#NowSmoking: Oliva Serie V Melanio NUB Edicion Limitada 4×60
#NowSmoking: Oliva Serie V Melanio NUB Edición Limitada 4×60 Cigar Review
#NowSmoking: Oliva Serie V Melanio NUB Edición Limitada 4×60
Factory: Tabacalera Tabolisa – Estelí, Nicaragua
Size: 4” x 60 box-pressed
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan Habano Jalapa
Presented in boxes of 10
The Oliva Serie V Melanio NUB Edición Limitada 4×60 Cigars Back Story
Considered a modern classic for having received numerous 90-plus ratings over the years, including the prestigious Cigar Of The Year, many consider the Melanio selection the crown jewel of the Oliva Serie V offerings. Not to be confused with the 4×60 Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Limitada 2021 NUB (but it is the same size and blend)—a parejo that was released last summer for Europe only—the Melanio LE 4×60 cigar is box-pressed and available in the U.S. Only 8,000 boxes of this cigar were released.
The Basics At-a-Glance
Construction: Excellent. No soft spots. Some vein patterns are present, typical of Sumatra wrapper, but not as pronounced. The triple cap is well-fashioned.
Cold Draw: Just right, with a dried apricot flavor.
Base Flavors: Molasses, cedar, earth, espresso, nutmeg
Aroma: The wrapper was very sweet along its length, and equally sweet at the base, while the smoke itself was spicy but fragrant.
Burn & Ash: Very clean. The cigar lit well, revealing a firm and mostly grey ash.
At a glance, the 4×60 has the appearance of a large caliber bullet shell. The cigar is well pressed, but with a more oval shape similar to the Oliva Master Blends 3. The Sumatra wrapper is opulent in appearance boasting an oily sheen and caramel color. The opening puffs offered some peppery spice which rounded out pretty quickly. The smoke was very smooth and medium in body with a caramel-like sweetness, some underlying woodiness, dried fruit notes, and a light, peppery finish. Shortly after, the pepper yields to a sweeter finish. Note that because the secondary Melanio band is so close to the foot, be prepared to remove it quickly.
The cigar continues to offer a smooth, woody, and sweet smoke—now more like molasses—with a sweet-spicy finish. The burn was also excellent, while the body began to sway towards full. Even the strength has turned up a notch. Shortly before it crossed into the final third I picked up a note of espresso and a little more earthiness.
More earthy and woody with that welcome hit of espresso. Some of the molasses faded but a pleasant note of nutmeg appeared. Letting this short cigar rest a little bit longer between puffs I discovered that the sweetness remained in the finish even as the cigar got down to its nub. With little more than an inch to go, the cigar continued to smoke well and the sweetness at the core, although a bit weaker, was still present.
What whiskey pairs well with the Oliva Serie V Melanio NUB Edición Limitada 4×60?
I paired my first sample with Larceny Bourbon on the rocks, which proved excellent. You can’t miss with espresso either. For more combinations, see our Cigar & Spirit pairing guide.
Is the Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición NUB Limitada 4×60 cigar worth smoking?
This nub-style Melanio looks like it’s going to be finished in about 15 minutes, but if you take your time and really savor it, you can push it to 45 minutes or more. If this cigar is anything it’s amazingly consistent. However, this being my third Oliva Serie V Melanio LE 460, I think its shorter length prevents it from fully developing into a more complex smoke like the longer Serie V Melanio cigars. The core flavors were a well-balanced mix of molasses, cedar, earth, espresso, and nutmeg. In spite of the cigar being so stubby, I was pretty satisfied with that. I’d pin it as a very refined after dinner smoke for its short but flavorful delivery. If you’re already a fan of the Oliva Serie V Melanio selection you’re gonna like it a lot, but you may also wish it was a little longer. But if short smokes are your thing, and that includes Oliva’s main line NUB cigars, you’re gonna feel right at home.