guest review by Josh Wolfe (on twitter @lonewolfe97) …again.
size: 6×52 box pressed toro
THE …AGAIN: Since my first review of the Oliveros King Havano Black Knight was done with an ample amount of narcotics (due to a back injury, seriously, I am not a druggy) in my system, I have decided to revisit this review. I will give you my new thoughts on this after being clean and sober (ok, with only a few beers in me) at the end. I realize that my first review may seem over the top, but I do take this seriously and therefore I have taken the time to smoke this cigar again because I feel it deserves an unfiltered review.
THE GET: I picked up this cigar at an Oliveros event at a local B&M, Cascade Cigar and Tobacco. As with most cigar events this one was “buy some and get some free”; I picked out this cigar along with a few other Oliveros offerings that I hadn’t tried yet.
THE PACKAGING: The Black Knight comes in a box of 20 sticks, double stacked. The box press on the cigars makes for a wonderful display when you open up a new box; they look like soldiers marching into a fight. I have said before and I will say it again, unlike Paul I am not a band guy. However, the banding on this cigar is AWESOME! A large gold-colored band with Oliveros King Havano sits at the head of the smoke. The detail and pure royalty of the band makes you want to pick one up. At the foot of the cigar is the Black Knight label. A knight’s black armor is adorned with white wings just above the bold Black Knight. If a band on a cigar can make you feel manlier, this is it.
THE CIGAR: Oliveros Cigars opened their doors 11 years ago, continuing three generations of cigar making tradition. Their company slogan, “A New Vision Powered by Our Traditions” shows the deep 
thought and care they put into each cigar they make.
The Black Knight comes in two sizes now; the Original (6X52) and the new Mace (6X60), both of which are box pressed. The dark Nicaraguan maduro wrapper made my mouth water. The Black Knight is a Nicaraguan puro made with Cuban-seed aged tobaccos. The maduro wrapper is extra-fermented to bring out its dark oily characteristics; it also makes for one hell of a good-looking cigar.
THE SMOKE: The cap cut perfectly and the pre-light draw was full of deep rich tobacco flavor. I toasted the 
foot and took a quick draw before lighting it completely; adding heat to the cigar brought out a ton of flavor and notes of coffee, wood, and a slight sweetness. After fully lighting the cigar, I was surprised by the smoothness of the flavor. The dark maduro wrapper prepared me to be hit over the head with a strong cigar, but the sweet and nutty flavors blended into a medium/full smoke. The cigar burned evenly and only needed one touch-up throughout the 75-minute smoke. After burning through half of the cigar I noticed a prominent sweetness that I can only describe as the flavor you get when drinking a very nice scotch. It accentuated the tobacco and earthy flavors to make this cigar a very rich complex smoke.
THE SKINNY: I bought the Oliveros King Havano Black Knight due to it looks, a dark oily maduro that was going to kick me in the nuts. I was very wrong in my initial view of this beauty; the flavors are very complex, and yet balance so well together that I had to remind myself that I was smoking such a dark looking cigar. I was rewarded by the time taken to blend the flavors in this cigar. Buy this cigar; don’t ask questions, don’t whine about how dark it looks, just buy the damn thing and smoke it. You will thank me later. At $7-10 a stick it is well worth the gamble of listening to me. I will be picking up a box of these soon and if you give it a try, you will too. The BEST flavor profile in a cigar I have ever had!
***Disclaimer: Josh’s pain medication may have played a part in his final statement. If you were to ask him now (which I did), he may back off the “BEST flavor profile ever!” statement. We agree, this is a great cigar though.***
THE SKINNY …AGAIN: Ok, so this cigar may not be the “BEST flavor profile in a cigar I have ever had”, however, it ranks up there with the best; the flavors and blending of this cigar is top-notch. I have had a lot of cigars over the years, and this one is really good. The flavor is not perfect, but it is better than most. The strength, richness, and overall mouth feel is way above its counterparts at this price. I bought two more of these sticks to smoke for this review; I will be buying many more in the near future. The Oliveros King Havano Black Knight is a damn fine stick and I recommend it highly.
***Disclaimer …again: Word!***
