We've had a spell of warm weather up here in the Great White North (hopefully a sign that spring is finally here!). I just needed a cigar today, and it still isn't quite warm enough to enjoy a full sized stogie. So I chose...
Right off the bat, the thing is beautiful. Typical of Oliva (in particular the V line), it's pretty much perfect. Beautiful double cap, seams are invisible, and it's firm and even. It looks and feels great.
First light and first few puffs are intensely spicy. Pepper on my tongue and when I swallow, the burn goes right down my throat (that's what she said).
Just a few puffs in and the pepper disappears completely. Now it's a deep almost leathery flavour. It kind of reminds me of my dad's old leather jacket from high school. It's a subtle flavour that's very warm and comforting.
The ash falls off after only about 3/4 of an inch, but not surprising with such a slim ring gauge. It's burning beautifully though. Straight burn line, ash has those lovely lines where you can see every draw you've taken, and the draw is just perfect for me. There's enough resistance that I can take really long, slow draws just the way I like it.
Smoking for about 35 minutes now. The leather has gone away and it's been replaced with a bit of a spice (not pepper, more like a mild chili heat) and a tiny hint of cocoa. It's a great spicy sweet combo. Still smoking like a dream.
A little over 50 minutes and it's starting to get hot so I'm finishing it off. The retrohales have (as they usually do) given so much more depth to the flavour, hinting at that rich aged tobacco flavour that is a signature of the V line (at least that I've noticed).
I really enjoyed this one. I have yet to try the V maduro (or the V Melanio maduro for that matter), but I think this makes a nice little brother to the core V line. It's a slightly less intense version of that, so between its calmer tone and the small size of the petite corona, it was a great smoke for a cool day.
Right off the bat, the thing is beautiful. Typical of Oliva (in particular the V line), it's pretty much perfect. Beautiful double cap, seams are invisible, and it's firm and even. It looks and feels great.
First light and first few puffs are intensely spicy. Pepper on my tongue and when I swallow, the burn goes right down my throat (that's what she said).
Just a few puffs in and the pepper disappears completely. Now it's a deep almost leathery flavour. It kind of reminds me of my dad's old leather jacket from high school. It's a subtle flavour that's very warm and comforting.
The ash falls off after only about 3/4 of an inch, but not surprising with such a slim ring gauge. It's burning beautifully though. Straight burn line, ash has those lovely lines where you can see every draw you've taken, and the draw is just perfect for me. There's enough resistance that I can take really long, slow draws just the way I like it.
Smoking for about 35 minutes now. The leather has gone away and it's been replaced with a bit of a spice (not pepper, more like a mild chili heat) and a tiny hint of cocoa. It's a great spicy sweet combo. Still smoking like a dream.
A little over 50 minutes and it's starting to get hot so I'm finishing it off. The retrohales have (as they usually do) given so much more depth to the flavour, hinting at that rich aged tobacco flavour that is a signature of the V line (at least that I've noticed).
I really enjoyed this one. I have yet to try the V maduro (or the V Melanio maduro for that matter), but I think this makes a nice little brother to the core V line. It's a slightly less intense version of that, so between its calmer tone and the small size of the petite corona, it was a great smoke for a cool day.
