At the start of 2014, I began tracking each and every cigar I have smoked. Well, I may have missed one or two. Based on discussions I’ve seen on Twitter and questions on this site and others, I decided to compile some information that I thought you might find interesting.

Since I decided to slack it last month on the my “Monthly Recap”, I bring to you a combined recap for February and March.

Monthly Recap – February and March

Number of Cigars Smoked: 57

Of those smoked:

• Purchased: 26 or 46%
• Samples Provided: 15 or 26%
• Gifted: 9 or 16%
• Traded for: 7 or 12%

Of those purchased:

• Brick & Mortar: 18 or 69%
• Online: 8 or 31%

Top Cigars Smoked by Quantity

#1. J. Fuego – Sangre De Toro (Original) – # Smoked = 7 :The J. Fuego Sangre De Toro Original has made both of my monthly recaps for highest quantity smoked for the month(s). Back in October, I picked up a brick (12 five-packs) of these sticks during Fox Cigar Bar’s Foxtoberfest. With the excellent price and flavors, I see this remaining on the list until I burn through them all.

#2. Oliva – Serie V (Churchill Extra) – # Smoked = 4: A local casino was offering some extreme discounts on their entire inventory of cigars and I was able to grab a box of 24 for $75. Now, that is one heck of a steal. While it is not in my go to size, the stick delivers in all other aspects. You will probably see this stick on a few more recaps as well.

Most Memorable Cigars Smoked

#1. Oliva – Master Blend 3: For Valentine’s Day, my wife and I decided to change things up a bit. Instead of joining the crowds for a romantic dinner, we headed down to Kipps Cheesesteak  in downtown El Paso. This had to be one of the most memorable Valentine dinners I have had with my wife of six years. After filling up on a delicious Green Chile Philly and nacho bacon fries, we took a scroll over to our local cigar lounge a few blocks away where I lit up a Master Blend 3. The cigar was the perfect close to a wonderful evening.

#2. Oliva – Serie V Melanio: On February 26th, the non-profit I have worked with for seven years held its inaugural fundraising event that was a great success. After the event, the CEO (a BOTL) and I made our way over to La Casa Del Puro and lit up a Serie V Melanio to celebrate the evening. Even in the smaller robusto size, the Melanio delivered a ton of flavors and just the right amount of strength to put me in a nice relaxed state.

Cigars Reviewed

Nestor Miranda – Casa Miranda Chapter Two 

If you enjoy deep, dark flavors and a good amount of spice, I recommend that you give the Chapter Two a try. And for the price, you won’t be breaking the bank.

Epicurean Cigars – AG Azul Vintage 2008

The performance of the AG Azul 2008 was exceptional, allowing me to sit back and relax for almost 2 hours. The cedar and pepper made up the core of the profile but the shifts in the intensity of the spice, sweetness, and cocoa finish made this an engaging ride.

Ezra Zion Cigar Company – Honor Series FHK

This cigar was an absolute treat! The flavors were bold, balanced, and quite complex. The performance was spot on with an even burn and firm ash. What more could you want in a cigar?

La Flor Dominicana – Foxtoberfest

While I am no leaf expert, I was able to easily distinguish the different roles the leaves played in the flavor profile. The Cameroon binder showed off a wonderful sweetness, while the Connecticut Broadleaf  contrasted it with its common tartness and savory meatiness. The first and second third delivered complexity and a mostly balanced profile.

VegaFina – Sumum Edicion Especial 2010 

The first and second third just did not do it for me, but at least the final third delivered some good, balanced flavors. It just wasn’t enough to redeem the cigar…. I would like to smoke through the other vitolas to see if I get a different experience before I recommend this cigar to others.

Veritas Cigar Company – Torch Habano

To my surprise, this was a cigar I found myself enjoying. The Torch offered a spicy profile on a backdrop of cedar with a wonderful long coffee and cocoa finish.

The post Monthly Recap – February and March 2014 – Jeremy Hensley Edition appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Much like last year’s release, Oliva’s Melanio Maduro made it’s debut at the IPCPR show in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. The blend is based on the Melanio with only one tweak, they replaced the Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper with a Mexican San Andreas Maduro, much like the one used on the past year’s Serie V Maduro (you can read Jeremy’s review here).

