It’s a gloomy June day as I write, and it occurs to me that June Gloom is winter’s last throes, its final goodbye before a long hot summer. In deference to winter, I reach for the Olor Fuerte Magnum, a big, beefy, dark cigar befitting a blustery winter day.
We have a love/hate relationship with summer around here. Of course it’s hot, though not a shot as some places. And it’s windy too, but not as windy as elsewhere. And it’s either humid, or it’s dry, though there are plenty of drier and more humid places around, as well. No, we don’t have the worst of anything, but we take everyone else’s worst and make it our own.
But it’s not all bad, either. Summer is a time of many gatherings, of friends and family and impromptu barbecues, of drop-in pool parties and last-minute get-togethers. And who could forget those summer nights, those windows-open, dinner outside, warm-breezes-blowing summer nights, including possibly my favorite summertime activity, night swimming.
But June is a middle-ground of foggy mornings and warm afternoons. It’s an overture to summer, the calm before the summer storm, as it were, when we get one last look at the cool days of winter and spring, and also greet the coming summer, will all its heat, and its many pleasures too. And with the pool just right, and the air still cool, June is one of my favorite times of the year.
The Olor Fuerte Magnum (6×60) is a massive log of a cigar. The 5-Nation blend from Manuel Quesada includes Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Brazilian fillers, a Mexican San Andreas binder, and a rich dark Honduran Talanga Cubano wrapper. Based on its color, you might mistake it for a maduro, but this is definitely a dark natural. The handsome roll is smooth and firm, with no veins and a beautiful, earthy bouquet.
The flavors up front are rich and dark, with roasted coffee bean and dark chocolate. It’s a full flavor, but not heavy, and surprisingly smooth. There’s no spice, no maduro sweetness. For such a big dark cigar, the smoke is remarkably mellow and easy-going.
The draw is open from a cap cut, but its size demands a big double-draw, producing massive clouds of smoke. The burn is relatively straight for such a large ring guage, but it benefited from a minor touch-up mid-way. It’s a cool smoke, characteristic of its size, which also keeps the flavors consistent throughout, though developing slightly in richness and depth towards the finish. The flaky dark gray ash easily held to inch-and-a-half-long double-cone chunks that thump when they hit the tray. It’s also a slow burner, burning to a 2-inch nub in no less than 75 minutes.
Overall, I rate this cigar 8.7. It’s a well-made cigar with a nice balance of flavors, a pleasant reminder of cool winter days and the comfort of a great rich cigar, but equally enjoyable on a fine June morning.
Until next time, this is the Cigar Sasquatch saying, “Love what you smoke, and smoke what you love.”
Olor Fuerte Magnum 6x60
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