Summary
Characteristics
Origin: Nicaragua;
Smoking time: around 95 minutes;
Packaging: single, pack of five, box of ten;
Price: $15.54 per stick, $77.70 per pack, $155.40 per box.
Wrapper: Mexican, San Andres;
Blinder: Nicaraguan, Jalapa Valley;
Filler: Nicaraguan, Jalapa Valley;
Size: 7×50;
Vitola: Churchill;
Wrapper Color: Maduro;
Construction: Even, No soft spots;
Handmade: Yes.
Strength: Medium;
Body: Medium-Full;
Aroma: Nutmeg, Cocoa, Cinnamon;
Initial taste: Sweet cedar and Cinnamon;
First third: Rosewood, Molasses, Black pepper;
Second third: Nuts, Bay leaf, toast;
Final third: Herbs, Coffee, Wood, Peppe.
Smoking Hub Rating: 4.4;
Awards and Ranking: Cigar Aficionado’s 2021 No. 7 “Cigar of the Year” with a 93-point rating.
Draw: Ideal, Beautiful amount of resistance;
Burn: Cool, Consistent;
Smoke: Rich, Oily;
Ash: Silver, Steel-grey.
The profile of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Churchill is surprisingly light for a cigar with a Maduro wrapper.
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Origin, Blend, and Vitolas
Oliva released the Melanio Maduro in 2013, a year after the original Melanio. Cigar Aficionado’s 2021 No. 7 “Cigar of the Year” with a 93-point rating. The cigars were created to honor the patriarch of the Oliva family, Melanio Oliva.
Melanio Maduro is a blend of Nicaraguan Habano from the Jalapa region of Nicaragua and a Mexican Maduro wrapper from the San Andres Valley. This example of a top cigar is produced at Tabacalera Oliva de Nicaragua S.A.
This blend is available in Churchill, Double Toro, Figurado/Perfecto, Torpedo, Toro, Robusto, and Petit Corona vitolas.
For this review of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro, we smoked the Churchill vitola, 7×50.
Packaging
The Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Churchill cigars are available in a beautiful wooden 10-cigar box with cedar lining, a pack of 5 cigars, and as a single stick.
Appearance
The Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro lacks the oily sheen of the original Melanio. The San Andreas wrapper has almost no visible veins. The appearance of the cigar is reminiscent of chocolate covered with cocoa powder.
The cigar features two golden bands. One indicates that it is the Oliva Serie V and the other is for the Melanio Maduro.
Pre-Light Draw, Aroma, Taste
There is a slight resistance on the draw.
The aroma before lighting the cigar is a fine balance of nutmeg, cocoa, and cinnamon. The taste is sweet cedar and cinnamon.
First Third
The first puffs are full of black and red pepper on the retrohale with some oak. There is oak on the palate as well. After a while, you also get walnut on the retrohale and some caramel on the palate. Adelina gets some notes of molasses and rosewood.
Second Third
In the second third, the body becomes even stronger. The smoke is creamy and the palate is dominated by walnut and caramel notes. Walnut on the retrohale as well. The most experienced aficionado among us, Oliver, perceives notes of bay leaf and toast.
Final Third
The last third of Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro sparks a discussion in our team. Our Milan does not like it at all. In his opinion, there is only charred wood and pepper, both on the palate and on the retrohale. He thinks the Churchill vitola is not so good for this tobacco blend. And the rest of the team insists on herbs, coffee, and wood for flavor and herbs and pepper on the retrohale.
Ash
When the cigar burns, it produces steel-gray ash. It is compact and holds on quite well with a strong ash bone.
Burn
The burn line and angle of the cigar are straight. Throughout the smoking session, the temperature of the cigar remains cool.
Smoke
This cigar puts out a perfect amount of smoke. The smoke is rich and oily.
What Drink and Food Pairs Well with the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
Drink
The cigar would pair well with cognac with amber notes and a spicy finish. A dark aged or fragrant profile rum would complement the flavor profile of the cigar wonderfully.
Espresso is a good companion for this cigar.
Food
You could try to accompany the cigar with some fine dark chocolate with spicy flavor notes.
Cigar Smoked for This Review and Tasting Methodology
For this review, we smoked six cigars of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro, 7×50 cigars. Each of us smoked one cigar per day. We accompany the cigars we review with water to keep our palates clean and not affect the flavors of the cigar.
Final Verdict
The Oliva Serie V Melanio Churchill is a cigar of perfect construction. Its profile is surprisingly light for a cigar with a Maduro wrapper.
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