Oliva Serie V Liga Especial

Belicoso

The Oliva Serie V (or “Ollie Vee” as I like to call it, after the Buddy Holly song) was already one of my favorites before this review. My favorite vitola is the Belicoso, which I am reviewing here. It’s the perfect way to start my CotM review series–with a friend.

Statistics

CotM: January 2012







Chosen by: insanemo

insanemo





Shape: Torpedo







Size: 5 x 54







Country of Origin: Nicaragua







Wrapper: Habano Sun Grown







Binder: Nicaraguan







Filler: Jalapa Valley Ligero







Color: Colorado Maduro







Strength: Full







Price Paid: $6.00







Smoke Date: 5/03/13







Age: 2 weeks

Accessories Used

Cuban Crafters Perfect Cutter (Silver & Carbon Fiber), Bugatti B-2002 lighter with “pyramid” double-flame torch, Handmade English walnut ashtray made by wedgewoodrings.

Pairing

Yamazaki 12 yr single malt whisky served neat in a Sagaform rocking whiskey glass. What a wonderful pairing! Highly recommended. The smoky, woody Japanese scotch-style whisky blended perfectly with the stick. I often go for pairings that offer a strong contrast–this is not one of them. These flavors seemed like they were married.

Appearance/Nose

Beautiful dark caramel brown. There was one thick vein about a centimeter long between the band and the head. I am a sucker for torpedo heads, and this one had a beauty on it–I can’t say I’ve seen a nicer torpedo head. The wrapper was smooth and oily. The band was beautiful: brown and red surrounded by gold, and a little embossing. It reminded me a bit of premium chocolates. A sniff revealed roasted nuts and green tea.

Construction

The cigar itself was firm and springy throughout. Absolutely no issues here. I think they put four caps on these Olive Serie Vs. Quite stunning! The burn was a little wavy at times, but evened out by the end. The ash was gloriously white, and held on for about an inch and a half, despite it having been a breezy day.

Cold Draw

Cut by putting the tip through the hole of the perfect cutter. This left an extremely narrow opening, so I clipped off a touch more. The cold draw was fairly tight. This was to be expected, though, as I like to leave a smaller opening n my torpedoes. There was an almost grassy, nutty flavor.

Smoking

First third

The draw opened up right away: smooth with a little resistance–just the way I like it.

It was full of the flavors of cinnamon, nuts, and toffee. The retrohale was a blast of cinnamon, cloves, and other spices–very sweet. I doubled checked to make sure I was smoking a cigar and not a candy bar. It was still a cigar after all.

Second third

As the second third began, the flavor remained largely unchanged. Spice and nuts dominated. A touch of leather and chocolate began to hint their way into the flavor.

As the band came off, chocolate, wood, caramel and leather grew much bolder. The spice was still there on the retrohale, but subdued. The draw tightened up a little, but rolling it between my thumb and two fingers loosened it back up to the perfect level.

Final third

The cinnamon came back, replacing the chocolate. The wood stayed and grews stronger. The retrohale tasted like cinnamon toast.

As the cigar wound down, it gave a burst of wood, leather, and pepper. The finish on this cigar was looong. I tasted cinnamon and nuts for hours after I finished.

Notes

Draw: Medium-tight







Body: Full







Primary Flavors: Cinnamon, cloves, nuts, wood.







Smoke Output: Medium







Smoke Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Overall

It’s like smoking a pecan pie with a slice of cinnamon toast on top! This is one of my favorite cigars, so I don’t have many complaints. The construction was top notch. The smoke volume was almost in the low range, but turned up quite a bit during the last third. The burn was fairly even, only getting a bit lopsided once. This was a beautiful stick with a very distinct and delicious taste. For the price, it’s a bargain. If you haven’t tried one of these, go out and get one!

Rating