Finally got my hands on more maduros. Apparently these were budget sticks, but I think the only thing budget about them was the plastic wrapped packaging and the simple print band. The sticks were Olivas. And in my opinion, Olivas were the best. The tastiest. Well, I’d only ever had one Oliva, and it wasn’t even their flagship Serie V. But I still reckon they’re the best. I don’t know. I can just tell from the Serie G I had. And this Flor de Oliva Maduro so far hasn’t changed that opinion.

Guess what I had with me on my first time smoking this stick? Jam fuckin donuts, baybeh! My favourite! And even before that, guess what Mable was cooking up? Homemade burgers! This smoke was going to be awesome.

Ruthless was growing big – that’s what I named their puppy. I had last seen him the last week and I could tell that he’d grown so much. This dog was only gonna get bigger. You couldn’t call a Labrador a small dog. Fitting for an esteemed, tall man like Mable.

I saw on youtube that Bradley from Zeal Cigars reviewed burger and cigar pairings. He and his daughter made that look amazing! And now it was my time to enjoy it.

The burgers were double patty, double cheese, and double bacon. Never a disappointment. Just straight juicy, oily goodness. But sadly, I didn’t enjoy the pairing of this cigar with this burger. Maybe these homemade burgers weren’t the right pair for these sticks. I didn’t find the burger changed the taste of the smoke. And if it did, I couldn’t tell. The stick was already tasty, regardless. I could sense the cigar notes from bites of the burger. But the flavours weren’t that great. Not bad. But nothing outstanding. I’ll have to try another burger to really know. But it wasn’t a problem, overall. I had donuts!

And, yes! The donuts were amazing. Of course, they were amazing. They’re my go-to for cigar pairings. I felt the burger was somehow disrupting my palette or inhibiting the enjoyable flavours of the smoke. But there’s just something amazing about jam donuts that truly open up the cigar. It’s just easier to taste the flavours and notes. It always added a sweet tartness to the smoke.

The flavours of the smoke weren’t too complicated. Leathery, earthy notes through the first and second third, with hints of dark chocolate. The final third lost most of the leather and amplified the dark chocolate. I felt the nub – my favourite part of the cigar – become more milk chocolately. Well, it was at least sweeter at the end. That’s for sure.

The other night I got Felix on the jam donuts while trying this stick. And I swear his face opened up. Last time we had iced donuts with a Macanudo. It was his first. But now, he knew he preferred maduros. And he knew that jam donuts truly opened up the smoke. He finally tasted the true essence of cigars. And this stick with some jam donuts was how it became possible. I’m so grateful.

It’s funny because the next day. I cracked a Montecristo no.4 at this party we attended. And he wanted to taste it straight away. Yes, we shared. Haters gon hate. But his palette was now primed and ready for cigars. All thanks to the Flor de Oliva Maduro, and our friendly neighbourhood jam donuts!

The Flor de Oliva didn’t taste like budget to me. Shit was good. Especially after a few minutes, once you’ve burned through the first light. I think this maduro is going to be my staple.