Leaf by Oscar: Blends and Tasting Notes

As earlier alluded to, Leaf by Oscar now has four variations. You have Connecticut, Maduro, Sumatra, and Corojo. They all come in these popular sizes namely Robusto (4×50), Toro (6×52), Sixty (6×60), Torpedo (6.5×52), and Lancero (7×48) vitolas.

The Lancero came in after about 3 years of distribution. So, what are they like?

Connecticut

Leaf by Oscar Connecticut is a mild to medium smoke featuring Honduran fillers and binder swathed in an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. It’s a mid-brown beauty with minimal veins, visible seams, a few frog eyes, and an absolutely perfect triple cap.

It presents delightful citrus notes, tons of cream, and a touch of mocha without even a trace of the typical Connecticut Shade bitterness. A slight peppery kick checks in midway through. This stick burns like a champ with the perfect draw, a razor sharp burnline, and billows of aromatic blue smoke. The aroma is more like sweet molasses and toasted nuts. A sturdy tower of salt and pepper ash completes the picture.

Corojo

Leaf by Oscar Corojo is a dark-tan medium bodied smoke. It showcases an Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper over Honduran fillers and binder; the same blend for all four of the Leaf by Oscar variations. It’s a noticeably oily stick with visible veins, smart seams, and excellently applied caps.

Expect to be greeted by strong earthy cedar notes, implicit layers of cashew nuts, a dash of cayenne pepper, and dark roasted coffee. Down the line you may encounter leather and barnyard notes wrapped in wood, coffee, and slight peppery heat that intensifies in the final third.

Leaf by Oscar Corojo did pretty well for itself scoring a 92 rating on Cigar Authority in 2017 and a 90 rating on Cigar Journal in 2019.

Maduro

Maduro lovers will literally keel over in glee when they get their hands on this one. Leaf by Oscar Maduro is a dark, beautiful shiny aromatic medium to full smoke. Encasing the same Honduran fillers and binder, this baby is cloaked in a Nicaraguan Jalapa Maduro wrapper. Is it an exaggeration to say you can almost scoop the oils off the shaft? Shoot me - I’m a sucker for a good maduro.

Rich notes of espresso, earth, pepper, honey-like sweetness, anise, and raisins are all over this stick. Complexity, intensity, and strength grow steadily throughout the smoke. Honey sweetness and pepper are pretty strong but perfectly balanced by creamy coffee. You’re in for a treat and I’m not the only one who thought so.

Leaf by Oscar Maduro clinched the 19 position in Top 25 Cigars of 2016 by Cigar Snob with a 92 rating. It also got a 91 rating from Cigar Authority in 2016.

Sumatra

Leaf by Oscar Sumatra is the perfect any time cigar if you’ve wondering about what to smoke any time of the day. It’s a delicately balanced medium smoke flaunting a superlative Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper atop Honduran fillers and binder.

Sweet notes of a barnyard in summer hit you the moment you remove the leaf dress. Upon lighting, delightful citrus notes, grass, and earth take over. Down the lane coffee, milk chocolate, and white pepper make their presence known.

Leaf by Oscar Sumatra is very well “controlled” for lack of a better word-can you imagine. Many call it balanced but I think it’s beyond balance, it’s more of holding the reins. The evidence is in how it performed. It grabbed the 17th slot in the Best 25 of 2017 by Cigar Snob and a 93 rating from Cigar Authority the same year.