Oliva Serie V Maduro 2009 Cigar Review

Posted in Cigar Reviews, Oliva | 2 comments

This week, we have another guest review from our friend Morgen Selmer. Morgan is going to be doing some reviews for the site, so I hope you enjoy his writing. He is reviewing the 2009 Oliva V Maduro, which is a fairly limited production cigar from Oliva. Enjoy the review!

What can I say about the Oliva brand? These guys have been flying under the radar for years, consistently putting out a quality product that, for some reason, seems to escape a lot of people’s notice. Things changed a bit a year-and-a-half ago with the introduction of the Nub, but for the most part, the rest of their lines still seem underappreciated.

Enter the Serie V Maduro. This cigar was introduced in 2008 as a limited edition torpedo and it was very good. The 2009 version, however, is amazing. If anything, it’s even more limited than last year’s run so, if you can find a box of these anywhere, scoop ‘em up and put ‘em away. Oliva’s Serie V is an outstanding, full-bodied smoke to begin with; throw on a rich maduro wrapper, though, and you’ve got a game changer.

Right out of the box, these cigars have a rich, earthy aroma and a beautiful sheen. I smoked mine for a good hour-and-a-half to two hours and enjoyed every minute of it. It starts out full bodied without a hint of harshness. Though not terribly complex – it maintains the qualities of the initial draw throughout the length of the stick – it is rich without being overpowering. It smoked cool for the duration; when I can smoke a strong cigar that burns my fingertips before it burns my tongue, I know I’ve got a winner on my hands.

I paired my Oliva Serie V Maduro Torpedo with a bottle of Smuttynose Old Brown Dog. For those of you unfamiliar with this exceptional New Hampshire microbrew, it is similar to a Newcastle, though not quite as sweet. The slightly sweet richness of the beer was the perfect compliment to the rich earthy notes in the cigar.

Like I said, if you can find these, squirrel a couple away until you can find a couple hours to sit down and enjoy one with all the appreciation it deserves.