Initial Thoughts

This year was a big year for the Oliva V Melanio it seems like everywhere you turned people were reviewing it and talking about. It took me a while to finally get on the bandwagon and get out there and find one of these sticks. Personally, I’m a big fan of the regular V series. I haven’t reviewed one on here yet, but I do love them. It’s definitely my favorite out of the Oliva line. I love the spice that it offers up. A nice big powerful stick is always easy to smoke. So needless to say I was excited to try out this new Melanio once I heard about it.

This latest addition to the Oliva Serie V line is named after the company’s patriarch Melanio Oliva. According to the little insert that I snagged from the box at my local B&M it says that Melanio began growing tobacco in Pinar Del Rio in 1886. Later his grandson Gilberto re-established the business in Nicaragua. The long filler tobacco used in this cigar is primarily ligero which is “known for their robust and rich flavors”. So that’s the back story on the Oliva V Melanio,  a nice homage to an important man to the Oliva brand name! Let’s get into the review and see what has so many people drawn into this stick.

Looks

This Oliva V Melanio comes in 5 different vitolas. The one I picked up is the torpedo. I tried to find the Figurado, but no one seemed to have it. It comes in a beautiful 10 count box. That is custom cut for each of these cigars. The top part of the box has sections cut to form V’s so that the head of the of the torpedo can lay there without being smashed. They look similar to teeth cut out of a saw blade. I love the packaging on this cigar. It’s gorgeous you can tell the people at Oliva put a lot of time and effort into this release.

The actual cigar is lovely as well. A nice milk chocolate wrapper that is box pressed with slightly rounded edges so that it lays down nice and even on the ash tray while you smoke. The head comes to a perfectly tapered point, and the wrapper is absolutely flawless. You can really notice the box press of the cigar while looking at the foot. It’s a almost an oval looking shape similar to the San Lotano.

This Oliva V Melanio also had dual bands which is fairly common for a special edition or limited release product. It has to have something to set it apart from the original blend so that people know which one they are picking up. It has the traditional Oliva Serie V band, but right below it there is a smaller band that says “Melanio”. Even though the band is smaller, word really pops out at you and it’s easy to see. This was one the reasons that drew me in to pick it up. Well that and the fact that everyone raved about the cigar.

Function

Let’s talk about how this cigar feels! It has some very interesting feelings, somedays it’s a manic depressive the other days it’s like walking on sunshine… I crack myself up sometimes! I’ve always been a fan of the box press cigar. I just love it feels when you hold it in your hand and it sits better in your mouth if you ask me. This Oliva V Melanio has a nice amount of firmness to it. It’s not overly stiff, and there is a good amount of sponginess to it. Unlike a cigar I had the other day that was so packed full of tobacco I couldn’t even draw on it! The construction on this stick is absolutely flawless, and I’ve come to expect nothing but that from the Oliva brand. They are on of the most consistent brands out there in regards to construction of all of their cigars.

Smoking

So it looks good and it feels good, well it smokes pretty damn good too! As I said above the construction this Oliva V Melanio  is absolutely flawless which leads to an incredible smoking experience. I had a little trouble getting it lit, but it was more of my fault because my lighter ran out of fuel and I was trying to light it on fumes. So when that didn’t work I reached for the matches and then this thing took off.

The burn line was just perfect. The first ash held on for easily an inch and a half. I love the tight burn curls on the ash on this stick. The ash was very solid and stayed in tact once I knocked it off. Not flaky what so ever. To me that’s always a sign of a great stick. I hate to see a cigar a flaky ash that just crumbles when it falls off.

The second third burned just as well as the first. There was a ton of smoke that rolled off this cigar. It was a nice creamy smoke that filled the room. The ash on the second third didn’t look as tight as the first third, but it still held of for over an inch. Never had an issue with the draw whatsoever and the entire smoking experience was easy and beyond enjoyable, if that’s even possible!

Flavor

Mmm, flavor. So there is a lot going on with this cigar. If you’ve ever had the original Serie V you’ll probably remember a lot of spice that comes off it. So when I was smoking this I was assuming that there would be a lot of spice. The fact that it was made primarily of ligero also had me thinking this would be the case. Well I wasn’t let down. The first third gave off quite a bit of spice on the palate. I noticed a good dose of spice on my lips as well. However the complexity of this stick really hit on the retrohale. I picked up tons of floral notes that added to the complexity of this cigar and made it nice and rich.

The second third of this Oliva V Melanio began changing some. The spice is still the backbone of the cigar, but it’s not as intense. There was a good dose of nuttiness that began to come out which is always a welcome change to me. The floral notes continued to be dominant on the retrohale. They weren’t as perfurmal as the notes from the Draig K, which is where I hold my standard for perfumal notes. But they were still very strong.

The final third was a nice fade out for the entire cigar. The spice mellowed, the floral notes mellowed everything just slowly faded away like the smoke into the wind. Overall this cigar was very full bodied in terms of flavor. It was incredibly complex and I’m sure there are even more notes to be discovered out there from what I picked up. The strength of the tobacco was definitely medium-full which is nice. I don’t know if I could handle a full bodied cigar with that amount of spice. Well I’m sure if I ate a 32oz porterhouse before then it wouldn’t be a problem. With all that said, I believe this Oliva V Melanio is one of the top 10 cigars of 2012! Easily a 10/1o for me. If you’ve been on the fence about it then I think you need to go get one immediately!

Would I Buy It Again?

Without a doubt!

Is It an Every Day Smoke?

Maybe in the petite corona or robusto size. I think the price point is a little too high to smoke them everyday.

Would I Buy a Box?

Without a doubt. I’m looking for a nice box of the figurados. I think they’ll age really well and I would to smoke them on nice occasions.

Conclusion

A 10/10 for sure this cigar blew me away. I love the complexity and balance of this cigar. The burn and draw were flawless which made this cigar a delight to smoke. I don’t know if there is anything else I can say about this Oliva V Melanio that I haven’t said already!