Size: 7″ x 38
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano (sun grown)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaraguan Jalapa Ligero
The Oliva Serie V cigars made their debut in 2007, positioning them as the company’s luxury-class range. Skillfully handcrafted with a straight ligero blend of long-aged Nicaraguan Jalapa long-fillers and Ecuadorian sun-grown Habano wrappers, since its release, the line has been the recipient of some of the highest cigar tasting scores.
Last year, the Oliva Serie V Lancero received an “outstanding” 94 from Aficionado earning it the #6 position in the magazine’s Top 25 Cigars of the Year 2019. The Oliva Serie V Lancero was also featured in Cigar Advisor’s recent update of its 10 Top-Rated Lancero cigars article.
One of the reasons Oliva added a Lancero to the line was the flavor of the wrapper. Since Lanceros have a much higher wrapper to filler ratio, the company felt the 7-inch by 38-ring dimensions would make a cigar with a very unique and complex flavor profile. And their instincts were correct since it continues to be one of the best-selling cigars in the series.
The Oliva Serie V Lancero is presented in a box of 36 cigars with a suggested retail price of $8.08 per cigar (at press time ).
As good as it gets. The Habano wrapper is flawless, even in color, and finished in a clean, triple seam cap. The tobacco is well packed throughout, and when cut, offers a perfect draw with notes of nuts, a slight orange-like tanginess.
The initial puffs are peppery, but the cigar rounds-out fairly quickly to flavors of sweet spice, cedar, earth, and nuts on a lightly peppered finish. By the midsection, the body and strength lock in for well-balanced, full-flavored smoke that transitions from medium to full strength at the midsection. The cigar also burns evenly with an ample volume of smoke and an impressively firm ash.
Roasted nuts, cedar, espresso, sweet spice, white pepper.
I thought a good Nicaraguan rum like the Flor de Caña 7 Year Gran Reserva would be a great match with such a classic Nicaraguan cigar. Vilma thought the Flor de Caña brought out more pepper in the smoke, while I got a little more nuttiness out of it. However, we both felt the 7 Year was a little overpowering for the cigar. Instead, we recommend either a much longer aged rum or a premier single malt like The Macallan 12 Year Aged or a Balvenie, to offer a better balance of flavors on the palate.
(Find more cigar and drink pairing combinations here.)
Absolutely. Not because it’s a classic, though that’s reason enough. Let’s put it this way – if you’ve never smoked a Lancero up to now, you can’t miss with the Oliva Serie V. Even the price is reasonable. Plus, this cigar smokes so smoothly, if you’re a new cigar smoker, you’ll be able to appreciate its finer qualities.
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Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! :)