Oliva still holds the title as Nicaragua’s second largest tobacco producer. As such, they tend to have first rights to the best tobacco available at the time of production. In years past, the best leaves were held for the private use of the family and were never utilized in blends heading to market. However, the Oliva’s decided to use these cherished leaves to create limited production cigars that are the epitome of the Oliva brand, thus enter the Master Blends series.

With very limited availability, Master Blends are unique cigars containing the best tobacco the Oliva Cigar Family can offer. After the success of the first two cigars in the series, Oliva raised the bar when creating Master Blends III, one of their best blends to date. With an aged sun grown broadleaf wrapper concealing Nicaraguan filler cultivated from Habano-seed ligero, Master Blends III is easily full-bodied. Filled with notes of coffee and black pepper, the blend is complex yet balanced and offers a great aroma with a sweet hint of cocoa stemming from its broadleaf wrapper.

Rocky Patel has a litter of blends, almost all of which have been well received by even the most discerning aficionados, earning ratings of 90 or higher by leading publications. In fact, one of his more recent blends, Decade, earned a 95 rating, one of the highest ever awarded by Cigar Aficionado. Rocky Patel is known for his impeccable attention to detail, which is why his cigars are so consistent in construction since he puts a massive amount of time and effort into quality assurance.

ITC 10th is no different than Rocky’s other blends when looking at quality and construction. The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper showcasing this cigar is seamless, slightly oily, and gorgeous in appearance. The fillers are all Cuban-seed Nicaraguan and offer a medium-bodied, complex bouquet of flavors including cedar, hearty notes of earth, and spice. The finish is long, offering a sweet aroma and a smooth character while the smoke emitted is thick and creamy. It took 2 years of careful blending and experimentation to complete ITC 10th Anniversary and the results are excellent.

Torpedo (6.5" x 52) Great flavor, perfect burn, and complex from start to finish. This size is definitely interesting with notes of espresso, pepper, peat, and some sweetness tantalizing the palate from inch to inch. More impressive is the finish, as the size allows the smoke to remain cool while the blend does not become overbearing in strength. Sweet nuances of earth and cedar remain on the palate for quite some time after extinguished. 89/100 [Buy Now]

Lonsdale (6.5" x 44) The draw was incredible for such a skinny size and there was no need to relight. The flavors this stick produced were excellently rich from start to finish with subtle complexities noticeable throughout. Changes from light spice to black pepper and than to mild earthy and peaty nuances keep you entertained for at least an hour. 89/100 [Buy Now]

Toro (6.5" x 52) Better than the robusto, this stick hits the palate with a burst of spice and mellows after half an inch to create an enjoyable earthy character that sits on the palate for another two inches. The complexities do return for a full-bodied finish as the last two inches greatly increase in strength. Not as balanced as expected, but enjoyable. 88/100 [Buy Now]

Robusto (5" x 50) Although there were no construction problems, this size was not preferred. There were no slight changes in flavor as the complexity of the blend simply overwhelms the palate with intense, thick smoke. Even though the cigar was still a tasty treat, it was not as exciting as the other sizes and offered a tannic finish. 87/100 [Buy Now]

Macanudo 1998 - Macanudo 1998 offers a medium body with light complexities that produce flavorful, yet mellow characteristics due to its age.

Modesta (2000) - A medium-bodied concoction of Dominican tobaccos, Modesta, also referred to as Partagas Don Ramon, is an excellently aged blend worthy of competing against the most sought after cigars on the market.

Perdomo Reserve 10th Criollo - A spicy concoction of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long leaf tobaccos, impeccably rolled with a Cuban-seed Criollo wrapper. The combination produces peppery nuances but offers a tremendously smooth character featuring notes of coffee.

Sol Cubano Series B - A Nicaraguan puro blend made with a combination of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan fillers, wrapped with a Nicaraguan binder which is then completed with a Nicaraguan Colorado wrapper.

