Initial Thoughts:
At this point, the Oliva cigar brand and the Serie V Melanios are pretty familiar to me. I've had several, and I reviewed the Oliva Serie V Melanio NATURAL Robusto, as well as the natural Melanio Churchill. However, until this review, I'd never had a Melanio with a maduro wrapper. So, when I saw I could get a 5-pack of Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Robustos on Cigar Monster for super-cheap, I jumped on it.
The Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Robusto is a great looking cigar. But, visually, it's almost identical to the Melanios with the natural leaf, just a shade darker. That said, that's where the similarities end.
While this cigar did seem to have an imperfect wrapper leaf (as shown in the video), the draw was perfect and the aroma of the smoke gave a wonderful first impression. If the Melanio Maduro tastes as good as it smells, I'm in for a treat.
The initial flavors were rich and complex, a little spicey, a little sweet, and fairly bold.
CigarScore:
Brand: Oliva
Line: Serie V Melanio Maduro
Size: 5 x 52
Cut: Punch
Light: Torch
Price: $10.60
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaraguan Habano
Smoke Time: 68 minutes
Through the middle of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Robusto, I experience an even burn and hints of semi-sweet chocolate flavor, perhaps like a dry chocolate cake.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, the construction of this cigar was top notch. While the burn wasn't razor-sharp, it was pretty dang straight. The draw was perfect, although it did get a smidge tighter in the middle of the cigar.
The flavors of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Robusto are complex with both sweetness from (I suspect) the San Andres Maduro wrapper as well as spiciness from all of the Habano leaves of the filler and binder. However, I could occasionally taste hints of ammonia which means these cigars still need to age before they're totally ready to enjoy.
And it's because I don't think these cigars are quite ready and that they need to age in a humidor for a while longer, the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Robusto earns a CigarScore 4.
3 Comments
Ben Tuller
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro (Figurado): I finally enjoyed this beauty last night. I’ve been aging it for a while.
It’s not necessarily my new go-to, but it was one of the best and most interesting smokes I’ve ever had. It was perfectly constructed — burned evenly for over an hour and a half with the ash almost solid the entire time — and the flavors kept changing. Pepper, espresso, chocolate, spice, and then suddenly, inexplicably, two thirds of the way through, there was a sweet floral note… I recognized it, but I couldn’t place it… so I kept smoking, but it was gone…
And then, when I least expected it, the fragrance returned, and I racked my brain wondering what it was… and when the cigar was almost done, I realized it was the scent of the love letters sprayed with perfume from Chrissy Winter in 7th grade. I sat and I remembered, and when the cigar was gone, I was happy and sad.
CigarScore
Chrissy Winter’s perfume… that’s pretty specific! Glad you enjoyed the Melanio Maduro.
xigaviet
A pretty good cigar but not a head-turner! Dark and attractive to a full-flavor fan but cracks and a couple of wrapper protruding stems, mid cigar, dampened my experience. The attractive color invites but although rather well constructed it is bland and unremarkable. I always light in total stillness and no wind but the burn took-off that had to be corrected numerous times. Maybe the ‘roller’ had a bad day. What smoke I got, mid-cigar, was bountiful but clearly lacking in impressionable flavor. Others may enjoy this stick… I really did not… it was only tolerable!