Oliva Serie V Liga Especial Churchill Extra

1. June 16th, 2021

This is a bold, rich, full bodied cigar with excellent aroma and long finish. Despite its size - 7 by 52 - it lasted only 95 minutes, showing that size doesn't always correlate with duration. 

Construction: Colorado Maduro, Ecuadorean sungrown wrapper, binder and filler Nicaraguan, with ligero from the Jalapa Valley. 

Draw: A little resistance throughout, requiring one or two puffs to draw a decent plume.

Burn: Mostly even, but requiring a touch-up.

Flavour: Strong Nicaraguan Puro flavour; started smooth and creamy with a hint (or 'tingle' as one reviewer described it) of pepper, building to a larger dose of spice towards the end. The first half produced a remarkably cool smoke, no doubt due to the length. This was most enjoyable. 

Here's a great quote from a Neptunecigar.com customer:

I can't taste tar, leather, heather or dirt in a cigar. My criteria are: my exclusive taste criterion, burn evenly, easy draw, size (Churchill), cool smoke, clean finish. That's all. I will leave the tar/dirt crew to their charge.

Tar and dirt are something I've become more aware of. I have to agree. This cigar was strong in flavour, but only towards the end did it become a bit tarry/dirty, and that might be due to the fact that it was a tad too moist - I noticed a bead of moisture running down the vein of the wrapper in the final third, suggesting too much moisture (or the bead of moisture could be due to the ambient humidity), no doubt due to transit and my haste in dipping into the newly arrived box. 

Body: Full body throughout.

Strength: Medium to full by the second half, but nothing head spinning or sweat-inducing. 

Finish: Excellent long, slightly sweet finish.

Aroma: Excellent, rich, complex aroma. Most enjoyable to let the cigar sit and savour the flowing aroma.

Ash: Quite light, lasting only an inch before falling.

Balance and Consistency: A good balance and consistently tasty, except for the final two inches, which were a little rough and tarry.

Time smoke: 95 minutes. I was expecting two hours. The cigar was strong enough to leave unattended for a minute or two between puffs. But it barely passed the hour and a half mark. 

Overall: Quite satisfying. Looking forward to smoking another one with a slightly dryer head.

2. August 18th, 2021: Balanced during the first half. Dominated by strength in the second half. This cigar started out smooth, cool and delicious during the first half. Humidity level of the cigar was just about right as it was firm to touch but still had a little give. Flavour was rich, delicious and complex and finish was clean during the first half. Aroma was very good throughout. Draw was a bit resistant, but not too much. Burn was fine throughout. No touch-up needed. 

During the second half the profile became unbalanced. Strength increased throughout the second half, never to the point of overwhelming, but more than optimal and pepper ramped up to a high level, with finish becoming long and dirty. I gave up at around 90 minutes. It was reasonably satisfying. I imagine that these cigars will smooth out over the years, if I can keep them that long.

3. October 2nd, 2021. A dud. Draw was resistant from the start. It soon became apparent that the cigar was plugged. The first, ashing, after an inch, revealed a glowing pointed ember, the telltale sign of a plug. The next ash split. Flavour was bitter, raw and vegetal, with occasional whiffs of strong rich aroma. It was as though the tightly rolled cigar precluded fermentation after rolling, resulting in an unripened cigar. 

Around the second half, draw opened up and for a brief few minutes, the cigar revealed its potential: smooth, rich and complex with a delicious aroma. But by the start of the final third, the flavour dissipated and draw became difficult again. 

The cigar was strong, body was full, but flavour was not satisfying. I couldn't put the cigar down for long between puffs as there was no after taste to savour. Compare the Rocky Patel Sun Grown Maduro Petite Belicoso that I had earlier that week. It was so delectable that one or two easy puffs would be satisfying enough to let the cigar rest for long intervals. If I had more discipline, I would have abandoned the cigar after the first hour. Alas, there was always that hope that it would come back to life again. 

Verdict: Not satisfying. 80 minutes not to the nub. Oh well, such things happen with hand crafted, mass produced merchandise. One must expect this from time to time. Oliva's reputation has otherwise been very good. (A subsequent Serie V Figurado, a week or two later, was very satisfying.) 

4. December 1st, 2021. After a disappointment, it's difficult to return to a cigar. But after two months, I felt it was now or never. I was not disappointed. The fourth cigar from the box was quite delicious. 

The first half was smooth and mellow, with a dark roast and a medium body. The Churchill vitola enabled a very cool smoke. The second half was peppery and full bodied. Aroma was excellent: deep and rich.

Strength was not noticeable during the first half. It crept up during the second half, but I only noticed it when I stood up, after 100 minutes, and found my legs quite wobbly. 

Draw was a little resistant, but not too much. Burn was fine. No touch up required. Finish was medium to long and there was a little tarry dirt in the after taste, but nothing that lingered until the next day. 

After one hour - perfect burn.

Overall, this was a satisfying smoke that lasted 100 minutes.  The balance between smoothness of the draw and the slightly dirty, tarry aftertaste was satisfying. The transition to a peppery second half was also enjoyable. 

Good to the nub.

5. February 28th, 2022: The cigar was firm to touch, not too moist, not too dry. It was full bodied throughout. Flavour was smooth during the first half but became tarry with a dirty aftertaste in the second half. The cigar was quite strong throughout but not overwhelming. Aroma was fantastic; en par with any rich Cuban aroma. Draw was a bit resistant but not intolerably. Burn was a bit wonky, requiring a couple of touch ups. 100 minutes. Quite satisfying.

6. June 27th, 2022: Another dud, repeating that of October 2nd, 2021 (no. 3, above). Mostly bitterness and burnt toast. The first half was too resistant for easy puffing, albeit cool and smooth. As the cigar opened up, in the second half, there was a moment when flavour brightened up, but dullness resumed. Aroma was good but intermittent. Aftertaste was bitter. 

I left the cigar with more than two inches or just after beginning the first third. It had become tedious and not at all delicious. 90 minutes. Not satisfying.