Oliva Serie V Churchill cigar review

11/19/2022

 

This is like the flagship cigar for Oliva.  You should know all about its high rating, blah blah blah.  I know it's good and that's why I picked it to smoke on my Saturday night.  Oliva has been recently one of my favorite brands.  Everything they make is great.  

It's about a $10 smoke, but I think I got a few of these through some sampler deals about a year ago.  I like to age the good cigars for a long time before I smoke them to make sure I'm getting an optimized cigar.  

This one has a Nicaraguan puro with sun grown wrapper and Jalapa Valley Ligero fillers.  Sounds good to me.  

Starts off mild to medium with some creamy earthy notes.  Very smooth Nicaraguan flavors for sure.  Graham cracker taste with a tad spiceness.  

Not too cold tonight, maybe 42 with little wind.  Chopped some more year old wood, so it is dry and aged for my fire. 

 

Had a decent one inch ash that dropped revealing a slight cone.  It's burning good.  No touch up needed.  I've read a cone means you're smoking too fast. Huh? Some say most of the flavor is in the wrapper, which I stronger disagree, but if the wrapper and binder is burning faster than the filler, wouldn't you taste the wrapper and binder more than the filler? 

I think I smoke faster than most and most great cigars to me all made some type of cone if you tap the ash.  I'm not a roller, but from my experience, the cone shows it is rolled just right.  Sure, you can slow down and the cone will go away and some of the great flavors go away too.  That has beeny experience.  Cigars that won't make a cone usually were not aged enough or too humid in a over humidifier humidor.  But whatever, smoke what you like.  I've seen the internet saying I shouldn't smoke past the half way point, to be polite...yeah.  

30 minutes in and I got a third in.  More medium now with more graham cracker taste.  A little dry, but leaves a sweet taste on my palate.  Developing more earthy oak flavors with some toasted caramel.  Pretty damn good so far.  

Seems this one really focuses on the charred oak graham cracker taste, as it really gets bold now.  The dryness subsides and the sweetness of the smores tastes overpowers minus the dark chocolate.  

As a side note, do you like added colors to your fire? I added a packet of fire colors or magnesium or whatever chemicals to my fire pit.  

Yeah, the blue flames are cool, but I think the cigar is more interesting.  Not the most complex cigar, but it has been pretty satisfying so far.  It's Saturday night.  George Dickel Rye whiskey with Phish and Jerry Garcia Band is keeping me entertained. 

An hour in and I'm fully enjoying it and got Tidal Phish essentials collection jamming on my outdoor speakers.  No bad flavors and I'm getting to feel relaxation. This cigar does what it was made for, delivering full flavors and has been smooth, creamy  and leaving good flavors on my palate.  $10, maybe....there might be better ones out there, but not many.  I'm not complaining.  I'm over an hour now, so I'm very satisfied.  

Still gaining strength.  Flavors are same, but more of it.  More charred oak and burnt caramel.  It's a great weekend evening smoke.  No bad aftertaste, just full flavors.  

I think the milder Oliva smokes overall taste better, but not for an hour and a half that this one's been burning.  It's why this is the flagship, can do it for 50% longer.  Am I fully feeling it, um, yes.  It's all about the overall experience.   It's full bodied now and great.  Didn't it say something about ligero?Yep.  It's doing what it supposed to.  

I'm finishing my Saturday night with a great cigar.  Cold as hell now, but I don't care.  Fire is burning out but the cigar is still smooth and powerful.  Phish's Stash "maybe so, maybe not" is jamming while I finish my night.  I know I'm getting my dollars worth.  Maybe it is a damn fine cigar.  

Yeah, maybe it is worth the $10.  

Overall: 92

Flavor 91, complexity 90, burn 93, experience 94, value 92.