Revisiting the Oliva Serie V

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1 review for Revisiting the Oliva Serie V

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    Cigar Inspector

    Oliva Serie V Torpedo

    Oliva CigarsOrigin : Nicaragua
    Format : Torpedo
    Size : 152 x 22 mm
    Ring : 56
    Wrapper : Nicaragua
    Filler : Nicaragua
    Binder : Nicaragua
    Hand-Made
    Price : $7 each

    Cigar smokers often have some long time habits when it comes to choosing their cigars. I have a friend who only smokes Cuban cigars and he repeatedly stated that non-Cuban cigars simply can’t be as good as a true Cuban. Trying to prove him wrong, I had a look at my local shop’s shelves and spotted a box of Oliva Serie V torpedos. Over two years ago, I reviewed this cigar and it even headed our list of the best non-Cuban cigars of 2008. Given that I finished my last box of these over a year ago, I wanted to revisit it and check whether the quality was still there.

    In terms of appearance, it’s as good as ever. The dark, almost maduro wrapper shows obvious oil and, as stated in that old review, the band is just beautiful. Rather heavy, it feels great in hand. As for the construction, I was quite worried after hearing multiple reports on wrapper issues. Indeed, on one of the cigars the leaf cracked (it is visible on the photograph). Fortunately, it didn’t affect the burn much and the draw was good, with some resistance. What’s even better, the flavors are as rich as I remember them. Almost full-bodied from the very beginning, the Oliva Serie V delivers a lot of spice in the first third, with a nice woody background. Starting in the second third, delicate notes of cocoa appear and punctuate the experience. The finish is powerful with a lot of leather and earth.

    It was nice to see that this is still a box-worthy stick. As for my friend, he said that he would pay more attention to Nicaraguan smokes in future.

    [sz]oliva serie v[/sz]

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    • Steve

      Thanks for the recommendation on the Series V. I’ve become somewhat of a Cuban snob lately. But the Series V Torpedo is a legitimately great smoke. It’s constructed well – very firm with a perfect draw. It’s quite full bodied with lots of spice and a delicious cocoa flavor. These have definitely earned a spot in my humi and I will for sure pick up a couple boxes to stash away.

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Cigar Region Nicaragua
Filler Nicaragua
Wrapper Nicaragua
Binder Nicaragua
Length 6
Ring Gauge 56
Vitola Torpedo
Construction Hand Made