Leaf by Oscar Maduro – Cigar Review

There are gimmicks left and right in the cigar industry. Wether it be cigars packaged in ancient mammoth tusk boxes or cigars with laser etched billion-year-old meteorite bands… There’s always something that catches the consumers eye and, more often than not, are a letdown in terms of being a quality smoke. Then, there’s Leaf by Oscar. A cigar that I admittedly have passed over several times because I thought it was just that. Another gimmick.

Here’s why I was wrong.

What am I smoking?
Cigar Review: Leaf by Oscar Maduro
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Length: 6 Inches
Ring Gauge: 52
Vitola: Toro
Power: 6/10

Packaging & Design
The Leaf by Oscar is a bundle cigar. You read that right. They come packaged in plastic wrapped bundles. However, inside of that bundle are cigars individually wrapped in a whole leaf of tobacco. Hence the name “Leaf”. There is a pulverized tobacco band to hold the leaf around the cigar with black text to denote the wrapper on the stick inside. The same band is placed on the cigar itself as well. Today I have the maduro version. It’s an interesting and conversation starting type of packaging, and for that I give it props.

First Impressions
Underneath the leaf is a great looking hand made cigar. The wrapper is a dark shade of brown that shows nearly zero veins or seams. There are no cracks or blemishes to speak of either. The aroma coming from the foot offers notes of soft milk chocolate and aged peppery tobacco. After cutting, the prelight draw offers those same notes, but seems milder than anticipated.

The Smoke
Moments after lighting, the burn line is thin and straight which is an indicator of a proper and lengthy fermentation period. Notes of rich cocoa and black pepper are immediately apparent, but this is far from being a full power smoke. It’s sitting at a solid medium body which offers a lot of nuances to show with every puff.

Moving onward into the halfway point and the notes have opened up even more. The smoke is becoming more leathery and a natural sweetness has started to escape from the wrapper onto my palate. Nuances of dried prunes and brown sugar start to make an appearance nearing the final third. The construction is still solid as well, needing no attention.

Finishing up on the Leaf by Oscar Maduro and I’m very content with the performance of this cigar. The smoke is still cool, giving off many of the same tasting notes that were prevalent in the second third. It’s burn line didn’t waver much so I didn’t have to bust out the torch. Barry would be proud, considering he HATES when I constantly touch up my cigars.

Final Thoughts
All in all, this was a great smoke. Even though this was a maduro wrapped cigar and I was expecting something stronger, I was pleased by its steadily changing profile and medium bodied feel. So if you are someone like me and doesn’t usually go for something with exotic and eccentric packaging, these are a must try in my book. I believe it is one that many enthusiasts across the spectrum would enjoy.

Rating: 91
Price: $9.19 / $159.99 (Bundle of 20)