Oliva Serie V Double Toro

1. August 7th, 2021: This is my third box of Serie V; the other two being Figurado and Churchill Extra. I like them. They are full bodied, complex in flavour with rich aroma. The Double Toro is a powerhouse: meaty, full-everything cigar.

Construction: 6X60, Nicaraguan cigar with a dark brown (colorado maduro) sun grown wrapper from Ecuador and "specially fermented Jalapa Valley ligero" from Nicaragua. The first cigar from the box was heavy in the hand and felt very solidly constructed.

Draw: Quite tight for most of the cigar, sometimes requiring two or three puffs to drag out a decent volume of smoke. It opened up towards the end.

Burn: Even enough

Flavour: A very rich, peppery, ligero flavour from the start to finish. Flavour was mostly smooth and complex. The occasional hint of bitterness only demonstrated how well aged and fermented this cigar was. 

Complexity: Excellent complexity in both flavour and aroma. 

Body: Full body throughout.

Strength: Strength built towards the middle of the cigar after which I broke into a sweat. (It's around 30 degrees Celsius here (Thailand), so the ambient temperature is a good strength indicator.) The cigar was strong, but not so strong as to feel dizzy or uncomfortable. After two hours I had had enough and didn't smoke to the nub.

After two hours I could take no more. 

Finish: Good, long finish.

Aroma: Very rich and complex aroma.

Ash: Dense and held on for half an hour.

Balance and Consistency: Quite well balanced flavour and strength - perhaps with a bit too much strength and draw a bit tight during the first half.

Time smoke: Two hours. I could have smoked it a little further but I was quite satisfied after two hours.

Overall: If you want a two-hour powerhouse, this is the cigar. The only quibbles were with construction/draw and strength.  I would have happily sacrificed twenty minutes of smoking time for an easier draw. Strength was also a bit on the heavy side, much like the final third of the Churchill Extra. But overall, it was a meaty, delicious, cigar. Very satisfying.

An excellent full bodied cigar, if you have two hours to burn.

2. September 11th, 2021: In a blind test, this cigar could easily have been mistaken for an upmarket Cuban, so rich, balanced and refined were the aroma and flavour. I smoked it to the nub. 

The flavour was rich, mellow and intense, with a wide spectrum of sweetness, mild pepper and the pervasive Jalapa coffee-choco flavour. It was not heavy or dark roasted. There was nothing burnt. There was no dirty aftertaste. It was a very smooth, clean, full bodied, medium strength profile until around the last third when a trace of vegetal bitterness crept in. 

Burn was a bit wavy. A single retouch at the halfway point corrected that. Draw was a bit tight during the first third, but by the second half, the cigar produced volumes. Strength wavered between medium and strong, but never overwhelming, as was the first cigar from the box.

This was an excellent cigar in every way. 95 minutes. Very satisfying.

At the half hour point.

November 6th, 2021: This cigar was a disappointment. Flavour was sour, aftertaste was tarry but aroma was deep and rich. The cigar tasted unripened, vegetal and lacking in complexity. The sourness resembled that of the Joya Red, but with far more body. Occasional whiffs of refinement and complexity emerged from time to time, but overall, flavour lacked complexity. 

Strength was on the high side. It wasn't overpowering, but I suffered that night with copious vivid dreams. In that respect the cigar resembled the AJ Fernandez San Lotano Oval Gordo, the early samples of which were overpowering, whereas the later few, after ageing, were much more mellow and not at all strong. 

I'll leave these cigars for a few months. I put some in one of my humidors without cellophane. With luck they will age faster. 110 minutes. Not satisfying. 

December 25th, 2021:  Beautiful oily wrapper. Extremely rich and intense aroma. Balanced, complex flavour with full body for the first two thirds but tending towards the bitter. Bitter final third. 100 minutes.

This cigar began with a strong pepper blast which lasted a good ten minutes. It then settled down but the flavour remained spicy, intense and complex throughout the first two thirds, albeit a bit bitter from time to time. The final third became bitter and I abandoned more than an inch. Finish was long but in the last third aftertaste was bitter and dirty. 

Draw was difficult. At the end of the first third smoke output was minimal. By the second half, draw improved, but still required several puffs to get a decent output. Burn was regular throughout.

Strength came and went but was not overwhelming.

The aroma was amazingly rich and intense. 

Overall, quite satisfying. This cigar has the profile of a strong, complex Cuban flavour with rich aroma being a prominent feature. The final third was a disappointment being bitter and tasteless. But 100 minutes is a fair burn time. 

At the one hour mark

Comparison of this Serie V with Serie O of two days ago: I just smoked my first Serie O a few days ago. Here are some thoughts on the V of December 25th, above. versus the O of December 23rd.

Similarities: 

• Both were full bodied but O was milder in the middle section. V was intense throughout.
• Both left a somewhat tarry residue the next day.

Differences: 

• O has a matt wrapper. V is much more oily.
• O had a much more subtle aroma. V's aroma was rich, dominating and intense.
• O became a strength bomb. V was strong throughout but the strength never overwhelmed.
• O's flavour was more refined. Flavour never dissipated. It wasn't very spicy after the first inch. V was spicy, rich and intense through the first two thirds but then became tasteless and bitter. 
• Draw was difficult on the V to the point of being almost plugged at the end of the first third. O was an easy draw throughout. 

Of course this is only the comparison of one sample with one sample. I'll keep an eye on this comparison in future. See if I can make a more substantial comment. 

March 19th, 2022: This cigar was heavy in the hand and heavy in every other respect. The wrapper was very oily. Draw was a bit resistant at times. Burn was a bit irregular. Flavour was deep, rich and intense, like a Cuban. Aroma, too, was deep and intense. The first and last thirds were quite balanced: there was no harshness or bitterness. The middle section verged on bitterness, but not excessively. The cigar seems to have mellowed nicely. Overall, this was a very powerful and intense cigar. Satisfying. 100 minutes.

Strength did not appear to be a problem until a couple of hours after falling asleep. I was plagued with nightmares of being scratched by cats. (We have a new puppy whose teeth are razor sharp.) I woke up and drank some water. Then came an anxious dream. I was trying to withdraw money from an ATM, but in order to get the money, I had to answer numerous bizarre security questions by phone to an interrogator with a French accent.  

August 6th 2022: Not so heavy in the hand, very easy draw. This cigar was a treat. It was full bodied, tasty and mellow throughout, except for the last inch and a half, which became a bit bland. However the cigar lasted a good 120 minutes, which is quite enough, so I was ready to let it go. Overall, well balanced, no bitterness, no dirty aftertaste (next day quite clean), no anxious dreams. Very satisfying.

A treat! Well balanced, full bodied

February 21st, 2023: Heavy in the hand. Started out cool and smooth, but draw was resistant and flavour became bitter and vegetal in the second half. I left with around two inches remaining, so basically, the final third. It was good for the first half, but very heavy, tarry and difficult to draw in the second half. 90 minutes. Not satisfying.

March 9th, 2024: Heavy in the hand and difficult to draw. Flavour was smooth and mild to medium in the first half and built up a bit in the final third to medium plus, but soon became hot. 90 minutes. Pleasant, but not satisfying.