Sam Leccia Leaving NUb and Oliva

Cigar Industry

Sam Leccia Leaving NUb and Oliva

Nov 4, 2010 | By David Savona

Sam Leccia, the face of the NUb and Cain cigar brands, is parting ways with Oliva Cigar Co., the maker of the brands.

"It's true that Sam [Leccia] will not be at the company beyond this year," said Jose Oliva, vice president of Oliva Cigar. "I can confirm that he won't be at the company beyond 2010. Because we're still in a series of talks, we're not really ready to release the details of this parting."

Oliva said production of NUb, sawed-off, ultra-fat smokes that have become quite popular since their launch, and Cain, a newer, all-ligero brand, will continue as before. All NUb and Cain cigars are made by Oliva in Nicaragua. Oliva also makes a considerable number of cigars under the Oliva brand name, such as the highly rated Oliva Serie V line.

"The NUb and Cain brands are Oliva brands, so that all stays the same," said Oliva. He said Leccia does not own part of the brands.

Oliva said NUb and Cain would be put under Oliva's new Studio Tobac umbrella.

Leccia, reached by phone today while on a stop of the Cain F Tour, had no comment about the departure. "I'm at an event right now," he said. "My focus is on finishing off the tour and giving the customers what they paid for." The tour concludes on November 19.

NUb cigars were created by Leccia and Oliva Cigar and launched in 2008, with the idea of isolating a cigar's "sweet spot." Most measure around 4 inches long with ring gauges as thick as 66.

Oliva Cigar Co.

archived comments

"I met Sam at an event and wish him the best in all he does. Anticipatin some great blends in the future." —March 7, 2011 19:49 PM

"wow- cutting a cigar to find the sweet spot is asinine. Cutting a cigar in half and sharing it is beyond asinine, but cutting a cigar in thirds and sharing it is completely and utterly idiotic. I can only presume that was a troll post- I cant fathom a beginner cigar enthusiast doing something like that, let alone an aficionado. - regarding the Sam/Cain split: with the amount of marketing that has been used with the Nubs and Cain and the emphasis on Sam leccia's industry changing concepts - makes one assume something soured the relationship. Oh well, I rarely smoke Oliva cigars anymore" —January 1, 2011 07:24 AM

"How long until Tim Ozgener and Sam Leccia start a new cigar brand? I give it a year." —November 21, 2010 22:39 PM

"I like a nice honey baked ham.... Sometimes I like to start at the nice crispy end piece... There is nothing like those sweet crusted edges sliced to perfection.... The same goes for a nice cigar... I often like to purchase the Second growth cigars which are just under 34 dollars a piece and I section them off for the week...Sometimes 3 and 4 individual smokes made out of one!! What a crazy savings :)" —November 9, 2010 13:52 PM

"Good analogy, Troy, it can also be related to the sweet spot on a golf club. It's physically impossible to isolate said spot on just about anything, much less a cigar which shows nuances and details in relation to the point of combustion and the accumulation of tars throughout. I bought NUb cigars out of novelty. They're fine, not awesome. But with Cain, that's another story. Great blend, strength and flavor profile. Sad to hear Sam is parting ways with the two brands he conceived" —November 8, 2010 10:28 AM

"Tim and Lee, you cut your cigars up..? That is the dumbest thing I've read. I think you've both missed something somewhere. As far as nubs, I'd say some of the theory behind them is the fact that you don't have so much length to draw the smoke through before it reaches your mouth. So the tobacco it draws through doesn't filter the smoke as much." —November 7, 2010 00:29 AM

"Chris A. Thats not what Sam thinks! Go CONUS!!!" —November 5, 2010 12:00 PM

"Quite surprised most smokers actually buy in to the 'shortcut' concept. Nub cigars are great not because they are short, but because they are of good quality and made well. Cutting cigars halfways (god forbid in 3 parts) not only ruins the experience, but deprives you of tasting the whole cigar profile, as most quality cigars are usually created with varying leaf blends (strength and taste) running along its entire length." —November 5, 2010 11:19 AM

"Funny stuff." —November 5, 2010 10:50 AM

"" —November 5, 2010 10:49 AM

"Good point Tim! But what if the cigar costs $13.75? How much would it cost for a three-way?" —November 5, 2010 10:46 AM

"I'm with you Lee. When I'm sharing a cigar with two friends, I cut it in 3 parts and I smoke the "sweet spot" myself. The other guys can have the other two parts - after all I was the one that bought the $15 cigar. You know, when you spend $15/cigar, cutting it three ways is only $5 per person, so it really isn't all that expensive." —November 5, 2010 09:35 AM

"WOW, T-Roy, your insight into the whole "sweet spot" is just awesome. I never really thought about it that way! Maybe the NUBs will get bigger AND have flavor. Just a thought!" —November 5, 2010 09:22 AM

"Troy, thanks for the comment to my comment. I never really thought about that. I wish CA would publish more articles about the physics of cigar smoking." —November 4, 2010 22:40 PM

"Lee B. That doesn't really work. It's like a tennis racquet. You get the best stroke when you hit a tennis ball in the "sweet spot", but you can't make a racquet out of only sweet spot. You can isolate the sweet spot and hit the ball at the peak of the rise to improve your ground game. Same with cigars." —November 4, 2010 22:26 PM

"Thanks to Sam, I now cut down all my smokes and only smoke the "sweet spot." " —November 4, 2010 20:15 PM