Nub Connecticut 460T (4" x 60)

It's Sunday morning and I grabbed something "light" from my treasure chest of stogies that I won from the Outlaw. That's right: It's time for an (Oliva) Nub Connecticut! I paired it with some Roasterie City of Fountains blend and smoked the sucker up while chatting with my bro (who was smoking a damaged Cain Daytona). Rockit.

 The stogie has a nice appearance and the torpedo format makes it look a little cooler looking than the other nubs. I still really like the Nub band-it is distinctive and kind of minimalistic. This Nub has an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper and was kind of tough to light up-it used up six kitchen matches before the thing finally took to the flame. Once lit, though, it burned solid and never went out or required a single touch up.

I rate this stogie a 2 on my 4 point scale. Like the other "non-Cain" Nubs I've had...there is nothing "wrong" with it...but it just doesn't "pop" or satisfy. It started out kind of bitter (like many Connies) and eventually settled down and became kind of creamy. I think it would be a good cigar to smoke in the wind (fishing or golfing or something) because it really did stay lit and burned very nicely. However, like the Nub Habano I smoked last night, it left me thinking that I should go get something better. These things sell for $5 or $6 bucks apiece by the box but I probably won't be buying any.

Nub Habano 460

 Tonight I smoked the short and fat Nub Habano 460. It was one of the many Michelle won for me from the Outlaw Cigar Store drawing a month or so ago. I paired it with some Evan Williams Single Barrel bourbon, a mellow bourbon which seems to go with most cigars.

 

 This cigar is an impressive little guy and I like the band. The cigar itself shows little in the way of blemishes but doesn't stand up on its end without a little assistance (some of the filler cigar is sticking out a little). Normally I wouldn't mention it, but a short and fat cigar like this seems like it ought to stand up by itself without any "schmushing."

There's not much to say about this Nub-like most of the nubs I've had (excluding the Cain Nubs which are a different story) it is an uncomplicated smoke that is tasty but  unremarkable. It smells okay. It burns okay. It tastes okay. With that being said, I think that this cigar would be enjoyed (by me) the most as a morning cigar or one that I'm smoking with friends...or one I'm smoking after my taste buds are fried from smoking other cigars. At the risk of sounding overly pompous, (if funds allow), "Life is too short to smoke average cigars."

I rate the Nub Habano a 2 on my 4 point scale. Does it rock the house like a Clutch album? Hells no. Is it an endless loop of your daughter's favorite Disney tracks? No way. It is what it is and I would probably not buy it (even though they sell for less than $5 each by the box.

Which leads me to the often debated topic: Is the Nub a gimmick cigar? I would say it is a striking form factor that tends to deliver one decent tobacco flavor from the first puff to the last. They seem to be smooth and well constructed and reasonably priced. I do not think that they are a gimmick in the respect that they are decent cigars and if you like fat boys, they are a pretty good value. However, they just don't deliver enough in the flavor category to score above a 2.

Now that my Nub is gone...I find myself wanting a cigar...not a really great recommendation.