This past weekend my wife and I hosted a pool party and BBQ for around 16 people. It was the first hot weekend of the summer so everyone was in the spirit. Just a perfect day for it.

I managed to enjoy 3 cigars that afternoon/evening that I had never tried My brother in law brought these over (I'll have to return the favour soon):

1. Oliva Serie V Double Robusto: I had this while lounging in the pool and sipping a mojito. It looked great, excellent draw, plenty of smoke, but the burn was messed up a bit from the start. There was a crack in the foot that just increased exponentially until it unravelled in the last quarter. My brother in law said that his wife had dropped the Olivas by accident when packing up things up to come over. He thinks that was when it split so it was not likely a construction flaw. The taste was definitely good but from the great things I've heard about them, it didn't quite live up to my high expectations. A little milder than I thought they would be as well. I'll have to try another one so that I can give my full attention to it.

2. Alec Bradley MAXX the Freak: I had a huge amount of food to grill for the guests. I figured that this big stick would be ideal to fill in the 1.5 hours of BBQ'n time. I drank a couple of ice-cold Mooseheads with this smoke. The MAXX turned out to be the most surprising of the 3. This weighty smoke had a near perfect burn and draw, with a few minor touch-ups due to mis-handling on my part. It was neglected for a few minutes at a time due to many stages of grilling. I can't pick out the subtle flavours like some of you guys but I found it sort of salty, leathery and quite smooth. Not a mind-blower by any means but a perfect smoke for that kind of atmosphere.

3. Savinelli Nicaraguan Special Selection 2005 Torpedo: I finally sat down in a deck chair with the guys after a huge meal to enjoy this one. It was just getting dark, not many bugs around, still warm and humid, perfect smoking conditions. My brother in law brought a bottle of port over to go with these. I'm a little inexperienced with port but I think I could get into it. Anyway, back to the cigar... Three of us were trying this one for the first time and we all had high expectations for it. Construction was flawless, the burn and draw were perfect on everyone's. Volumes of smoke. Again, I can't pick out specifics but it was very smooth, maybe some spice and coffee (?), loads of bold flavour but not overpowering. Smoked it to the nub. I'll be picking up a box of these in the near future.

Oliva 8/10
MAXX 8/10
Savinelli 9/10

So there it is, my first attempted review. I guess it was more of a "comparison". I just thought I would share that story with guys who can appreciate such a day. Perfect summer afternoon.

Sounds great. It's a shame you had problems with the Oliva!
A perfect summer day isn't complete w\o a cigar (or three) =)

I couldnt agree with you more Ozz. Olivia's that I have had were flawless construction and great taste. I have had the V,G, and the O. I thought they were all good. I happen to like the AB Maxx line though. The fixx is actually my favorite of the line. I like the spicy, leather, woody flavors, and I love the Cinnamon aroma. I have never had a Savinelli, but I have heard many good things and CA likes them too. Nice post and Nice review. Its good to see people enjoying the fruits of cigars. The atmosphere that they create, the converstion, the seperating the men from the women(haha I had to say it) cigars are more than cigars whenever shared with friends.

quote:

Originally posted by Ozz1113:
Sounds great. It's a shame you had problems with the Oliva!
A perfect summer day isn't complete w\o a cigar (or three) =)

quote:

Cinnamon aroma.

i picked this up too when i was smoking them, might be the only cigar i dont mind smelling of

now that is my kinda day. I tend to overindulge while grilling and chilling on sunny Saturdays.

I'll certainly try another Oliva V in the near future. I'm also not sure how it was cared for before I smoked it. I'll make sure that the next one I have rests in my own humidor for a few weeks before I light it up.

Possibly another weekend of over-indulging begins tomorrow. I've got a family golf tournament to play in followed by an after-party that usually runs into the early morning.
Happy Father's Day guys!