and one I may request before facing execution by a firing squad. Flavors, complexity, and construction are all on point. I believe this is a cigar that will stand up to multiple cigars a day as the flavors are bold and evident. I’ll be seeking these out if they are readily available in this exact vitola, no additional aging time is needed. Smoke this cigar after a salty fatty steak and thank me later.” –Matt C. (Big Matt)
“This was a very enjoyable cigar. The flavors were a nice mixture of charred beef, peat and nuts with undertones of pepper. The flavors were smooth and grew more enjoyable with time. About midway through I wished I would have had a scotch to go with it. The smoke was very inviting and added to the experience. By far this was the best cigar I have had in a long time. Definitely one that would be nice to have waiting in the humidor. It was perfect for the cold night I was smoking it. A box of these would be very nice.” –Eric (smalls29)
“I’ve often said that maduros are no longer what I look for in a cigar experience, but this one has me reconsidering that statement. Great flavor, excellent construction, a near perfect draw and a great burn. A cigar that is very good without a retrohale, but is stellar with it. One of the best all around cigars I have smoked for Blind Man’s Puff. Now that I’ve heaped tons of praise on this cigar, it’s going to turn out to be a bargain-basement Rocky Patel. I sort of hope so, because I’ll stock up!” –Derek (StogieNinja)
“There were distinct shifts in flavors between each third. Despite the absence of any wow factor, this was a pretty good cigar. While I didn’t consider it to be full bodied, it was a bit heavy on a hot summer day.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)
"This was an excellent cigar, and one I may request before facing execution by a firing squad. Flavors, complexity, and construction are all on point. I believe this is a cigar that will stand up to multiple cigars a day as the flavors are bold and evident. I'll be seeking these out if they are readily available in this exact vitola, no additional aging time is needed. Smoke this cigar after a salty fatty steak and thank me later." -Matt C. (Big Matt)