Like the Serie V Maduro the Melanio Maduro is a limited to only 10,000 boxes and are already starting to hit shelves. The blend still carries the same Nicaraguan filler and Binder from the standard Melanio blend. The Melanio Maduro will come in boxes of 10 and will run $130 a box of $13 a cigar. The 6.5 x 52 Boxed pressed torepdo is the only format offered in the Maduro line. I got these from the beautiful people over at Bonita Smoke Shop who already have them in stock, and ready to ship! go. now.

Size: 6.5 x 52 Box-Pressed Torpedo
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium/Full
Body: Full
Price: $13
Pairing: Terrapin Dos Cocoas (Chocolate Porter 5.6% ABV)

Prelight: The Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro stats out with this beautifully dark wrapper. The standard Melanio wrapper already carried a pretty dark wrapper and you can see a considerable difference between the two. The wrapper is a dark chocolate brown with a few darker webs throughout the leaf. There are a few very low, almost seamless veins running through the body. Like the Melanio, the Melanio Maduro is box pressed and comes to a very sharp point in it’s torpedo style cap. The wrapper has some slight oils to it and interesting enough the wrapper showcases more and more tooth the closer that you get to the cap. The wrapper is also very, very tough. It feels as hard as a rock and the entire cigar is firm giving almost nothing as I squeeze it between my fingers. The Melanio Maduro carries the same band as the standard Melanio but the secondary  band is primarily gold instead of brown and states “Melanio Maduro” on it.

The wrapper on the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro has a very strong spice aroma while the foot smells like sweet chocolate and tobacco. The cap was a bit tough but after a bit it cup very clean using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw produces lots and lots of chocolate, sweetness, and spice.

First Smoke: Oliva’s Serie V Melanio Maduro starts out with a nice pepper greeting followed up by lots of spice, cinnamon, chocolate, sweet tobacco, and soft cedar. The sweetness is considerably strong right off the bat. The pepper faded quickly, which I wasn’t expecting. I remember the standard Melanio carrying much more pepper than the Maduro so I am pretty sure the wrapper had a lot to do with that. This is such a sweet, creamy, and bold smoke right from the start. The draw is perfect producing lots and lots of thick white smoke with every puff. I need to mention again how much I love this format. The draw is always perfect and the cigar fits so comfortably in your hand. The burnline is razor sharp and dead even right from the start leaving behind a beautiful white, and light gray tightly compacted ash which held on for a bit over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The flavors in this Oliva V Serie V Melanio have become much more creamy. The chocolate and sweetness are still the main factors along with a milky cream, cinnamon and spice, with a bit of nut. The retrohale is very sharp, and very spicy with lots of pepper and cedar. I found it a bit rough and didn’t retrohale this cigar very often. The burnline is stick perfectly even and razor sharp while I am feeling only a very slight nicotine kick as I close out the second third of this cigar.

Finish: The strength in the cigar began to ramp up in the final third. I really didn’t feel much until now which is strange considering the strength of the Serie V lines. With that, the cedar began to fade out while the chocolate and sweetness remained powerful with some spice, and nut in the background. This cigar is a lot more creamy than the standard Serie V, but not as bold in terms of flavor. I didn’t experience any harshness into the final inch, but there was a big drop off in flavors as the sweetness finally fizzled out. The Melanio Maduro left me with a nice little nicotine buzz. Keep in mind, I did smoke this in between a big breakfast and lunch so that may be a factor as well. The cigar took me almost 2 hours to take down to the nub and I never had to touch it up or relight it the entire time.

Overview: Yeah, it’s obvious that I was a big fan of this cigar. I was a big fan of the standard Melanio. I even coined that as my cigar of the year last year (you can see the list here) and I think the Maduro version has a very good chance of sneaking into this year’s list as well. From the construction to the flavors this cigar is top-notch. It’s a full bodied, full strength experience that won’t leave you lying on the floor. The Melanio Maduro is bold, with a complex profile that ends in creamy sweetness. You can’t ask for more than that. While some people may shy away from the price I think it is more than justified for the experience you receive. I really can’t pick a favorite over the two. The standard Melanio seemed to have a bit more punch and stronger flavors while the Maduro is a bit more balanced and carries much more sweetness than the standard. I guess it all depends on what you are in the mood for, but neither will disappoint.

