Oliva Cigars

Oliva cigars offer cigar smokers the ultimate variety of blends, flavors, and selections. All of the tobaccos are fully-cured, fermented and aged to perfection, so you can always expect a rich, satisfying, and well-balanced smoke that will never overpower you. Blending some of the most outstanding Nicaraguan premiums to come out of Esteli. Using tobaccos grown in the Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa regions of the country and a broad range of wrapper leaves, Whether you're drawn to value-priced bundle cigars like their bestselling Flor de Oliva, or luxury-class premiums like the Oliva Serie V, if you want to discover the unique taste and complexity of Nicaraguan cigars, Oliva has something for your particular taste and budget.

Oliva Cigars History

Like many other exiled Cuban tobacco-growing families, the Oliva Cigars story begins in the Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, where Melanio Oliva, the family patriarch (for whom the Oliva Serie V Melanio is named), first grew tobacco in 1886. By the early 1920's Melanio turned the fields over to his 17-year-old son, Hipolito Oliva. After the Revolution in 1959, the Communists took control of the farms, so Hipolito's son, Gilberto, stopped growing tobacco and became a broker.

By the early 60's, the pressure on the farmers and brokers by Fidel Castro's regime was so great that Gilberto left Cuba and began traveling the world in search of tobaccos that had the distinctive flavor of Cuban cigars. Gilberto finally found fertile ground in Nicaragua where many of the Cuban growers he knew had already fled.

Because the Nicaraguan soil, climate and tobacco were very similar to Cuba's, Gilberto returned to growing tobacco. The crops were good and plentiful until 1976 when history repeated itself and the Sandinistas seized all of Gilberto's property, forcing him to flee again; this time, to Panama, where he opened a new Oliva cigar factory. One year, tragedy struck again when a hurricane destroyed the fields, forcing Gilberto to leave Panama. Nevertheless, the irrepressible Gilberto forged ahead, and for a span of over 40 years grew tobacco in Honduras, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Eventually, Gilberto became head of production for Nestor Plasencia Sr.'s factory in Honduras, and in 1994, the first "official" Oliva cigars rolled off the line. Determined to get back to Nicaragua, Gilberto worked hard. Eight months later he had saved enough money to open a factory in Ocotal. His sons, Gilberto Jr. and Carlos ran the new factory. Gilberto Sr. continued working with Senor Plasencia until he eventually rejoined his sons in Nicaragua.

The first Nicaraguan-made Oliva cigars had a mild blend of Dominican and Honduran long-fillers rolled in an Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut wrapper. Today, Gilberto and his family are Nicaragua's second largest grower of Cuban-seed tobacco and have made some of the most highly-ranked cigars in the industry.

Best Oliva Cigar Brands

In 2000 a box-pressed Cameroon wrapper line was released under the name "Oliva Grand Cameroon." Changed to Oliva Serie G in 2006, this series features an all Nicaraguan core with a milder wrapper, thereby offering a medium-bodied smoke with excellent balance. Also available in maduro, this line is a great place to start for new cigar smokers who want to try Oliva cigars.

Among the bestselling cigars in the company's history, the Oliva Serie O was originally introduced in 2001 as "Oliva O Classic," then changed to Oliva Serie O and Oliva Serie O Maduro in 2006. Because they are puros - made entirely of Nicaraguan Habano seed tobaccos grown in different regions of the country, the Oliva Serie O is ideal for cigar smokers who want to start with a blend that's definitively "Oliva" in flavor.

One of Oliva's hottest cigars, both commercially and critically, is the Oliva Serie V. With its complex recipe of Nicaraguan long-fillers, including a healthy dose of ligero and a high priming Habano sun grown wrapper, these luxury puros made Aficionado's "Top-25" list annually from 2008 to 2012 for their full-bodied taste, unparalleled smoothness, and subtle spiciness. The Oliva Serie V Melanio and Oliva V Melanio Maduro series takes the series to another dimension in flavor using an Ecuadorian Connecticut and Mexican San Andres maduro wrapper respectively.

A must-try Oliva for cigar smokers who buy cigars online is the Inferno Flashpoint. Made with perfectly fermented, estate-grown Nicaraguan ligero long-fillers, their excellent balance comes from a healthy dose of sweeter Jalapa-grown leaves and an exquisite Sumatra leaf wrapper for a creamy, complex, and full-bodied flavor bomb.

Other notable mentions among Oliva cigars for sale include the Oliva Connecticut Reserve series for those who seek a mild, yet rich-tasting smoke with a Connecticut wrapper, and the Oliva Master Blends 3, a box-pressed artisanal blend that gets its kick from a Nicaraguan sun grown broadleaf wrapper.

The best way to understand the passion the Oliva family puts into their cigars may best be summed-up by Jose Oliva who, during an interview, put it this way: "Cigars are a way of life for my family. We make our living from it, we all enjoy smoking them, and about 70% of our conversations are about cigars or tobacco. Cigars and tobacco are more than just an important thing to us, it is us, it defines us." Order one of their fine selections today and taste the Oliva difference.