If you had asked me 10 years ago if I thought Nub cigars were a gimmick, I would have answered “yes” without hesitation. However, here we are 10 years after the debut of Nub and the brand is stronger than ever. In a world that was dominated by Robustos, Toros and Churchills, Oliva took a big gamble that paid off in spades. Who’d a thunk that an entire line of 4-inch cigars with ring gauges around 1-inch in diameter would be such a hit?
The Nub line, originated by Sam Leccia (formerly with Oliva), is a brand under Oliva Cigars. In fact this type of vitola has garnered a reputation similar to calling adhesive bandages “Band Aid” - namely this type of stick is commonly referred to as the “Nub” size.
For those who are unaware, the ring gauge of a cigar is measured in 64ths of an inch. Nub is available in 5 wrapper varieties: Cameroon, Connecticut, Habano, Maduro, and Corojo. Today I’ll be smoking the Nub Cameroon 460.
The Nub Cameroon 460 is a familiar porky 4×60 looking cigar. The Cameroon wrapper is fairly rich and thick, providing a lightly roasted coffee bean brown. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head finished off with a thick layered cap.
First Impressions and Pre-Light Experience
Like the other two Nubs ive smoked, the Nub Cameroon has one amazing quality wrapper. A very smooth, nice in color with no veins, healthy wrapper. It’s still oddly shaped (I guess I was hoping for a corona gorda) and it’s still eye catching.
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It’s tempting to blast the entire foot of fat cigar by cranking your torch up to its maximum flame height, but that’s a mistake. You might light the cigar faster, but you’re unnecessarily infusing it with the taste of charred tobacco and butane. Take your time and toast the foot gently. Slowly rotate your cigar over the flame to ensure an even burn.
Aromas from the wrapper give rich cedar, hay and some dank barnyard. Aromas from the foot tell spicy cedar and sweet raisins. Cold draw gives cedar, hay and a hint of sweet raisins.
Oh boy, this cigar smells amazing! I don’t know if it’s just the one I have today, but it’s really nice. On the smell, it’s nothing but rich tobacco with a sugary-woodsy-tea like smell all around the cigar. Seriously, take a second and just give it a good sniffle action, it’s worth it.
Flavor Profile
Initial flavors reveal the strong nuttiness I experienced on the cold draw, as well as a delightfully mild spice. As the tobaccos slowly warm up, bitter notes of dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans enter the fold.
The cigar begins with a peppery cedar and a mixture of equal amounts of cream and mustiness. At a quarter inch in, the pepper and cream both move to the background while the cedar and mustiness are up front. At three quarters of an inch in, the cedar is up front with the mustiness slightly behind. The pepper and cream are still in the background. The retrohale has a blast of pepper up front with the musty cedar right behind it. The flavor profile maintains itself through the end of the third. The strength was slightly below medium.
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To my surprise the Nub Cameroon does not start with the peppery/spicy flavors I thought it would. Instead it starts off really good and flavorful with lots of dark flavors. To me it’s like a roasted smoky wood with some coffee beans followed by full body strength.
After about 20 minutes of smoking, I finally reach the second inch of the cigar. The sweet chocolate notes have disappeared and an earthy flavor emerges. The profile is full of nuttiness and a bit of bean flavor. The combination of pepper and lentils reminds me of red beans and rice.
As I reached toward the middle of the smoke, there’s still rich dark flavors, very heavy on the palate, but not harsh at all. It’s just a heavy dose of smoke that will cover your entire palate. It’s not a complex cigar at all, there’s nothing “wow” about the flavors, but it’s consistent with the dark smoky/roasted flavor profile that sticks around to the end.
The final act of Nub Cameroon is unlike the rest of the cigar. As I round out the last inch, I notice the coffee and wood flavors that were present during the first 3 quarters had completely vanished.
Second and Final Thirds
As the second third begins, the cedar remains up front with the mustiness slightly behind. There is still some pepper in the background while the cream has dropped out. At a half inch in, a faint cream returns. The retrohale now has the musty cedar up front with the black pepper following it. As the third comes to a close, the cedar and mustiness are even up front while the pepper is in the background and the cream has dropped out again. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.
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As the final third begins, the mustiness has taken the lead over the cedar while some black pepper remains in the background. At a quarter inch in, the cedar transitions to a general wood note and gains some char. At three quarters of an inch in, the retrohale has a slightly green wood to go along with the mustiness. The strength in this third remained at medium.
Construction and Burn Quality
The cigar itself is firmly packed without a single soft spot to be found.
The first third gave me a problem with the burn, but it then fixed itself and remained perfect throughout the entire cigar. There wasn’t much aroma found and the draw remained excellent.
The burn was a bit wavy throughout but never required any attention. The ash held on for about two and a half inches and then held on the rest of the way.
The draw has perfect resistance, but make sure to smoke it slow. If you puff too fast, Nub tends to heat up tremendously. Smoke production was above average and gave off a wonderful room note.
The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.
Final Thoughts
In summary, I have nothing negative to say about Nub. The burn was excellent. This cigar burned for just over an hour. Yes, a 4-inch cigar actually lasted more than an hour. Lastly, if you are a fan of a tight ash, take notice. Nub is one of the few cigars you could pick out if you were wearing a blindfold thanks to its unmistakably short, fat dimensions.
The Nub Cameroon is a pretty good cigar with lots of strength and lots of dark flavors on the aftertaste and palate. If you’re a fan of the “Cameroon” taste, I think it will suit you really well.
The Nub Cameroon 460 is a nice cigar to smoke at any time and they are pretty rugged if you’re smoking while doing other things. While I wouldn’t identify this as a go to cigar for me, it’s one I keep coming back to on occasion and would suggest you try it out if you haven’t done so already.
Strength teetered right on the medium-bodied border, clocking in at 5 out of 10.
If you like big ring cigars yet don’t have the time for one with a much longer length. Also, if you like full-flavored, Nicaraguan-forward blends without a ton of strength. Plus, the Nub Cameroon 460 also comes at a reasonable price.
Yes, especially if you follow Oliva Cigars.
Here's a summary table of the key aspects of the Nub Cameroon 460:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Vitola | Nub (4 x 60) |
| Wrapper | Cameroon |
| Binder | Nicaragua |
| Filler | Nicaragua |
| Strength | Medium |
| Burn Time | Approximately 1 hour |
| Price | Around $6.49 |
Nub Cameroon 460 Cigar Review
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tags: #Cameroon
