Oliva Master Blends 2 Churchill

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This is the second generation of the Master Blends, this time with an Ecuadorian grown Sumatra wrapper. (The Master Blends 1 was a Nicaraguan puro.) Oliva's farms in Ecuador have been producing wrapper leaf of tremendous quality in recent years, as evidenced by their use in Ashton's Virgin Sun Grown brand and Diamond Crown's Maximus cigars.

The Master Blends are limited edition cigars, with only 120,000 of the MB 2 churchill produced. The churchill measures 7 by 50, and is made in Esteli, Nicaragua. An interesting design flourish is the insignia below the band– etched into the wrapper with a laser, I'm told, to thwart counterfeiters. It also makes this cigar a little difficult to use in a blind taste test…

It's square pressed, and the cap is a little rough. Prelight the smell of the wrapper is fairly strong, and the draw is perfect.

It lights up easily and burns evenly. This is a medium bodied cigar that doesn't waver too much; though it does grow in strength, it never achieves a truly full body. The flavor profile is not extraordinary; no particular taste really jumps out at me. The aroma of the smoke is pleasant, but I can't really put my finger on any particular descriptor. There is an astringent, mouth puckering quality that I find with many Nicaraguan cigars, and the one distinguishing element I can identify is a semi-bitter aftertaste, like Columbian coffee. I'm not a fan of this taste, so I can't say I found it all that pleasurable.

The Oliva Master Blends 2 Churchill is a very well made cigar, and it commands a premium price. I would recommend it for fans of other Nicaraguans, but I would also advise prospective buyers to taste a few before purchasing a full box.

3 thoughts on “Oliva Master Blends 2 Churchill

  1. Unfortunately, no. Check out longashes2u.com — they have the MB2s in stock at a very reasonable price, you can purchase singles at box price (they’re CRAZY!), and their shipping charge is by weight, not number of sticks. They’re a local shop (I have no affiliation with them whatsoever aside from being an occasional customer) and they’ve gotten rave reviews on Club Stogie from customers all over the country. The churchill is listed at $5.50.

  2. Obviously by now the MB 2 is out of stock. Also should mention that longashes2u.com raised their prices considerably a few weeks after this post. I would guess that they saw their profit margin was going to end up in the same place as those long ashes.

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