Oliva V Serie - Melanio Blend - Petit Corona

Tale of the Tape:
Brand: Oliva
Series: Melnio - Series V
Vitola:  Petit Corona
Size: 4 1/2"
Ring Gauge: 46
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian grown Sumatran
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Cigars Smoked for Review: 2

The Melanio
This is no regular Serie V.  Oliva is known for quality and consistency at a fair price.  The Serie V is one of the most solid go-to cigars on the market.  A true full bodied, full flavored smoke.  Personally, I don't care for the Serie V, but I respect the cigar.  I realize the quality and value in the Serie V, but the cigar is just a bit much for my taste and always leaves me with a dizzying nicotine buzz.

The Melanio, is a cigar that stands on its own; no Serie V connection needed to prop up its credentials.  Named after Gilberto Oliva's grandfather, the cigar is a tribute to the man that the Oliva family can trace their tobacco heritage back to.

As I mentioned, the normal Serie V cigars are not my cup of tea.  They are great cigars, and its hard to beat them at the price they are offered at; but I don't smoke many because they are just too much.  Don't get me wrong, I am a full cigar smoker, but I reach for other stogies more often than not.  But with all the fanfare surrounding the Melanio, I had no choice but to give it a try.

I picked up the Petit Corona. 4 1/2" X 46 ring; a size I enjoy..  The wrapper is smooth and a medium dark brown hue.  A few visible veins, but otherwise smooth to the touch.  The construction is flawless, from appearance to last puff.  A razor's edge burn that requires no touch ups.

The first half of the cigar is surprisingly milder than the normal Series V.  Leaning toward medium on a medium-full scale; the cigar is smooth and creamy.  Slightly sweet with a little pepper on the lips, the smoke is aromatic and I taste hints of coffee and burnt cedar.  From what I understand, Oliva chose its most aged tobaccos for the blend, and the subtle sweetness of the Ecuadorian Sumatran shines through.  The filler and binder are Nicaraguan and it is obvious that the Melanio blend is more than just a Serie V with a Sumatran wrapper.

The draw is a tad tight; but the smoke production is adequate.  Usually a tight draw will ruin a cigar for me, but the ample amount of smoke keeps me from having to strain to smoke it.  It is truly a non-issue.  In fact it resulted in a slow burn; keeping the cigar cool and releasing a lot of flavor and nuances in the blend.

The second half of the Melanio keeps that smooth and creaminess to it.  There is a peanut taste that is really enjoyable and seems to be the predominant flavor of the cigar.  The cigar takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to smoke; a considerable amount of time for such a small stick.

As the cigar moves to its last 1 1/2" it never gets harsh like a lot stogies.  The  sweetness slowly morphs into a peppery spice , but it is not a main feature of the smoke.  I know I mentioned it before, but this cigar is smooth.  This cigar is easy to smoke and stays cool throughout.  Not super-complex, but a lot of little nuances that make it an interesting smoke.  Hands down a good cigar.  I really want to try the figurado size and see how it stacks up.

Final Thoughts and Grade

• Smooth tasty cigar with a slightly restricted draw that keeps the cigar cool and slow
• Different from the normal Serie V line in many ways - still a lot nicotine in Oliva's tobacco
• Aromatic and tasty - a lot of depth to the flavors
• Leans towards medium body in a medium full profile
• Great value at $7.50 - my new favorite Oliva - will buy and smoke many more

A - 91.5 points

Oliva - V - Lancero

Oliva V - Lancero
The Oliva V gets mad love in the cigar community.  Known as a great smoke with a lot value, the different sizes in the series range from $6-$7.  These are a "go-to" or "every day" smoke for a lot of people, and while I cannot knock the quality of the line; I've never been as big a fan as others.  The Belicoso and Robusto seem to get the most cred; and there are tons of opinions and reviews for these particular sizes online.  Personally, I find the 'V' to be a little overpowering, but if you're low on money and want a lot of body in your smoke, the Oliva V is known as an old faithful.
That being said, the Lancero vitola caught my eye when I stepped into the humidor.  The idea of the overpowered 'V' blend with a tiny ring gauge has my gears a-churning.

The Tale of the Tape:
Length - 7 "
Ring Gauge - 38 (awww yeah)
Wrapper - Habano Sun Grown
Binder - Nicaraguan
Filler - Jalapa Valley(Nicaraguan) Filler
Origin - Basically a Nicaraguan Puro

Sex AppealThe cigar looks amazing and is well-constructed.  If you want to take a shot at Oliva for anything, quality and construction of make is not one of them.  I've never had an Oliva burn poorly and don't expect this cigar to have any issues.  I like the look of Lanceros; I really like smaller ring gauged cigars, so I'm sure that plays in to it, but there is an elegance to the vitola that always attracts me to them.  We shall see.
All in all, the cigar looks awesome, the wrapper leaf is clean, smooth and spotless.  Seems like a rugged leaf and the roll is clean, giving it that seamless look.

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.

Oliva Series V

Oliva Series V- The Oliva Series V Double Robusto is getting a lot of hype lately. The Oliva brand has consistently placed one of their cigars in Cigar Aficianado's "Top 25" the last few years. The most recent CA Top 25 put this particular cigar at the #5 spot. At an average price of $6, and a reputation for full flavor- this cigar begs to be tried by every full-flavored smoker out there. The cigar is made with Nicaraguan tobacco all the way around and being that I'm a fan of Nicargauans, this should be a good smoke.

Prelight- This cigar is nicely made. The wrapper is smooth, almost veinless and near flawless. The cap seaming looks a little strange, but that should have no affect on the smoke. I'm probably being picky because the cigar looks so nice. The stick has a classic look and all signs point to a burn without issue. The cigar smells like straight tobacco; nothing special. With my senses and curiousity heightened, I'm ready to smoke. With a cutter to the cap, I'm excited to see what the prelight draw is like....And then it happened. The prelight draw tastes like shit. Well not literally shit. But it isn't good. To put it in over-the-top, fancy-pants cigar reviewer lingo- "The Oliva Series V eminates subtle overtones of a chemical cocktail with hints of a half burned Newport. Intrigued with such a bouquet of tasteful aromas I remove my monocle and retire to my chamber to enjoy this delightful cigar." Ok, back to normal writing. I hope this cigar smokes better than the prelight draw tastes.

Sparking it- Ok, I have to let out a sigh of relief.....And exhale. The initial puffs taste better than expected. A little strong, but anything is better than that prelight draw. The Series V is known as a powerhouse and it lives up to its reputation. If this cigar were a woman, it'd be a fat one- wearing a fresh pair of spandex pants. Well-contained, but way too much. I can't hate too much though, the construction is solid and the cigar starts with a nice burn. Lets see where this smoke goes.

Smoking it- The cigar is good, but the hype is exactly that...hype. It is over the top strong, with no flavor variation to back it up. All I taste is pepper. It doesn't satisfy my palette as much as I thought it might. For such a high CA rating, I expected a little more in the way of complexity. Instead of complexity, this cigar offers pepper flavor. Lots of it. The flavor is strong and towards the end I taste a little bit of whiskey and dirt. The back of my throat tastes a little bit like tea. I think the prelight set me up to be a harsh critic. But with the possibility of bias in mind, I still don't like the cigar. I wouldn't pick up this cigar again, but it is a good value for a lot of flavor. I'm also getting a little bit of a headache. Nasty nicotine buzz. Good cigar if you want to look like you're in the "know" of hip cigars amongst the guys, bad cigar in the taste department. It is well-made though, I give it that.

Overall- C