Free Will by Oliva & Southern Comfort | Cigar Pairing

Free Will comes to you from the experienced hands of arguably the finest factory in Nicaragua - Oliva Cigars, makers of the 95- and 96-rated Serie V and V Melanio. This passion project is a special undertaking. Free Will is rolled with a special Nicaraguan-grown, 'Center Cut' Condega leaf that's harvested at the end of the season. Bear with me for a second because the following detail will help illustrate how unique this limited production cigar is.

Tobacco growers look at plants in terms of cuts - each plant has from 7 to 9 primings, with 2 or 3 leaves per priming, aka cuts. 60 days after planting, picking begins from the bottom up. The bottom third is picked after 60-70 days, middle third 70-90, and top third 80-90. Once picked they enter curing barns. Once cured, they move to fermentation. The first fermentation leads to sortation by Seco, Viso, and Ligero classifications, and it is the texture that drives this classification. Next, all leaves are organized by texture and separated where they continue fermentation together with like textures in order to continue processing at the same rate. Heavier Ligero leaves will take longer vs. thinner Seco and as a rule of thumb, Ligeros have more strength and character largely driven by sun exposure. In general, nicotine = strength and sugar = flavor. Sugar concentrations are always highest in the middle of the plant (centro fino) regardless of the time of year or other factors (driven by root). Nicotine on the other hand is always highest at the top of the plant, although it varies throughout the growing season based on external factors (namely, sun exposure). Free Will cigars capture both the highest sugar and nicotine concentrations by isolating not just those particular leaves, but the particular part of those leaves.

The growing season is December to May – with planting done at various times over the 6 month period. From start to finish there is a 30% variance in the amount of sun light. Hence the 'late harvest' in May enjoys significantly more sun hours as the season progressed. The centro fino yields the thickest texture of the season based on the extra sun exposure, which in turn produces leaves containing max sugar and nicotine to produce a cigar rich in flavor, depth, body, and overall strength.

To give you an idea of how limited it is, this cut represents just 0.8% of Oliva's total filler harvest annually, meaning a max production of just 125,000 cigars per year. The end result is a higher level of nuanced intensity which doesn’t overpower the palate. Complex, deep, rich flavors, including notes of dark chocolate, peanut, earth, and creamy nougat. The finish is intense but smooth, with a decadent maple syrup character. Full in body, full in flavor, utterly unique. Oliva delivers a one-of-a-kind gem that I am confident you will enjoy.

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador

Binder: Habano Condega

Fillers: Habano Condega, Habano Ometepe, Habano Jalapa