Good afternoon to all you ladies and gentlemen, Cigar and Whisky lovers out there who have chosen to read another one of my cigar reviews.
Today I am retrying the same Cigar we had at our St Patrick’s day event, purely based on it was so damn nice I had to smoke it again and tell you all about it, giving you the chance to get your hands on one before they are all gone and I’ll be straight with you folks that’s because I might have brought and smoked them.
What has got my taste buds tingling once again? Well, it’s the Oliva Melanio Serie V Toro Grande 2020! And what a cigar she is! I really enjoy my Oliva cigars but the Melanio range really hits the spot for me. If you have read/reread or this is the first review you have come across my cards on the table, I am a Maduro wrapper fan, however now and then, I’m thrown. And our palates change on our moods and atmosphere and for the last few months, I’ve personally really been enjoying cigars with wrappers grown with Sumatra seeds grown in Ecuador! Lo and behold the Oliva Melanio Serie has that wrapper. Something about it gives the fullest of cigars a smoother, creamer edge to it.
So what is so special about this Cigar that makes it a Limited Edition? Well, that’s easy, it’s a round Cigar! Round? I hear you question. Each vitola from the OlivaMelanio serie V collection is Box pressed and we will come back to “Box pressed cigars” in a bit. The limited-edition Melanio are all-round Cigars and released each year in a different size:
2018 – Robusto
2019 – Diadema
2020 – Grand Toro
2021 – 4x60 or Nub
The binder and the filler are both from Nicaraguan in the Jalapa region. Jalapa is a valley in the northern part of Nicaragua. It is pretty much on the border with Honduras and Cigar tobacco from Jalapa is known for its smoother and subtler flavour, as well as its strength profile. This is why these smooth cigars still come in with what I would say is a medium to Full in both strength and flavour. With notes of just roasted coffee beans and for you retro halers out there a smooth caramel note. Rich with a malty cocoa sweetness, accented with toasted nuts, chocolate-chip shortbread, dried dates, spice and black pepper, and just a suggestion of a citrussy twang with sweet hickory on the finish!!
Coming back to the box-pressed cigars, now before I just thought this was a case of one too many cigars in a box one day which made this shape. But Thursday evening's event, Jerry Mor from Tor Imports explained why and how they came about, because as he stated that even though it is pressed, it is still the same size and the same amount of tobacco used as you would a round cigar, so why the difference? It was a gentleman in Barbados who while playing cards, drinking Rum and smoking a cigar, was tired of the wind blowing his cigar off the table and onto the ground that went “you know what if this was square, I would not have this problem” or words to that effect.
Personally, I enjoy a box-pressed cigar as I feel gives a bit more flavour with the smoke coming through on the coroners and if you want to try that for yourself to see if you get the difference then try the Oliva Melanio Serie V Figurado, which won cigar of the year with Cigar Aficionado back in 2014 with a 96 rating. As well as winning Cigar of the year 2021 at Vina Carmen Cigar Smoker of the year event founded and hosted at Boisdale. So, with all of that, it simply is a must-try.
And here we come to the end of another cigar review and you can find the Melanio series and more from the Oliva cigar collection here.
Until next time folks “Happy Smoking”
Iain – Robert Graham 1874 - Cambridge