To Sum it Up: Buy it. By the box. Now. Really, it’s a bit pricey but if you are willing to shell out the coin you will enjoy it. It’s complex enough for the seasoned cigar smoker and balanced enough not to overpower the novice. My only suggestion is to make sure that you can handle a bit of power. If you don’t smoke full-strength cigars then you may want to pass on this one.

Pairing: I don’t see many, if any Terrapin brews in my area. I was lucky enough to score this one in a trade with the almighty Timmy D who hooked it up nicely. Terrapin’s Dos Cocoas is a 5.6% ABV Chocolate Porter that sadly, is no longer in production. I know what some of you may be thinking, “A porter, in the summer, really?”. Well I haven’t ever tasted it before, and when I was looking in my pantry I saw it, thinking that the chocolate would pair very nicely with the Melanio Maduro. A quick text message to Tim confirmed this and we were off. The mission was a success too. The Dos Cocoas tastes like straight up chocolate milk. It’s incredibly sweet and smooth with a bit of malt mixed in making it a perfect pairing for the Melanio Maduro’s sweet, chocoately, and creamy profile. Too bad this beer isn’t available, at least at the moment cause I can think of a ton of cigars it would go nicely with.

The post Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

I have been a huge fan of Oliva cigars since I first started smoking.  Between the price point, the excellent construction and wonderful flavor profiles, you just can’t seem to go wrong with most of their lines.  The Oliva Cigar Family has been releasing a Maduro edition of their Serie V on an annual basis since 2008.  This year’s production is limited to 5,000 boxes of 10 cigars. While we haven’t reviewed all of the years, you can find the 2008 and 2010 releases below:

• Oliva Serve V Maduro Especial 2008
• Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2010

The Facts

Price: $85.00 Box of 10
Vitola: Toro
Size: 6 by 50
Wrapper: Mexican – San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Pairing: Water
Smoke Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Pre-light

The band is almost identical to the regular Serie V band except for the word “Maduro” on the side, taking place of “Liga” in the regular Serie V line. The San Andres Maduro wrapper is quite appealing being coated with tons of oil.  The deep brown wrapper is bumpy with a fine tooth and mainly small veins. However, there are two medium veins running on opposites sides of the cigar.   As I check for soft spots, I can feel the oils on my fingers. The half closest to the foot is somewhat spongy and the foot is extremely soft.

Visually examining the foot, I am able to tell that it is somewhat under filled.   The wrapper gives off a vinegar pungency with an underlying cocoa sweetness.  The foot presents chocolate, earth, and a slight spice that is tickling my nose. The triple (maybe quadruple) cap has been neatly applied and clips clean.  Unlike the foot, the head of the cigar is packed full but a beautiful draw is revealed with the least amount of resistance.

First Third

Right off the bat, a nice amount of spice hits the back of my throat.  Instantly, I can pick up similarities between the Serie V Liga and the Serie V Maduro 2012.  Pepper and spices are in the forefront of the flavor profile. About a half inch in, the pepper and spice give way to a rounded profile of earth, cocoa, and some woodsy notes.  The retrohale is sharp with tons of spice and black pepper.  The spice sting runs from the back of the throat all the way through my sinus passage. Ouch, that woke me up! The burn is just about perfect with a layered salt and pepper ash.  Additionally, the smoke volume is outstanding, with a single draw pulling a mouth full of smoke.  The flavors are full and the strength is coming in at the high end of medium. Approaching 1.5 inches of ash, it easily knocked off into the ashtray.

