Oliva Connecticut Reserve contains a mild to medium-bodied blend of Nicaraguan fillers wrapped with a silky, luscious Connecticut wrapper; the only Connecticut wrapped cigar in Oliva's line up.

As a smaller boutique cigar company, Oliva takes exceptional pride in the quality of their cigars. In Nicaragua, they are one of the largest growers of tobacco and usually only roll their own crop. They oversee every aspect of the production process from seed to smoke, closely monitoring their rollers, growers and quality assurance teams, a task many manufacturers don't successfully accomplish. For this reason, we love Oliva products because they are consistent in flavor, construction, strength, and body day in and day out while offered at a reasonable price.

Connecticut Reserve was a well-needed addition to Oliva's portfolio of brands. As the only Connecticut wrapped beauty in their line up, the blend still maintains a perfect balance of strength and flavor. Although mild to medium-bodied, spicy characteristics are present due to the mix of premium, Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobaccos used as the filler. The smoke is creamy with many nuances of earth and cedar with an incredibly light sweet character noticeable on the lips. With a medium finish leaving an enjoyable hint of white pepper on the palate, Oliva Connecticut Reserve is a homerun.

Q: What type of cigar should I enjoy after Thanksgiving dinner?

A: The simpliest answer we can give is to enjoy a cigar you know you love. Now, of course there are cigars created specifically to pair well with a hearty, full meal such as a turkey feast and we'll discuss those shortly, but the art of cigar enjoyment remains completely subjective and although we can provide some great ideas for blends to try this Thanksgiving, in reality, the experience all comes down to you and what you personally enjoy. After a full meal, usually you'll want to try a blend offering a ton in terms of body and flavor. Your palate will be filled with fat cells from all of the turkey or other meats you'll consume, which actually aids in creating a flavorful, palate tingling experience. The smoke from your cigar will stick to these fat cells, allowing for a rich character with many noticeable complexities. We recommend enjoying a Habano wrapped cigar such as Don Pepin Garcia, Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet, or Man O' War Ruination as they are strong but will compliment your full stomach very well while remaining potent enough to allow your palate to still pick up all of their distinguishing characteristics. If you try to enjoy a mild Connecticut for example, you may find yourself with a bland flavor since the strength and body of the smoke won't stand out among the other nuances left on your palate from your big meal. A maduro is also a great choice after a full meal if you're searching for a sweeter experience. If a maduro sounds like your cup o' tea, then we highly recommend Diesel as your holiday indulgence.

Only 50 authorized dealers were selected this year to carry Padilla Dominus, a spicy full-bodied blend with a leathery core.

Padilla has become a household name associated with the most elite aficionados. Each cigar is hand crafted under the supervision of Ernesto Padilla and each stick is made to Ernesto's exacting standards. Padilla cigars have earned many high ratings from numerous publications, including a '94' rating by Cigar Aficionado for the highly sought after Padilla Miami.

As one of our top picks, the Dominus name is fitting for this cigar as it literally dominated attention from tobacconists around the world. The finest tobaccos are reserved for this blend, which comes complete with a Corojo 2006 wrapper, a new sought after hybrid tobacco that has been the center of attention recently but scarcely available. With many complexities between spice, black pepper and earth, this blend keeps your interest from start to finish, comes expertly constructed and the flavor remains on your palate for a long, enjoyable finish.

Torpedo (6.2"x52) Great burn and draw from start to finish with balanced nuances of earth and spice. The initial flavor remains strong and robust while smooth earthy sensations combine in the aftertaste. Long, enjoyable finish. 92/100 [Buy Now]

Double Robusto (5"x54) A powerhouse from the start expelling thick smoke. Easily full-bodied and incredibly potent with black pepper and spices mixed throughout. Burned cool with an effortless draw. 90/100 [Buy Now]

Corona Gorda (5.7"x46) A great 45 minute blend. The first inch consists of earth and cedar as the strength slowly builds from start to finish. The last two inches are incredibly robust with a smooth finish, similar to cigars rolled in Havana. 90/100 [Buy Now]

Toro (6"x52) This size encompasses everything you would expect from the torpedo and corona gorda. Many complexities exist throughout with a slightly more robust character left on the palate. Expect a perfect burn with an easy draw and thick, creamy smoke. 90/100 [Buy Now]

Churchill (7"x48) Unlike the corona gorda, the 7x48 frame creates an incredibly strong peppery sensation from the start and never lets up. Although this size burned for over an hour, offering a nice long ash, it lost points since the blend felt hot to the touch and offered an unbalanced finish. 89/100 [Buy Now]

Robusto (5"x50) No constructions issues presented themselves but this size simply wasn't as exciting to enjoy as the others. Less complexities were available as the flavor changed only slightly from start to finish. Perfect for those searching for a straight-forward robust cigar. 88/100 [Buy Now]

Perla (4"x44) Perfect during the winter months due to its short length. Burned hot and uneven but offered a ton of spicy nuances for a full-bodied yet short experience. The finish was actually shorter than expected. 88/100 [Buy Now]

Davidoff Millennium Series - An exceptionally full-bodied, evenly balanced and lastingly rich flavour distinguishes the Millennium Series from the rest of the Davidoff lines. Many consider Milliennium the most limited and powerful Davidoff ever released.

