chainer
Member
(Warning: Chainer’s Wall of Text is approaching. I tried to keep it short, but couldn’t… I was just so excited!) 
Today I gained the pleasure and experience of attending my first real herf, which was also the Nub Concept Event at TwoGuys in Nashua, New Hampshire. I’m posting about this for a few reasons, some of which I thought fellow CPers might find interesting.
For those who don’t know, or have been living under a protective anti-hype shell, the Nub cigar is Sam Leccia’s concept cigar that is made to have no initial “ick” phase or ending “ick” phase. To phrase more professionally, the Nub cigar is a cigar which, in theory, embodies only the sweet spot of a cigar.
Today I had the good fortunate to sit down with both Sam Leccia and Jose Oliva(!!!), watch them hand roll nub cigars, and talk about the Oliva/Nub line, and about cigars in general. I’ll begin by saying this: These two guys are great. They both took ~30 minutes of their time to sit down and speak with me while rolling and smoking. I find this exceptionally interesting because I do not fit in well with the ‘cigar crowd.’ I am 19 and very much look the part, have little money, and am not dressed fancily… yet they took the time to speak with me, knowing I couldn’t afford a box purchase, over many gents who could...
Anyway, while Sam Leccia was hand rolling me a Nub cigar (for free, I should add), we talked about our first few smokes, and then he gave me some insight on the birth of the Nub Cigar. Like Sam, I started with dog rockets like Phillies and Owls, however Sam told me that he took interest in the wrapper and the filler tobacco very soon after he started smoking. He told me he noticed that if you cut and use only the top portion of the filler, you got that initial ‘sweet spot’ of the cigar much earlier than if you started with lower leaf. Thus, the Nub Concept was born. He talked to Oliva, who was hesitant and wrote off the stick as a gimmick. Most of us know that Jose Oliva is very serious about cigars and wouldn’t buy into something like this. Well, needless to say, after a few prototype cigars were born, Jose fell in love. I was told that he now smokes a Nub daily.
Background information aside, I told him that I hailed from CigarPass as a newbie member. He smiled, and told me that he has visited the site a few times, as well as donated a box of Nubs to one of the members (I am not sure who…?), and asked me to say Hello. So from Sam to us, “Hello, CP.” I figured it was time to shoot off some questions. First one went something like this (not word for word):
Me: So I’ve read some serious debate on the effect of the wrapper on a cigar. What percent do you think the wrapper contributes to the cigar?
Sam: (Saying this without hesitation) 40 to 60%.
Me: Really? I’ve heard that rollers think it is low; around 4-6%?
Sam: Nope, 40 to 60%.
I’ll leave it at that, but remember that Sam Leccia is a blender and a roller, not just a roller. After this question, he handed me a free Nub cigar which he had just rolled in front of me. It was still moist from the vegetable oil. He told me to either let it sit for 3 hours and then smoke it, or let it sit for 3 months. He said anything in-between was a waste; it would taste bitter and young because it would go through a fermenting period again. So, as I write this, I am rolling the cigar between my fingers, ready to smoke it. I s’pose I’ll post about it afterwards.
We than briefly discussed the unpleasant reviews and negative comments his cigar has received. He took it very well, and in stride, mentioning to me that it was odd he was receiving these remarks. Sam told me that he only paid for one advertisement, in JR. The rest was all community generated hype, including ashstands etc. He also told me that if I light up a nub cigar and taste the full flavor immediately, it is doing its job. I cannot argue, particularly when it comes to the Habano Nub.
So my girlfriend calls me, letting me know she is getting impatient (I know, I wish I could have spent all day talking to Jose and Sam), and I’m informed we’ve got to leave for the beach. My friend and I shake hands many times with both Jose and Sam, who offer to autograph a booklet for us. Of course I took it with glee. Right before I left, Sam leans in really close to me and whispers “They have Tat Black Jars here…” and he points towards the store owner. Although I couldn’t afford a Jar on the spot, I thought it was VERY cool that he offered to sell me some very rare sticks, personally. He then gave me a source where I could buy a Jar (a B&M).
As my friend and I are walking out of TwoGuys, Sam leaves someone mid sentence, runs up after us, goes in back of his Mini Copper, and pulls out a few hats and goodies for us. He hands them to us, shakes our hands, and says it was a pleasure.
All in all, I was blown away. Not only did I get a few FREE hand-rolled Nub cigars, an autograph from both Sam and Oliva, and hats/shirts from Sam, but I got to meet and talk to Jose Oliva, and discuss cigars with both of them. They were both extremely kind gents and had every intention on welcoming me to the cigar game, while understanding my financial situation, and helping me out. I felt they took more time speaking to me, a kid, than anyone else while I was there.
Hope I didn’t bore you all with this wall of text! I just wanted to share my first real exciting cigar experience. I hope some sort of discussion can be salvaged from this mess of letters. (This was written Sunday, the 25th).
A quick shot of the poor thing.
Me Nubbing the 3-hour-old Nub.
Honestly, I have not been the biggest fan of the Nub line. Of them all, I prefer the Habano... and even those end up rather bitter and hot after the first 2/3ds. I don't know if it was simply personal value or the actual taste, but I absolutely loved the cigar. Oh, and that's just apple juice in the background.
edit: I done did messed up that there one sentence. Fixed.
