Olivia 'Serie V' Ligero Especial

Olivia 'Serie V' Ligero Especial Torpedo. 6x56. Medium brown wrap. Excellent construction with straight lines and smoothed veins. Medium draw pre-light. Slightly harder draw post-light during the first third, a medium draw from there. Cut well. Lighting took a few minutes of roasting. First half taste is roasty herbal leaf, earthy spice, leather. Second half is hard wood, ground coffee notes, earthy herbal in the exhale, background spice. Burn was uneven during the first third, but was easily corrected. Ash was clean, light gray with mild marbling. Ash held over two inches with ease. Medium-full body. Aroma was mild tobacco with faint cocoa powder.

This is an excellent cigar. The tobacco blend offers a small variety of tastes, including mild and medium leaf, coffee, herbal, and hints of spice. The build quality is superb and the execution was excellent, save for the brief uneven burn.

I've long been a fan of the entirety of Oliva's lineup, starting long ago with their value line Flor de Oliva, and though my palate has grown over the past 20 years I still consider Oliva smokes a treat. Their 'Serie V' cigars are considered among their top shelf offerings, and it's clear as to why. Most of you cigar aficionados have surely had this classic stick, but I still urge you to go out and enjoy one nonetheless. Highly recommended.

From the company:

"Serie V is a complex blend of Nicaraguan long filler tobaccos. Blended with specially fermented Jalapa Valley ligero, and finished with a high priming Habano Sun Grown Wrapper. This cigar is blended to deliver full body taste while maintaining an unparalleled smoothness. This flavorful blend exhibits complex tobacco with rich coffee and dark chocolate tones."

[source: olivascigar.com]

The burn was slightly uneven in the first third but was easily corrected.

Over two inches of ash clung easily as I approached the band.