Island Jim by Oscar Maduro cigars are the darker side of a very nice blend from the Oscar Valladares squad. These feature the same flavorful Honduran long-filler tobacco as the original Natural version, which was wrapped in Nicaraguan leaf. The change here is the Mexican San Andrés wrapper you get with the Maduro. As you can imagine, this brings a totally different element of flavor to the blend. Now, things are far more earthy and chocolatey. These flavors are joined by cream and sweet spice for an experience that you can think of as “Island Jim with a Serious Tan.”

The cigar is also still following the popular #2 pencil format that has made the blend so much fun to handle. There’s a shaggy foot, with filler that sticks out from the wrapper. That’s the “eraser.” Then, at the head, there are multicolored leaf caps to provide the appearance of the exposed pencil “wood” and “lead.”

The only thing it writes is clouds into the air, though.

The whole concept comes from the partnership between Jim Robinson, owner of the Leaf and Bean cigar shop in Pittsburgh, and Oscar Valladares. Jim’s shop was the first place to carry Leaf by Oscar blends and helped get Mr. Valladares off to a great start in the industry after his chance apprenticeship with Rocky Patel. The first 5k cigars the company made sold out in no time, and now shops like ours are carrying a dozen or so tasty OV blends. Not bad for a decade’s efforts.

For anyone out there who is wondering if there’s still time to follow your own personal vision, Oscar and Jim are showing us that ten years can take you from the starting point to being a legit success. It might sound like a lot, but ten years spent being bummed out sounds way worse to us than running down a dream…

This Island Jim by Oscar Torpedo Maduro cigar is made in Honduras. Outside, you'll find a Mexican San Andres & Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. Inside, the binder is Honduran, and the filler is Honduran. This is a Torpedo cigar with a length of 6.50 and a ring gauge of 52.

Please browse our selection of Island Jim by Oscar Maduro cigars at your leisure.

• What are the flavors like?
o Chocolate, leather, cream, sweet spice

• What’s the strength level?
o Medium-full

• Who is this cigar for?
o Island Jim by Oscar Maduro cigars are for people who want a darker, sweeter take on that fun Honduran blend.

• Will I want to smoke it to the nub?
o You’re going to find that this one is a candy bar and totally worthy of nubbing.

• What’s a good pairing with it?
o The island theme takes hold of us with these. How about a tropical rum cocktail? Make a drunken monkey with some orange-pineapple juice, coconut rum, spiced rum, and a few other ingredients you will be too drunk to chase down once you get going on these (bitters, nutmeg, Maraschino cherries, and garnishes, for you cocktail nerds).

• What’s the best time/place to smoke this cigar?
o Sunset on a tropical trip (or at a local beach that allows smoking).

• Any flaws/downsides?
o We don’t see people mentioning anything.