Saturday, October 16, 2010

Oliva V Special Figurado

Oliva V -Special Figuardo - I know tons of people that absolutely love these cigars.   Honestly, the Oliva brand probably carries at least the #2 or #3 spot in sales at my local shop.  For the V Series specifically, it seems the price and the power fuel its popularity. I've smoked the Robusto V a few times, and while I wasn't disappointed, I prefer other cigars in the low-mid pricepoint.
But all perceptions and feelings flew out the door when I seen this vitola.  The Special Figurado is one of the prettiest cigars I've seen in some time.  A torpedoed triple cap that gradually increases in size till it reaches the expertly rolled - nippled foot. 
The cigar is a monster (although the shape makes it seem a bit smaller).  Weighing in a 6" X 60 Ring - a Habano Sun Grown Wrapper (Nic.), a Nic. binder and a complex mix of Nicaraguan tobacco.
Most notably - alot of the filler is from Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua; a tobacco known for its sweet aroma.


Initial Thoughts:
This is a masterpiece of a cigar.  I've probably only smoked 8-10 nippled foots.  And each one looks like it took a particularly skilled roller to put it together.  The triple cap sits a top a sharp torpedo cap and the wrapper, although its a sun-grown wrapper, doesn't look as rugged as your normal sun-grown.  This wrapper seems very smooth and natural.  Very little texture.
The cigar's aroma is pungent and generic.  I just smell hay, tobacco and, and dirt.  I guess.

Smoking it:
What a piece of crap!  Literally, one of the worst smoking cigars I've had in the past year.  It started off promising....the nipple lit with ease and slowly burnt till the cigar was even and into the main part.  Then the draw went flat.......I was barely getting any smoke.  On the contrary, the foot was producing clouds of smoke while I inhaled with enough effort to make me pass out.
The cigar never recovered.  After about 2-3 minutes of rolling the cigar in my fingers, puffing, sucking, flicking, blowing, I thought I was on the track to a halfway decent smoke.  But then it happened........

A burn hole appeared about 1 1/2" below the burn line of the wrapper!  Complete crap.  I'm not a big oliva and this just pissed me off even more.  I tried to cut the cigar, but it was too large to use a cigar cutter.  I then attempted to use a knife.  Then I felt foolish. 

Then I said Goodbye Oliva......for now.....for a while.

I wasn't crazy about the V in a Robusto, Oliva should keep to basic shapes or hire better rollers. 

Overall - E

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What do you think? Am I on to something? Am I wrong? Or am I full of shit?