BrandonP
Cigar King Scottsdale
Last year, Oliva debuted its first new cigar in 7 years when they introduced the Oliva Serie V Melanio. It was widely considered one of, if not the, most anticipated new cigar last year. The Melanio went on to finish on many top cigars of the years lists, including our own, and was seen as a huge success for Oliva. Fast forward to this year and Oliva introduced the Melanio maduro. Coming in just 1 size with only 10,000 boxes of 10 being produced, this release seemed to be a bit quieter than the original. Part of that may be attributed to the push back of the release; originally slated to be released around Fathers Day, the Melanio Maduro is just now hitting shelves, including our own here at Cigar King. While it hasnt been said officially, it is hard not to see this becoming something Oliva releases annually on a limited basis. They already do so with the Oliva Serie V Maduro and in a very similar fashion, with the first 3 years of that release only coming in 10 count boxes of 10,000 produced while also in a torpedo shape. Now, lets light up this beauty and see how it measures up to its predecessors lofty shoes.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro\
Size: Torpedo 6 1/2 x 52
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium-Full
Flavor: Full
Price: $13.00/stick or $116.95/box of 10
Appearance: The difference between the original Melanio and this new Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro are immediately apparent. The San Andres wrapper is much darker and more oily, strikingly different from the Sumatra wrapper found on the original Melanio. The torpedo cap comes to a sharp point, something I find common from Oliva torpedos and the box press gives the cigar a very complete and distinct look. The main band for this cigar is he standard Serie V band, with a secondary band marking the Melanio Maduro moniker. The second band is just the opposite of the original Melanio band, same layout, just opposite colors with the word maduro added under the Melanio name.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
Pre-Light Aroma: The foot of the Oliva Serie V Melanio maduro presents strong notes of rich dark chocolate, some sweet spice that causes a tingle in the nose, and a sweet fruit scent that I cant quite put my finger on. The wrapper is devoid of much scent other than a feint sweet tobacco scent. Once clipped, the dry-draw was a bit tight, but once I clipped a bit more, the draw opened right up. Flavor wise, the draw produces a distinct grape jelly like flavor on the palate with the spice coming through at the back of the throat. The lips are left with a dark tobacco taste that lingers for longer than I would typically expect.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
The Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro starts off by filling your mouth with a much earthier flavor than I expected from the pre-light festivities. The spice I picked up comes through immediately both at the back of the throat and through the nose. The earthiness covers the palate evenly and leaves a lasting flavor between puffs. Just under an inch into the smoke, the spice backs off a bit, allowing the earthiness to really take over and become the focal point. The body starts off medium and remains so through this third, never seeming to grow any stronger as you puff along. The burn line is mostly straight, only wavering a bit through the first third while the ash is solid, not wanting to fall off before the end of this third.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
The second third starts with more leather like flavors entering the fold and the spice coming back into play in a big way. There is a sweet cocoa trying to come through though it never makes it to the forefront of the flavor. The leather and earthiness simply dominates the profile, really showing what San Andres tobacco is all about. The flavors are very well balanced with the now medium-full body of this blend, highlighted by the combination of earth and spice on each puff. The burn continues to be straight without a touch up and the ash still holds strong for over an inch.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
The final third of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro moves back to the heavy earth notes that were prevalent throughout the start. The spice remains constant at the back of the palate and through the nose as well. The burn line was spot on through the entirety of the smoke with the draw staying open and delivering plenty of flavorful smoke on each puff. The strength never got above medium-full, even struggling to hit that strength level in my opinion. The maduro version of the Melanio comes at you in stark contrast to the original Melanio, which is good I think. Is this a better cigar than the original? Maybe, maybe not, that is up to the smoker to decide. But the differences let it stand alone which should be the goal of releasing any cigar with relation to another current release. I enjoyed this from start to finish and with the limited release of these, be sure to check them out for yourself before they are gone. We currently have them in stock but they wont last long, so click here to order or give us a call at 1800-669-7167.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro\
Size: Torpedo 6 1/2 x 52
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium-Full
Flavor: Full
Price: $13.00/stick or $116.95/box of 10
Appearance: The difference between the original Melanio and this new Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro are immediately apparent. The San Andres wrapper is much darker and more oily, strikingly different from the Sumatra wrapper found on the original Melanio. The torpedo cap comes to a sharp point, something I find common from Oliva torpedos and the box press gives the cigar a very complete and distinct look. The main band for this cigar is he standard Serie V band, with a secondary band marking the Melanio Maduro moniker. The second band is just the opposite of the original Melanio band, same layout, just opposite colors with the word maduro added under the Melanio name.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
Pre-Light Aroma: The foot of the Oliva Serie V Melanio maduro presents strong notes of rich dark chocolate, some sweet spice that causes a tingle in the nose, and a sweet fruit scent that I cant quite put my finger on. The wrapper is devoid of much scent other than a feint sweet tobacco scent. Once clipped, the dry-draw was a bit tight, but once I clipped a bit more, the draw opened right up. Flavor wise, the draw produces a distinct grape jelly like flavor on the palate with the spice coming through at the back of the throat. The lips are left with a dark tobacco taste that lingers for longer than I would typically expect.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
The Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro starts off by filling your mouth with a much earthier flavor than I expected from the pre-light festivities. The spice I picked up comes through immediately both at the back of the throat and through the nose. The earthiness covers the palate evenly and leaves a lasting flavor between puffs. Just under an inch into the smoke, the spice backs off a bit, allowing the earthiness to really take over and become the focal point. The body starts off medium and remains so through this third, never seeming to grow any stronger as you puff along. The burn line is mostly straight, only wavering a bit through the first third while the ash is solid, not wanting to fall off before the end of this third.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
The second third starts with more leather like flavors entering the fold and the spice coming back into play in a big way. There is a sweet cocoa trying to come through though it never makes it to the forefront of the flavor. The leather and earthiness simply dominates the profile, really showing what San Andres tobacco is all about. The flavors are very well balanced with the now medium-full body of this blend, highlighted by the combination of earth and spice on each puff. The burn continues to be straight without a touch up and the ash still holds strong for over an inch.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
The final third of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro moves back to the heavy earth notes that were prevalent throughout the start. The spice remains constant at the back of the palate and through the nose as well. The burn line was spot on through the entirety of the smoke with the draw staying open and delivering plenty of flavorful smoke on each puff. The strength never got above medium-full, even struggling to hit that strength level in my opinion. The maduro version of the Melanio comes at you in stark contrast to the original Melanio, which is good I think. Is this a better cigar than the original? Maybe, maybe not, that is up to the smoker to decide. But the differences let it stand alone which should be the goal of releasing any cigar with relation to another current release. I enjoyed this from start to finish and with the limited release of these, be sure to check them out for yourself before they are gone. We currently have them in stock but they wont last long, so click here to order or give us a call at 1800-669-7167.
Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro
