New line of Cigars - NUB

I didn't see this mentioned on this site anywhere else, and thought I'd pass this on.

This is a message from Sam Leccia, former Oliva rep, that he posted on a couple other forums:

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OK, well I promised an anouncement today, and as I am sure most of you know what it is by now...I will give a little more insight into what I have been up to.

Well, first for those that don't know...I have left the Oliva side of things to branch out and start my own brand. Before even coming onboard, Jose and I agreed that there may be such an opportunity down the road. Coming into Oliva, my background has been 7 years in the liquor business, inbetween that time I was part owner of a Vodka...Well long story short, Jose Oliva and I really hit things off, and I took a substantial paycut for the hopes of having my own line...Well my friends, that time is now.


I have been smoking cigars since high school, however, I really dove deep into cigars after going to the Camacho factory in 2002. That was a life changing experience. To see all of the tradition, passion, and hard work that goes into tobacco growing, and cigar making, I knew this was where I needed to be...fast forward, I got hired on by Oliva and haven't looked back since.

Since I have been with Oliva, I have really been interested into the process of growing, curing, and blending, as well as rolling tobacco. I started this deep interest in my garage, recycling tobacco and making my own blends..I played around removing wrappers from cigars I liked and placed them on cigars I didn't...to find out what exactly it is that I like about some and didn't about others...this got much deeper. Once I found out what I liked, I couldn't understand why I rarely liked the first 1/4 inch of every cigar I smoked...It really wasn't until I got "into" the cigar at about the halfway point, that I really started to enjoy it. I needed to know why this was. This is my finding:

A tobacco leaf is milder at the tip and grows in flavor towards the stem. This is common knowledge. Also a typical cigar, lets say a churchill size, goes into many characteristics before the best part is reached. And if you've ever Nubbed a cigar (and I am sure you all have many many times) you know what I am saying. The reason a churchill goes through this is because a cigar is rolled from the tobacco leaves from tip to stem...meaning the foot is the tips of the leaf where as the base of the leaf is towards the cap...

Somewhere in there is the core of the cigar...and I wanted to find out how to go there. EVERY TIME.

Well without divulging too much, I have found that each leaf has basically a best part a "filet mignon" if you will. And I wanted to make a cigar using ONLY the best part of the leaf...so that from the moment you light it, the flavor of the cigar goes straight to the core. Straight to the best part. I wasn't looking for complexity in changing flavors, but rather a complexity of flavor that stayed completely consistant from begining to end.

Well, I found it. And after explaining this to a very no-nonsense Oliva family, (and I had to get them all oboard)...there was ZERO hesitation. They not only agreed make the cigar, but have backed my concept 100%. They have agreed to make, distribute, sell, and finance this concept. They beleive in it 100%.

That being said, it is with the utmost anticipation and excitement, that I introduce:

NUB Cigars

NUB??? your asking? well not only is NUB an obvious industry term for a cigar you smoked to the end...but the definition of the word NUB is :The essence; the core; the best part.

And this cigar is every word of that.


I will be launching this line in April...and I will give all the details as we get closer...I will also be doing launch events all of the country, so I hope to meet most of the cigar live family.