Middle Third

The flavors of the San Andres Maduro are really highlighted.  I think a great example of a San Andres Maduro wrapped cigar is the Ortega Serie D Maduro, which is a stick I smoke by the box.  If you are familiar with the Ortega Serie D Maduro, you will note some flavor similarities between the two sticks.  Some sweetness is beginning to pull through and darker, toasted flavors linger on the palate. Dark fruit, specifically cherry, is peeking its head out. No changes in the burn or ash.  Both are exceptional so I have nothing to add.  A bulge has formed causing a crack in the wrapper that runs about three-fourths of inch below the burn line,  which is surprising due to the smoke being so cool. So far this has had no impact on the performance of this Serie V Maduro.  The flavors are delivering full and the strength remains in the high end of medium.

Final Third

A noticeable saltiness is now in the flavor make-up and the earlier woodsy notes are now identifiable as oak. The retrohale has calmed in the spice department allowing some cedar notes through. The crack is running underneath the band and I am concerned that the band is the only thing preventing the wrapper from cracking all the way down. Removing the wrapper very carefully, my fears are calmed as the crack is only running another quarter of an inch.   The combination of spices, pepper, and cocoa reminds me of Mexican style hot chocolate, which is made with cinnamon and chili powder.  A coffee bitterness is now on the finish of the smoke.  Burn line remains razor sharp and ash is still firm. Flavors have remained full and strength remained in the sweet spot (for me) of borderline full but never made it over the hump.

Wrap-up

Well, I am a little upset at myself.  Going into the box purchase, I thought it was a good idea to find someone to split it with.  Now, having enjoyed this stick so much, I wish I hoarded the entire box. Good thing I know Tony’s work schedule, he may have a few Oliva V Maduro Especial 2012 missing from his humidor when he comes home.  While this is a limited production cigar, the price is comparable to the regular production Serie V line.  I love when I come across a stick that is so good it could be considered a “celebratory cigar” but at an everyday price point.  My words of wisdom: Get them while you can because they will not be around forever and you won’t be disappointed with your purchase.

The post Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial 2012 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

#10. Miami Cigar – Anoranzas

Year after year Miami Cigar Company is responsible for kicking out some of the best blends on the market. This year, they had their hands full with new releases. Among those releases was one that really caught my attention, the Anoranzas.  The robust flavor, smooth finish, and great construction are just a few reasons why I like this cigar. The box press format is just awesome, the price point is dead on, and I even like the incorporation of the new branding trend Miami pulled off here. Either way, this was a cigar I found myself drawn to this year and can’t wait to see what Miami Cigar has in store for 2013.

View the Anoranza review here

#9. Crowned Heads – Headley Grange

John Huber has been making waves throughout the cigar industry over the last two years with his initial release, the “Four Kicks”, and now with his second release the “Headley Grange”. Musically inspired and blended by the infamous Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, this unique blend takes flavor and smooth to a whole new level. This is a trend I saw in a lot of releases this year. You don’t need to make a powerhouse cigar to get the most bang for your buck in the flavor department. The Headley Grange is a perfect example of that. These cigars have been hitting shop’s shelves on the regular so be on the lookout.

On a side note: I was a huge fan of the Four Kicks, even more so than the Headley Grange. I have not had the LE Mule Kick as of yet, but it seems like something I would be totally into. Hopefully I can get a review up of that soon.

View the Headley Grange review here

#8. Drew Estate – Liga Privada Feral Flying Pig

On the opposite end of the spectrum from mild cigars, we have Drew Estate’s Liga Privada Feral Flying Pig. This cigar is a beast, and named properly. To me, this was Drew Estate’s sole creation that ventured the furthest from their No.9 and T52 blends. This cigar has its very own character, and a bold one at that. First of all, that size. It looks strange, but feels great. Next, the power. I am a full-bodied smoker and this cigar hit all the marks in the strength category. Next, flavor. This is where the Feral shines. It doesn’t have the bold sweetness, nor the bold cedar the T52 or 9 have. Instead, the Feral flying pig stirs the pot but adding all it’s flavors equally in a well balanced mix. These cigars are pretty limited, but I know for a fact that there are still some out there. Get your hands on them before it’s too late.

