Angel 100 'La Meca'

Angel 100 'La Meca' bellicoso
$3.00, Size:6.5", Ring: 52,
Ecuadorian maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, Nicaraguan and Peruvian fillers.

Though 'Oliva' appears on the band, Oliva Cigar Family may not have had much to do with the Angel 100. Pity, that. Instead, this cigar was made by Oliva Tobacco Co., a farm in Nicaragua that supplies tobacco to the Oliva Cigar Family. Clear?

For starters, this wrapper was fugly: mottled brown, very veiny, tobacco wrinkly, splashes of adhesive. And for the two-point conversion, the wrapper smelled a bit musty, and that taste carried into the cold draw. Quick, fetch the beer goggles....

Once lit, the taste was relatively smooth and medium-bodied, with woody flavors. After a couple inches, a peppery aftertaste would sporadically appear. That's all.

The Angel 100's burn needed divine intervention on several occasions, and seemed to be high-maintenance, requiring frequent puffs to keep it going. An indecisive white and grey ash followed the loopy burn line, dropping after an inch or so. The draw started out medium, but was closing off near the finish of the smokeable portion of the cigar.

While smoking the Angel 100 wasn't a trip into the Abyss, it didn't get me anywhere near Seventh Heaven either.