Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Sun Grown Cuban Seed
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 56 “Torpedo-Box Pressed”
Body: Full
Price: $5.20 by the box/$6.00 in 5 pack

Today we take a look at the Nica Libre Silver 25th Anniversary Silver Torpedo.
Thanks to a reader that prefers to remain anonymous for the 5 pack.

BACKGROUND:
There is no info on this cigar. It is made strictly for the CI Conglomerate.
I do remember hearing rumors that AJ Fernandez blended the original Nica Libre but I cannot confirm it. And I have no idea who blends this version. And why 25th Anniversary? I don’t get that.
The cigar comes in one size.
On Cbid, they are going for $2-$3.

DESCRIPTION:
Nice looking cigar. Fairly crisp box press. Expertly applied tripe cap torpedo head. Tight seams. Some veins. The wrapper has a reddish tint to an oily, cherry wood color.
The stick is solid without a single soft spot. The double cigar bands are simple but classy. I don’t get the significance of the top band looking torn at the bottom and the secondary band looking torn at the top which makes them a perfect fit if pushed together. It seems that the cigar has been ripped asunder. And as it is an anniversary cigar, the symbolism of being torn apart doesn’t make sense. Unless you’ve been married for 30 years like me…then, it makes perfect sense. (No one tell Charlotte I said that.)

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell chocolate, sweetness, floral notes, spice, cedar, and a touch of lemon citrus.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell dark chocolate, very strong spice, cream, sweetness, cedar, barnyard, citrus, and espresso.
The cold draw presents flavors of spice, chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, barnyard, and coffee.

FIRST THIRD:
The draw is very good.
Then a nuclear attack commonly known as the Pepper Bomb attack.
Wow. Reminds me of how the original 601 La Bomba tasted at the start; before the company changed hands.
My eyes are watering. My sinuses are so clear you can drive an 18 wheeler through them.
This was like chomping down on a habanero pepper. No shit.
Smoke pours from the foot and then the pepper attack rescinds its orders.

And flavors spew from the cigar: Chocolate, creaminess, malts, black cherry, espresso, cedar, cinnamon, raisins, and small ancillary flavors I cannot define yet.
One can say this is pretty much your stereotypical Nic puro flavor profile.

The Nica Libre brand got a lickin’ for copying the Padron cigar band when it was released several years ago. They have since changed the cigar band. Since there is no information on the background of the blender, it is a mind fuck trying to figure out why it is a 25th anniversary?

Regardless, this is a total surprise of a cigar. It’s really, really good. I had finished a long day of smoking cigars when I decided I had nothing to lose by trying my first one a couple nights ago.
Lo and behold, it was like smoking the first cigar of the day. Flavors are so potent that it awoke my crispy palate and I delayed going to bed so I could finish it.

Clearly, the only stores that carry it is the CI Conglomerate which means you are in luck should you take my advice and snag some: Cbid. They are so cheap; you can get the equivalent of a 25 count box for less than half the retail price CI is charging. I check Cbid right this moment and a box is going for $37.00 and ends Thursday. I saw a few boxes going for final sale at $55.00. And 5 packs going for less than $10.00. And singles going for $2-$3.

The retail price crossed out really doesn’t count for anything as only CI sells them.
Construction is excellent. The char line is dead nuts.
I liked the Nica Libre (Approx. $3) with a few months of humidor time. I liked, even more, the Nica Libre Potencia ($5). Both good solid blends.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 25 minutes.
Complexity settles in. Balance is good. Long finish.
Strength is medium/full.

I’m having a difficult time taking decent photos because of the shiny white cigar band and the shiny silver letters. Sorry.
The flavors have hit a lofty Sweet Spot. The Nica Libre Silver 25th Anniversary Silver holds nothing back.
I could see myself buying a box of these cigars. The price is right. Very flavorful. And you can hand them to your mooch friends and they will love you for it.

It just dawned on me. The Nica Libre has always had the date: “1990” below the name on the cigar band. What does 1990 mean? Obviously some horseshit PR campaign to induce you into thinking this cigar has a long and storied history.
But it doesn’t matter, because the Nica Libre Silver 25th Anniversary Silver fulfills my every need in a cigar. In fact, I believe it is much better than many of the new boutique blends coming in at double digits.
A simply delicious cigar.

I fool around with the camera settings and while I don’t manage to get a clear shot of the lettering on the cigar band, I do get a more appropriate look at the wrapper.

The entire flavor profile makes its move. The power pepper returns. The chocolatey creaminess is huge baby. The raisins and black cherry are powering up. And the different malts make a huge contribution. Cinnamon is brought to the forefront thanks to the spiciness.
Strength hits full body. But no nicotine….yet.

I didn’t expect any complexity but there is plenty. That was missing in my late night cigar the other night.
I reach the halfway point. Smoke time is 40 minutes.
Time is flying by. Always does with a good cigar.
I’ve got 3 sticks left. That pleases me.

There has been some minor waviness in the burn line but I leave it alone and it self corrects.
I’ve wanted to try this cigar since sitting on the throne and grazing through the CI catalog. I’m glad a reader read my mind.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is 50 minutes.
Strength remains at full body. And nicotine begins to creep in.

But the flavors are bountiful. There is nothing extraordinary or unusual about the flavor profile. Just solid Nic puro flavors. What one expects.
There has to be some ligero packed into the filler.

“Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid” by Zep is playing now. Have you ever heard any bootlegs of Zep in concert? The first time I heard one, I almost shit myself listening to John Paul Jones playing bass. He holds it all back for the recordings. But live…holy shit. Made me want to burn my bass at the stake.

I saw Zep in concert approximately half a dozen times in L.A. For some reason, they kept the bass low in the mix. I never understood that. But from rumors I heard, both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant had no love lost for Jones. Never knew why. That man contributed so much to their sound with his bass playing and keys brilliance.

The full body is beginning to have an effect. A bit of a swoon is kicking in.

I check out the CI page selling the cigars and the 1990 is explained: “For 25 years of a sovereign Nicaragua.”
The Nica Libre Silver 25th Anniversary Silver has all the earmarks of an AJ blend but I don’t think he blended it.

This blend is not for newbies. It will make their toupees fall off and into the toilet while puking. But the experienced cigar smoker should love it.

CI is always telling you who blended the cigar for them. But for some reason, they are keeping their cards close to the chest on this cigar line.
The Nica Libre Silver 25th Anniversary Silver is a thoroughly enjoyable blend. And you can’t beat the price.
Initially, CI said it was a limited release. But its popularity probably took them back to the blender and said “Make more!”
No brainer. Get yourself some.
Final smoke time is one hour 15 minutes.

RATING: 90

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, Nica Libre Silver 25th Anniversary Silver Torpedo | Cigar Review