Cigar Ratings & Reviews

Oliva Serie V Lancero Cigar Review

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Hayward herfing an Oliva V LanceroI make no secret of my preference for smaller cigars, with a 50 ring gauge generally being the largest I’ll buy. If you’re like me in that regard, and if you enjoy the challenging complexities of a full-flavor cigar, then I highly recommend the Oliva Serie V Lancero.

For starters, there is something special about the all-Nicaraguan core, which includes full-bodied Nicaraguan Jalapa longfillers and a Nicaraguan binder. But the puro’s greatest achievement for me is its milk chocolate-colored Sun Grown Nicaraguan Habano wrapper.

I’ve been hanging onto a box of Oliva Serie V Lanceros for aging purposes, which I recently had occasion to crack into. From the get-go, I’m surprised by how much the cigar’s pepper notes have mellowed out. Instead of causing a tingling in my sinuses, it is at once rich and smooth, bringing to mind the word, “invigorating.”

Oliva Serie V LanceroTime has also been kind to the cigar’s burning characteristics. At release, they were subject to the instability that affects most Lanceros: a lopsided burn, somewhat-weak ash, and the occasional tunnel, all of which could be reasonably kept in-check by smoking slowly.

They now perform amazingly well, boasting a thin, crisp burn line and sturdy, neatly-stacked ash. I also find them much more tolerant to my pace.

Finally, the flavors and aroma have also rounded out. At initial release, I recall being able to pick out clearly-defined flavors of wood, pepper, earth, and some spice. These notes have mellowed and mixed, forming a baseline that is greater than the sum of its parts, and underpinned by subtle sweetness.

If a couple years can transform a cigar to this degree, I’m excited to find out how they’ll taste a year from now.

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Lou Tenney

Lou Tenney

When he's not busy writing, editing, smoking cigars, or raising his many, many children, Hayward " "It's Lou, not Hayward" " Tenney spends his days combating confusion about his real name (it's Hayward, but please - call him " "Lou" ") and mourning the matrimonially-induced loss of his moustache (what's he gonna do with all that moustache wax he made?).

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