John Bull - A cigar for the enthusiast following a tight budget, John Bull contains all of the same qualities as any other premium cigar: great balance, perfect construction, and a beautiful appearance, but without a hefty price tag.

Cain by Oliva - Considered one of the best new releases in 2009, Cain provides ample flavor and body as it contains 100% Nicaraguan ligero long leaves from Condega, Jalapa and Esteli while maintaining a smooth character due to its triple-fermented tobacco.

Diesel - One of A.J. Fernandez's most recent gems, Diesel exudes a ton of full-flavors in a medium to full-bodied format allowing for a stout, complex experience with perfect balance.

11/18/2009: Alex and Tim sit down and discuss some of the new brands hitting the pages of the latest Cigar.com catalog. In these two episodes, a couple of cigars are tragically burned, including a Padilla Dominus (part 1) and a Diesel (part 2). Please observe a moment of silence for both. [Listen Now]

Cigar.com (CC): For our readers who are unfamiliar with your story, how did you get into the cigar business?

Alan Rubin (AR): Cigars were a passion and a hobby for me since my early 20s. In 1996, when I sold my business, I wanted to find a career I loved and was passionate about so the cigar industry was a natural fit. The cigar business gives me an opportunity to be creative in many areas.

CC: Your partner Ralph is an important part of your business. How did you guys meet up?

AR: Strictly by fate. I was walking out of a cigar store in Miami in April of 1998 and Ralph was walking in. Had I left 30 seconds earlier or had he walked in 30 seconds later, we would not have met. We introduced ourselves, exchanged business cards, and kept in touch. Over a year went by and Ralph invited me to lunch at the RTDA show in 1999. I knew then he was the right guy to partner with, and in June of 2000 he started working with me. He’s the Cuban brother I never had and a great partner.

CC: Your brand has undergone a lot of changes since we last sat down with you. Can you explain some of the new things you are doing?

AR: Over the last few years we’ve focused a lot of energy and resources on our manufacturing. We’ve surrounded ourselves with great people who see and believe in the Alec Bradley vision. We all aspire to the same philosophy that each cigar we produce must provide a great experience to the consumer. We’ve also invested heavily in new types of tobacco so we’re able to create unique and exciting products like our Tempus, Select Cabinet Reserve (SCR), and Prensado lines.

CC: Well your new efforts seem to be paying off. Your Tempus was rated 94 and I see you are getting a lot of buzz on the new SCR. One line more limited is your Harvest Selection. What makes this line particularly special?

AR: The Harvest Selection ‘97 line took form after we purchased two types of vintage tobaccos dating back to 1997. After smoking some of the samples we pulled from some of the aging bales, we knew this was a spectacular find. We worked on blends for over a year and created a flavorful blend that’s smooth as silk. The flavor profile on Harvest is incredible.

CC: It seems like you guys are on fire and everything you touch becomes an instant hit, what do you attribute your success to?

AR: I believe our success is based on the fact that more people are trying our cigars and know who we are. Ultimately we’ve created a loyal cult following, and Alec Bradley consumers are now anticipating our new releases. There’s a lot of pressure to make sure we surpass our consumers highest expectations. We’re very fortunate that demand for our cigars is outpacing our current production.

CC: What is one key practice you guys do differently or better than your competition?

AR: This is a difficult question because there are a lot of great cigars on the market right now. What I would say is we are very focused on what we do best, and that’s creating innovative blends utilizing small harvest tobaccos. This gives us the chance to bring creativity back into the blending process.

CC: What is your favorite aspect of the cigar business?

AR: I would say there are two parts of the business I love the most. One is the chance to be creative when it comes to blending cigars and creating elegant but not over the top packaging, and the other is hanging out and enjoying cigars with cigar enthusiasts who share the same passion for cigars as I do.

CC: Anything coming out in the near future you can give us some hints about?

AR: Of course, because I’m sure you can keep a secret. The new Tempus Quadrum is being released as we speak, and there is a limited production Tempus Magistri Maduro being released with a total of 600 boxes scheduled for this year. We also have our Mundial line in aging that will hit the market early next year. This line has been in the works for over 1 ½ years, and it will be worth the wait.

CC: Fast forward five years; where will Alec Bradley be?

AR: Well Alec and Bradley are my two sons, so in five years, Alec will be out of college and Bradley will be in college. Seriously, my hopes are that we’re still a small company doing big business. I never want to lose the family atmosphere we have here, and I think we’re going to continue to grow as we have over the last few years.

CC: Thanks for your time, Alan. Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up?

AR: If you haven’t smoked an Alec Bradley cigar, now is the time. Our motto is we create cigars for those rare times we take for ourselves. We take pride in what we do.