Oliva V Melanio - One of the Best I have Ever Smoked!

Wow!

Ok, enough said. Thanks for reading... Of course I am only kidding. Though, then again, if all my posts were

this short, I might have a lot more hits!

This is a beautiful cigar. The wrapper of the Oliva Series V Melanio is a gorgeous leathery brown. It is veined, but not heavily and it is smooth to the touch with an subtle earthy smell. I mean, look at this thing! it is a perfect example of a box pressed jewel! Every aspect of its construction seems to me to be flawless. Even with my crappy camera phone, my mouth drools while just looking at this cigar. (Pavlov has nothing on me!)

If you have been smoking cigars for any amount of time you will know that Oliva makes some of the best cigars out there, but this one has is by far the best that I have tried from this icon of Cigar history. I don't personally take a lot of stock of Cigar Ratings... I like to smoke what I like to smoke... and I have personally smoked several 94 rated cigars that i thought were dirt! So if you take anything away from this post, a gating might be a good guide, and may entice you to pick up a stick that you otherwise wouldn't try, you don't have to like it just because it had a 90+ rating!

After cutting the cap the pre-light draw is amazing. for a full strength cigar the taste is subtle, and mild. Flavors like leather, earth and wood come through but in amounts that make you just want to torch the foot of this bad boy and dive right in! Even with only clipping the slightest amount of the cap, the draw was still smooth, easy, not too tight at all. With a bit of toasting, the flavors warmed and intensified even sweetening a bit. Mmmmm... Heaven in a stick!

It should be noted that this is not an everyday smoke unless you are fairly well-to-do and light your cigars with flaming 100 dollar bills (if you are, I highly recommend that you give me the hundreds, and I will personally hand craft you some fine cedar punks to light your cigars instead). These run about $13 bucks a stick at my Local Cigar Store and you can get them for about 10 a stick online (in box quantities). But if you are looking for a treat be sure to pick one up!

upon lighting you will be surprised by how smooth this cigar is, but not because it is a mild blend, but because the blending has been done so expertly, the tobaccos selected so carefully and the construction has been done with such care. The taste of leather, wood and earth intensify followed by just a hint of spice. It is very well balanced, perfectly smooth with power on the palate.

The version I am smoking today is the box pressed churchill, so there is a lot to enjoy! 7 inches of smoking bliss. I love a box pressed cigar... There is something comforting about the feel and texture. If feels good in my hands and better on my lips.

The first quarter smoked exceptionally smooth but you cannot mistake the full strength of the of the tobacco that underlies the mild taste. I personally feel the pepper intensifies a bit the farther down you smoke it, but never to a point that it becomes overpowering. It remains a subtle aftertaste, and a nice finish to each draw. I also feel as though the leather subsided to more of a wood and natural tobacco flavor. It is quite pleasant, even if you don't prefer a full flavored cigar you will enjoy this smoke. I may leave  you with your head spinning a bit, you will enjoy the flavor from beginning to end.

By the end of the first half the flavors have mellowed even more as well as melded together to surprise the palate with a cornucopia of enjoyable flavors. I am not sure if mellowed is the right word, because the flavor is bold yet smooth, strong yet subtle, complex and simple... I really cannot find the words to describe it. TRY IT. I really have to get my hands on a Maduro version of this cigar!

As you work this stick slowly to the nub, it never gets harsh or bitter. This is a real plus for me. I hate smoking a cigar and end up getting down to the last quarter and that great smoke suddenly overwhelms you with bitter tastes of concentrated oils and harsh smells of burning wood.

Final word on this cigar: Two thumbs up! give it a try.