Oliva Serie V - Ligero Especial Review

This past weekend Elliot came over to smoke some of the Oliva Serie V - Ligero Especials that I had bought about two weeks ago. I had been hesitant to smoke these too often, as they were my best cigars and I didn't want to run through the box so quickly. But then again, guilty indulgence is something that I know I am extremely privy to.

The Oliva V cigar is a special cigar - it has been in in Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 for two years running all while being roughly $6.00 per stick, which is unheard of considering the Top 25 consists largely of either very expensive cigars or even Cubans. It became so popular that when an affordable, premium cigar becomes very popular, such as the Casa Magna Colorado, it is said to be "Oliva V'ed."

The box I purchased was the belicoso size, which is 6" long with a 54 gauge ring and a torpedo tip. It is much like the double robusto size, except the double robusto has a parejo or "flat" tip. I much prefer the torpedos because I feel that I have much more control over the type of draw I want based on how much of the tip I cut off. The cigar itself is very attractive; it is a deep, dark brown, almost chocolate-like in color. Strong, single veins run along its side while mainting a smooth and buttery texture which ends at the tip. The aroma emanating from the cigar is intoxicating and complex; undertones of the earth fill my nostrils which are then overpowered by a rich smell of chocolate, hazel, and coffee. It is indeed, a great cigar, and I look forward to each smoke.

I pulled two of these fine specimens from my humidor and selected a Gordon Biersch Czech-style lager as my drink of choice. For Elliot, I elected for him a seasonal from the New Belgium Brewing Company called Mighty Arrow. We went to my balcony, under the gorgeous blue skies, and proceeded upon our session.

Once again, I did not have access to a lighter so we were left to use what few matches I still had left. We completed our cuts (no wrapper falling apart this time!) and began the lighting process. Of course, just as we were about to do this, the beautiful skies became overcast and the wind picked up. I started to struggle; I unfortunately never had the pleasure with playing with fire when I was younger so matches had always been a challenge for me; the wind was not adding to my already lack of skills. I was on my tenth match or so when suddenly, my jaw seemed to have unclenched itself and my beautiful cigar fell from my lips! I saw it crash down to the floor of my balcony and a sudden feeling of remorse and dread fluttered through my chest. I quickly scooped up the cigar, lest five seconds would pass and examined it. I felt as if my heart had been shattered; it had grown a massive 4" long split on one side. I was crushed, but upon further examination it appeared the cigar was in one piece. I would not be dissuaded!

Eventually both of us were able to light our cigars, mine being extremely ugly due to the wrapper being split open while Elliot's appeared to be burning nicely. Still, the split did not deter much from the smoke itself, although I was not able to take the booming draw that I normally take. Even without looking like a chimney though, the flavors of the cigar were wonderful in my mouth. The beginning was earthy and woody, with a hint of leather which eventually smoothed out into a warm, hazel and coffee-like flavoring; almost sweet, in a sense. But the best part of each draw was the finish, which lingered like the perfume of a beautiful woman, not too heavy, but just enough that you wanted more. As we smoked more, I remembered I had brought beers outside as well! In all my enjoyment I had forgotten about my beverage, which I quickly swilled.

And that it was, swill.

As my cigar became uglier and uglier, but the flavor still being great, I neared the end of my cigar. I wanted it to last longer, to smoke this endlessly, but it was not meant to be. Still in this moment, sitting here reminiscing about my last smoke, I can still smell it, the beauty of the Oliva V.

Romeo y Julieta Medallas de Oro Review

After coming home from my 16 hour shift, I had a desire to relax and kick back, rather than just sleep until my next shift. Thus, I began rummaging through my humidor. I had already smoked several of the new box of Oliva Serie V - Ligero Especials and wanted to finish off some of the older ones. I looked at the bottom and there it was, my last Romeo y Julieta Medallas de Oro.

This brand of cigar was the first brand I had ever smoked in my life, in Las Vegas of last year. At the time, and even now, I am still but a novice when it comes to cigars. The main difference now is that I somewhat know what I like, and I have spent quite a bit of money on cigar related paraphernalia. This particular cigar came from the first batch I had ever bought; a sampler pack of random cigars that I had never smoked before. It was also part of a pack of cigars that were the very first cigars in my humidor.

On visual examination, I was already feeling a bit weary of this particular cigar. It looked a bit dry and had quite a bit of bloom on it. Still, I had chosen this one and I refused to put it back. I removed the cigar from its cellophane wrapper and decided to give it a good sniff; it did smell okay still, earthy, without being overtly so with a hint of leather. I then gave it a soft pinch which seemingly told me the opposite of my visual examination in that it did still have a bit of spring in it and perhaps was not as dry as I thought it was.

I set up shop on my balcony with my chosen one, along with a pint of Boddington's. I hoped for the best, but I had my reservations. I carefully cut the tip, when suddenly bits of the wrapper began falling off. The cigar had begun to unravel itself. I now became hesitant; would I attempt to finish what I had started, or would I dispose of this one and call it a loss? In my stubbornness, I forged ahead for I would not let a good (maybe) cigar go to waste!

I pulled out the matches and began the lighting process. In my mouth, it was not unpleasant, but I could feel the wrapper unraveling a bit already. Still, I continued, and eventually was able to light it, albeit after multiple attempts and several matches.

The burn was not satisfactory at all.

It was crooked, it was falling apart, it was sagging, and everything that could have gone wrong was going wrong with this cigar. The wrapper continued to fall apart in my mouth and I only had my Boddington's as my savior to this tragedy. The few puffs I did take were mediocre at best - it was a mild to medium bodied cigar, completely inoffensive with a slightly nutty beginning and a sweeter, berry-like finish. It was a simple cigar, yet one that might have proven satisfactory had it been properly taken care of.

At this point I was tempted to give up, but I became adamant on salvaging what I could out of this situation. I continued to draw it, but even that became difficult as the wrapper had disintegrated so much that a proper draw was nearly impossible. Soon the cigar became flavorless with the only sensation being the wrapper continuing to fall apart and the heat from smoke. I became saddened by this turn of events, but in the end, I am the sole proprietor of this predicament due to my lack of experience as well as my carelessness.

I held the cigar once more, only to extinguish its short, and unmemorable life.