The fourth and final cigar in a series of reviews of Oja Cigar’s portfolio is their limited release Anniversary Edition. This box pressed cigar with a dark brown wrapper uses a Brazilian Samba leaf to cover Nicaraguan binder and filler, which has what’s described as a “double dose” of ligero.
For this review, one of the 5" x 54 ring gauge box-pressed 'Atrevido' vitolas was smoked. Also in the line are a 6" x 58 semi-box pressed figurado called the 'Ilustre' and a 6" x 52 box pressed toro dubbed the 'Elegante.' Each retails for around $13, before taxes.
The pre-light aroma on the foot has a good bit of spice with some earthiness, while the cold draw is a bit more complex, delivering soil, bark and a bit of underlying spice via an easy but not overly loose draw.
A bit of harshness and bitterness hits the palate as soon as the cigar is toasted, but it disappears as quickly as arrived, clearing the way for lots of smoke through the first inch, a bit dry, again with notes of earth, soil, some wood, but not much spice. There’s just a touch of lingering harshness at the top of the throat.
The cigars seems to burn fairly fast – the burn line reached the midpoint almost without warning. The draw isn’t loose by any means, nor did it feel like the cigar was being smoked any faster than any other.
At the midpoint, it still maintains the dominant earthy notes – leaving a heavy, dry feeling on the palate.
The ligero comes back into the equation in the final third, with the cigar heating up ever so slightly. Taking it down to just about an inch left, the ligero makes one final push onto the palate and the throat before it’s time to put the cigar out.
It’s not fair to compare cigars, but when it comes to making a decision as to the favorite from Oja’s line, it’s between this and the Oscuro. They are two completely different cigars, with the Anniversary Edition being driven by ligero much more than the Oscuro, while sharing Brazilian wrappers with some similar nuances. If pepper and ligero are your thing, the Anniversary Edition is a solid choice.
Four stars, 90 points.
Read reviews of more cigars by clicking here, including cigars from the 2011 IPCPR Trade Show.
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