Shape: Toro
Size: 6 x 50
Strength: Medium - Full
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper Type: Nicaraguan Maduro
Color Maduro
Binder / Filler: Nicaragua / Nicaragua
Grade: Hand Rolled / Long Filler
Blender: Oliva Cigar Co.
On a nice sunny day after picking the kids up from school, I decided to get the kids bike helmets and let them ride in the back of my apartment building while I sat and smoke one of my recently acquired 2012 Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial. I opened the trunk of my car, pulled out a chair, put on jazz and prepared for the event.
Having purchased a box of last year's edition (2011) on the advice of a respected cigar shop owner and finding them delicious, I was looking forward to smoking the 2012.
The appearance of this cigar was a nice chocolate brown with a light sheen to it. I had to look closely to notice the very few veins running through it. The Oliva band and it's colors reminded me of the outside packaging of an expensive box of chocolates.
I cut the rounded end of my cigar with my Xikar Xi1 cutter and took a few drags to test the draw. The draw was good but not great. I used the Lotus torch I purchased many years ago to light it.
The first draws on this stick were open and peppery to the palate and back of the throat. This continued throughout the first quarter and the smoke was thick. I paired this cigar up with a nice single malt scotch, Glenlivet 18, a smooth single malt with a slight spice. As the burn was entering the first third the smoke got creamy as the peppery spice started to mellow and a slight coffee flavor entered my palate.
The ash was light grey, brownish and black and held on for a third and then fell off. It continued to smoke full of flavor with a nutty note mixed with the spiciness coming back ever so slightly. At the halfway point the smoke continues to be full and robust as it flowed out of the cracks of the ash which dropped for the second time.
As I got closer to the band, I could taste a woody note for the first time in the flavor. After taking the band off, I could savor the spicy pepper flavor returning but it did not become overpowering. As the cigar was coming to an end, the spice mellowed. I never had to relight this cigar and the burn stayed even throughout the whole smoke and it never got hot. The draw stayed consistent and even from beginning to end.
The Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial is a strong smoke so don't get up too fast while smoking it or you might have to sit right back down. This is a limited edition cigar, only 5000 made according to the information on the box. If you get a chance to grab a box or few do it. -February 16, 2013
Robert Anthony Meyers
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