Today I gained the pleasure and experience of attending my first real herf, which was also the Nub Concept Event at TwoGuys in Nashua, New Hampshire. I’m posting about this for a few reasons, some of which I thought fellow CPers might find interesting.
For those who don’t know, or have been living under a protective anti-hype shell, the Nub cigar is Sam Leccia’s concept cigar that is made to have no initial “ick” phase or ending “ick” phase. To phrase more professionally, the Nub cigar is a cigar which, in theory, embodies only the sweet spot of a cigar.
Today I had the good fortunate to sit down with both Sam Leccia and Jose Oliva(!!!), watch them hand roll nub cigars, and talk about the Oliva/Nub line, and about cigars in general. I’ll begin by saying this: These two guys are great. They both took ~30 minutes of their time to sit down and speak with me while rolling and smoking. I find this exceptionally interesting because I do not fit in well with the ‘cigar crowd.’ I am 19 and very much look the part, have little money, and am not dressed fancily… yet they took the time to speak with me, knowing I couldn’t afford a box purchase, over many gents who could...
Anyway, while Sam Leccia was hand rolling me a Nub cigar (for free, I should add), we talked about our first few smokes, and then he gave me some insight on the birth of the Nub Cigar. Like Sam, I started with dog rockets like Phillies and Owls, however Sam told me that he took interest in the wrapper and the filler tobacco very soon after he started smoking. He told me he noticed that if you cut and use only the top portion of the filler, you got that initial ‘sweet spot’ of the cigar much earlier than if you started with lower leaf. Thus, the Nub Concept was born. He talked to Oliva, who was hesitant and wrote off the stick as a gimmick. Most of us know that Jose Oliva is very serious about cigars and wouldn’t buy into something like this. Well, needless to say, after a few prototype cigars were born, Jose fell in love. I was told that he now smokes a Nub daily.
Background information aside, I told him that I hailed from CigarPass as a newbie member. He smiled, and told me that he has visited the site a few times, as well as donated a box of Nubs to one of the members (I am not sure who…?), and asked me to say Hello. So from Sam to us, “Hello, CP.” I figured it was time to shoot off some questions. First one went something like this (not word for word):
Me: So I’ve read some serious debate on the effect of the wrapper on a cigar. What percent do you think the wrapper contributes to the cigar?
Sam: (Saying this without hesitation) 40 to 60%.
Me: Really? I’ve heard that rollers think it is low; around 4-6%?
Sam: Nope, 40 to 60%.
I’ll leave it at that, but remember that Sam Leccia is a blender and a roller, not just a roller. After this question, he handed me a free Nub cigar which he had just rolled in front of me. It was still moist from the vegetable oil. He told me to either let it sit for 3 hours and then smoke it, or let it sit for 3 months. He said anything in-between was a waste; it would taste bitter and young because it would go through a fermenting period again. So, as I write this, I am rolling the cigar between my fingers, ready to smoke it. I s’pose I’ll post about it afterwards.
We than briefly discussed the unpleasant reviews and negative comments his cigar has received. He took it very well, and in stride, mentioning to me that it was odd he was receiving these remarks. Sam told me that he only paid for one advertisement, in JR. The rest was all community generated hype, including ashstands etc. He also told me that if I light up a nub cigar and taste the full flavor immediately, it is doing its job. I cannot argue, particularly when it comes to the Habano Nub.
So my girlfriend calls me, letting me know she is getting impatient (I know, I wish I could have spent all day talking to Jose and Sam), and I’m informed we’ve got to leave for the beach. My friend and I shake hands many times with both Jose and Sam, who offer to autograph a booklet for us. Of course I took it with glee. Right before I left, Sam leans in really close to me and whispers “They have Tat Black Jars here…” and he points towards the store owner. Although I couldn’t afford a Jar on the spot, I thought it was VERY cool that he offered to sell me some very rare sticks, personally. He then gave me a source where I could buy a Jar (a B&M).
As my friend and I are walking out of TwoGuys, Sam leaves someone mid sentence, runs up after us, goes in back of his Mini Copper, and pulls out a few hats and goodies for us. He hands them to us, shakes our hands, and says it was a pleasure.
All in all, I was blown away. Not only did I get a few FREE hand-rolled Nub cigars, an autograph from both Sam and Oliva, and hats/shirts from Sam, but I got to meet and talk to Jose Oliva, and discuss cigars with both of them. They were both extremely kind gents and had every intention on welcoming me to the cigar game, while understanding my financial situation, and helping me out. I felt they took more time speaking to me, a kid, than anyone else while I was there.
Hope I didn’t bore you all with this wall of text! I just wanted to share my first real exciting cigar experience. I hope some sort of discussion can be salvaged from this mess of letters. (This was written Sunday, the 25th).
A quick shot of the poor thing.
Me Nubbing the 3-hour-old Nub.
Honestly, I have not been the biggest fan of the Nub line. Of them all, I prefer the Habano... and even those end up rather bitter and hot after the first 2/3ds. I don't know if it was simply personal value or the actual taste, but I absolutely loved the cigar. Oh, and that's just apple juice in the background.
edit: I done did messed up that there one sentence. Fixed.