2/18/09: Tim and Kim invite their associate Jim on the show to roll some cigars. Ok, his name is actually Josh, but how weird would that be if his name was Jim? Anywho, tune in to see how an Americano fares in his attempts to create the small miracles we know as cigars. (It will be a miracle if he can make a smokable stogie, that's for sure.) [Listen Now]

Q: Should I put my humidification device at the top or bottom of my humidor?

A: Great question. Humid air obviously contains water molecules, which makes it dense, so most may think humid air falls and therefore humidification systems should be placed at the top of a humidor. In reality, although humid air is dense, water molecules are still lighter than air molecules, which means humid air actually rises. This is a very important piece of information commonly overlooked by today’s enthusiasts who own humidors. Since we know humid air actually rises, it is important to keep electronic humidification devices, such as the Humi-Care Electronic Humidifier, at the bottom of your humidor. The humid air from the humidifier will rise and humidify your cigars evenly.

Some say the best way to learn is by participating, so this February, when the plants grew their first meter, I put on my work boots and headed to Nicaragua for a week long stay at one of Nestor Plasencia’s farming operations. The process of how tobacco is treated in the field is not something I have had a great deal of experience with; yet, it is these practices that greatly affect the final outcome of the tobacco that makes its way into premium cigars.

When I arrived at the farm in Estelí, I was eager to get my hands dirty and I didn’t understand at first, but it would be a few short hours before I realized just how much work I signed up for. Marco Rodriguez, who runs the farms in this area for Plasencia, greeted me upon my arrival. While I was expecting some sort of orientation, I was surprised when he handed me a hat and put me right to work. However, I was fortunate to be stationed next to Armando Rizo, a local man who would prove to be incredibly helpful in showing me the ropes and someone with which I would form a great friendship in the ensuing days. With my mediocre Spanish, I was barely able to grasp the various tasks. For the first few days, we were walking the rows of plants one at a time, inspecting the tops of each by hand, looking for the small leaves and flower buds that were forming at the top of the plant. The flowers, if allowed to bloom and grow, consume a great deal of nutrients that would otherwise go to the leaves. If left unpicked, the leaves would lose a great deal of their texture and thickness; attributes, which ultimately equate to flavor once the tobacco is fermented for use in cigars.

After a few days of picking, I was moved along with some of the other workers to irrigation duty. Water is pumped in with generators through large metal pipes, which I was tasked with moving. We spent a few hours setting them in place before we started the priming process. Each day we would pick different primings, beginning at the bottom of the plant and working our way up as the days passed. Between picking each priming, we watered the plants extensively. Although it may seem strange picking the leaves over such a long period, it began to make sense as it was explained that the leaves at the top of the plant are designated to be the strongest and most flavorful. They already receive the most concentrated sunlight, which imparts more nutrients, but by picking the plant’s bottom leaves first, the nutrients from the root funnel to the top primings. The concept is similar to the logic behind removing the flowers and plant tops, which I had been doing a few days prior.

While I could go on about my experiences in the field, it is the lessons I learned that changed the way I look at each leaf in a cigar. First, it is amazing how labor intensive the process is. Everything is done by hand and there are no machines. In fact, when we tilled one of the fields prior to planting, we used two oxen and a sled. Second, once planted, each plant requires attention every day, 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. Be it topping the flowers, picking the leaves, watering the roots or simply inspecting the stalk, you cannot ignore the tobacco for a second. Lastly, there is no set of rules as when to pick, water or "top" the tobacco. Each plant "speaks" to the workers and is ready at different times, making experience and a good eye two of the most important assets on the farm. Just like no two cigars will ever smoke or taste exactly the same, no two plants will ever grow exactly the same either.

Having spent extensive time in factories and tobacco fermenting facilities in the past, getting out into the fields was an eye opening experience. The work was hard and I am still treating my sunburn as I write this article. However, I never truly appreciated just how important the farming process was, in addition to the various techniques used to complete it. After putting myself to work directly in the field, I now have a deep appreciation as to the impact of process and technique on the finished product.