View the Feral Flying Pig review here

#7. RoMa Craft Tobac – Intemperance BA

We all know Skip. We all Know Skip loves tobacco. And now, with the success of his company RoMa Craft Tobac, we all know that Skip also knows tobacco. If last year’s debut release of the Cro-Magnon wasn’t enough, Skip came out swinging in 2012 with the release of the dual wrapper Intemperance. Out of the two (Ecuadorian Connecticut and Brazilian Arapiraca), I thought the BA was more my style. There’s nothing wrong with the EC, in fact, I smoked the heck out of them, but the BA is where it’s at. I’ve always been a huge fan of Brazilian Arapiraca, in fact, I often wonder why more blends don’t utilize this flavorful tobacco in their creations. Anyways, the BA packs a ton of flavor into an affordable, easy to find, easy to smoke cigar. While these cigars aren’t sticks you will see in every shop you visit (yet), Skip is always readily available online and can get you what you need very quickly. One other thing I love about the Intemperance is the marketing. They don’t need drawn up bands, flashy artwork, or crazy appearances to sell their cigars. Bandless, simple and clean logos, and a great product go a long way.

P.S. Expect a review of this guy in the new week or so.

#6. La Palina – Goldie Laguito No. 2

The Goldie Laguito No. 2 is probably my favorite limited release run of the year. It’s also no secret that I am a big fan of La Palina in general. This cigar stands alone on the top of their portfolio. The construction of this cigar is flawless in everyway possible. If you want to see the epitome of a perfectly constructed cigar then pick one of these babies up. Along with the superior construction the Goldie packs a punch in the flavor department leading off with tons of sweet and strong flavors while finishing smooth. This is yet another cigar that came out this year with a full-bodied experience, while still finishing mild in the strength department. The only factors keeping this stick out of the top 5 were the availability (only 1000 boxes made), and the price tag ($15 a stick). These may not be easy to find, but if you do happen to stumble across them, don’t hesitate to pick them up.

View the Goldie review here

#5. Room 101 – Daruma

MMMmmmm the Daruma. The flavors were so inspiring I go off into my happy, cigar smoking place whenever I think about the blend. Matt Booth had done it again. Last year I was all about the Namakubi release. At the time, I had no idea that Matt was about to out-do himself again by creating a blend that I could swear, was made for my own personal palate. This is a very bold cigar with just tons of spice and cedar, bundled with perfect construction, and some awesome marketing. I spoke with Matt recently and commended him on being one of the few manufacturers in the business who can back up marketing such as Room 101’s. I can’t think of another person who could pull that off. That being said, I have always applauded Matt’s creativity, and ability to not only make his brand stand out, but his blends as well.

View the Daruma review here

#4. Joya de Nicaragua – CyB

Recently, Jose Blanco joined the Joya de Nicaragua team. Ever since then the cigar community has yearned to see what this master blender could come up with using some of the highest quality tobacco on the market. Well, needless to say, Jose and his debut release the CyB didn’t disappoint. As I stated before, manufacturers have been making better, richer, more balanced mild blends and the CyB is the epitome of what a mild in strength cigar should be. Don’t let the term “Mild” fool you, the CyB is a flavor bomb producing one of the most flavorful experiences on the market today. Readily available, perfectly priced, the CyB is a home run in ever aspect.

View the CyB review here

#3. Ortega Cigar Company – Serie D Maduro

Eddie Ortega was another one of those blending masters who decided to do work elsewhere this year. Eddie formed “Ortega Cigar Company” and started out with a boom releasing a cigar that I just can’t put down, the Serie “D” Maduro. Blended at the infamous My Father factory, this Nicaraguan based cigar carries one of the most beautiful, flavorful, sweet Mexican San Andreas Maduro wrap out right now. This is a beautiful cigar at a remarkable price. Eddie spoke to me about how he is still using just as expensive, just as premium tobacco as he always had but decided to eat more of the cost to provide a richer experience for less cost to the consumer. How can you not love the guy?

