Review of Oliva Master Blends III Cigar

Oliva Master Blends 3 is a limited edition artisanal cigar made with a sungrown broadleaf wrapper and a blend of Nicaraguan Habano-seed ligero tobaccos. As of December 2022, they were available in three sizes, including a box pressed Robusto (5 x 50, priced at about $11 per stick when purchased in a 5-pack) that was sampled for this review. The Oliva MB3 was originally introduced way back in 2006 in four vitolas, and is the third in a series of Oliva Master Blends cigars. For more info, please visit the Oliva Cigar Website.

The Oliva Master Blends 3 Robusto cigar started off smooth and mellow with just a moderate amount of spice, and had an excellent aromatic draw. The spice ramped up during the first 5 minutes, until earthy and expresso flavors became dominant, with the spice moving into the background after about 10 minutes of smoking time. At this point, the cigar was medium-to-full bodied with full flavors.

The Oliva MB3 cigar had a somewhat modest start, and then progressed to fuller and more complex flavors. This is opposite of the way that some more-recent cigars start off with a big bang, and then eventually turn bland (at least compared to the beginning).

After about 30 minutes of enjoyable smoking, the predominant flavors transformed mostly into leather along with some earth. It took me a total of 40 minutes to smoke the Oliva Master Blends III Robusto from start to finish, down to only 1½ inches remaining. During that time, the cigar had an excellent draw, even burn, and held a long ash. No touch-ups nor relights were required. This was a very enjoyable and well-constructed cigar, to say the least. I rate the Oliva MB3 with an excellent 4.5 points on a 5-point scale. It is an oldie, but it is still a goodie!