View the Serie D review here

#2.  My Father Cigars/Tatuaje – La Duena

Well here we are. A cigar that I knew from the first time I smoked it would be highly ranked on my top 10 list. Janny Garcia released her first blend under the My Father name blended by none other than Pete Johnson of Tatuaje himself. The first time I smoked one was actually at the My Father factory while Pete was giving us a tour. I remember each and every inch of that cigar which is pretty impressive considering the amount of cigar we smoked that trip. After the release I have kept a full stock of these cigar at all times. Again, this cigar is priced to sell and easy to find. I am a sucker for Broadleaf and this cigar is full of it. It was hard to think that Pete and My Father could outdo the Casita Criolla they kicked out last year, but it has happened.

View the La Duena review here

#1. Oliva – Serie V Melanio

Right out of the gate this cigar blew the pants off the competition. I can’t think of a single experience that I was as impressed with in a long time other than the Serie V Melanio. This cigar has it all. Strength, Flavor, flawless construction, availability, and although it’s a bit steeper than most Oliva lines I think the blend itself justifies the price 10 times over. Ok, that may be stretching it, but this cigar really is worth the coin. Every size I smoked (each from the line) was just as good as the next. I’ve smoked through a ton of these and I have yet to get tired of them, nor find a bad one in the bunch. I’ve always been a fan of the Serie V, but I am going to find it hard to go back to them after smoking the Melanio. Expect this cigar to pop up in many other “Top” lists out there.

View the Melanio review here

And… there it is folks. Let me know what you think! Was there something I missed? Something that shouldn’t be here? I’d love to hear your top cigars this year!

The post Casas Fumando Top 10 Cigars of 2012 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff: Debuting at this year’s IPCPR show just a few days back, Oliva showcased it’s newest addition to their already vast portfolio. The Serie V Melanio. The Melanio was created to pay tribute to Melanio Oliva, who has been growing tobacco for Oliva since 1886. Here is a bit of background on Melanio taken from the Oliva site:

Melanio Oliva first grew tobacco in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba in 1886. His growing operations were suspended while he fought in Cuba’s War of Independence. After returning from war Melanio resumed his operations. In the early 1920’s Melanio’s son Hipolito Oliva took over the growing operations. Hipolito cultivated the Oliva family fields for several decades. As Cuba became over-run by communist the tobacco landscape changed. Hipolito’s son Gilberto Oliva shifted from growing to brokering tobacco. In the early 60’s the pressure became too great and Gilberto traveled from country to country in search of the distinct Cuban taste. His travels took him to Honduras, Panama, Mexico and even the Philippines. Gilberto finally found fertile ground in Nicaragua. Today Gilberto along with his family are Nicaragua’s second largest grower of Cuban-seed tobacco.

The Melanio is composed of all Nicaraguan fillers and binder. Like all of the cigars in the Serie V, the cigar contains some of the most aged tobaccos. Along with the aged tobaccos Oliva concentrated on tobacco grown in the Jalapa region of Nicaragua. The Melanio actually uses more Jalapa tobacco which adds much more flavor, but less strength. The cigar is then wrapped with Sumatra seed wrapper grown in Ecuador by Oliva. This is the first cigar made using this wrapper and the first Ecuadorian Sumatran wrapper on any cigar since the Master Blends 2. The Melanio will come in 5 sizes, all box-pressed: Robusto (5 x 52), Torpedo (6.5 x 52), Churchill (7 x 50), Pettit Corona (4.5 x 56), and a crazy figurado (6 x 52). All will come in boxes of ten and will range between $8 and $14 a stick.

Size: 5 x 52  Box Pressed
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $9.50
Pairing: Schneider & Sohn Aventinus Dopplebock

The Oliva Serie V Melanio reminds me of the Master Blends so much as far as shape, and appearance are concerned. The cigar starts off with a nice, rounded box-pressed format. I’ve said it too many times to count, but this elongated box-press has to be my favorite format. It fits perfectly in your hand, perfectly in your mouth, and always pumps out a perfect draw. The wrapper is a very dark brown with lots of medium brown, light brown, and orange inconsistencies. Again, I love when a cigar’s wrapper looks as natural as this. I’m not one for dye. The wrapper is very hard and very thick and displays only one, tiny vein all the way up to the stubby round double cap. There Melanio feels tough, and very well packed with no soft-spots. The Melanio sports the exact same brown, gold, and red “Oliva Serie V” band as the rest of the Serie V cigars only with two exceptions. The words “Gran Reserva Limitada” written around the large band, and the addition of a smaller secondary band with the words “Melanio – Gran Reserva Limitada” embossed on it.

The wrapper smells of very sweet tobacco, deep spice, and cedar while the foot gives off a very powerful, pungent tobacco and sharp pepper. The cap cut clean from the Melanio and the cold draw produces a lot of the same flavors I would expect from the Master blends. Lots of sweet tobacco and a ton of cedar. The main difference is with the sweetness I also got a whole ton of spice and black pepper. Needless to say this is going to be an interesting experience.

First Smoke: The first couple of draws on this Oliva Serie V Melanio shaped up exactly how I was expecting. The cigar opened up with lots of sharp, back pepper, strong tobacco, coffee, and chocolate flavors back by lots of sweet cedar and spice. What I wasn’t expecting is for the pepper to fade so quickly and all the remaining flavors to blend in so perfectly. Seriously, this is starting out as one seriously creamy, balanced, flavorful cigar. The draw on the Melanio is just perfect. Every little puff kicks out a massive amount of thick, white smoke. The cigar doesn’t give off much more than a tiny amount of tobacco scented stationary smoke. The burnline has only a few small waves as it exposes the cigar’s tightly compacted, white and light grey ash. The ash held on well over an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: The Oliva Serie V Melanio continues to be this creamy flavor bomb. The sharp spice from the aged tobacco has really started to take the forefront into the second third. Backing the spice is some soft cedar, a bit of a grape flavor, coffee, bitter chocolate, and sweet tobacco with just an undertone of leather. The amount of flavor in this cigar are ridiculous. The retrohale was not even close to as sharp as peppery as I thought it was going to be coating my nasal passage with a soft cedar and spice. I am feeling some slight nicotine from the Melanio already, but nothing close to the standard Serie V.

Finish: I am happy to report that both the secondary and the large band came off with ease. I really hate when bands are glued to the wrapper of the cigar, but I have never had a problem with Oliva. The strength of the Melanio really ramped up into the final third of this cigar. Along with the strength so did the body. The main flavors are now a strong coffee and tobacco with lots of cedar, sweetness, chocolate and fruit undertones. I’m really impressed with all the flavors in this cigar while the experience has stayed overall smooth and creamy. I didn’t experience and harshness at all into the final inch. All in all it took me and hour and a half to smoke this cigar and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Overview: Needless to say, this was one hell of a cigar. The Master Blends series have always been my favorite Oliva blends, and some of my favorite cigars of all time followed by the Serie V and Serie V Maduro series. You can guess how excited I was when I heard about the Melanio. I had hoped that it would be a Serie V/Master Blends love child, and that’s exactly what it was. The Melanio brings the Serie V to a whole new level with it’s full bodied, flavorful, aged tobacco wrapped up in a sweet, cedar package. This is by far one of the best cigars to come out of the Oliva factory. The blend and format are perfect, not to mention the appeal this cigar will have to cigar enthusiast based on it’s complexity and balanced flavor while it comforts the novice smoker with a full-bodied, but not too strong experience for those who want to venture into the premium market. This is box worthy for sure, and I urge any of you to pick up quite a few once they start landing in your local shops. Really, I know the price tag may be high for the normally value-priced Oliva, but it’s well worth it.

Pairing: Want to see a perfect pairing? Look no further than the Oliva V Melanio and Schneider & Sohn Aventinus. This German Wheat-based Dopplebock is produced at the Weisses Bräuhaus G. Schneider & Sohn and rings in at a whopping 8.2% ABV. As soon as I decided that this week’s review was going to be the Melanio, the only beer that I could think of for pairing was Aventinus. This isn’t your normal Dopple. Aventinus is a dark, wheat based dopple with more character than most. Instead of the thick, malty build up most dopples produce, Aventinus lets looks a ton of natural flavors such as clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cherry all wrapped around in chocolate malt and barely. Mouth watering yet? It should be. This is by far the best pairing that I have had lately.

The post Oliva Serie V Melanio Cigar Review appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.