Oliva Serie O Maduro Robusto Staff Review
Oliva Serie O Maduro gets lost in the mix when you consider all of the top-rated cigars in the Oliva portfolio. Today, I am reviewing a cigar that I suggest you not overlook, the 5 x 50 Oliva Serie O Maduro Robusto. Customers who buy Serio O Maduro love it and leave rave reviews after smoking it.
Oliva Cigar Company gained premier status as a Nicaraguan brand over the past ten years. In 2014, Oliva Serie V Melanio scored 96 points and the ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ title from Cigar Aficionado. In 2017, Oliva family patriarch Gilberto Oliva passed away, but his son, José Oliva, had been running the company for years and oversaw much of its expansion. He also guided the acquisition of Oliva Cigars by J. Cortès, a European company known for making machine-made cigars. The new brand owners have upheld Oliva’s reputation for quality and consistency and show no signs of slowing down as the audience for Oliva cigars grows every year.
Oliva Serie O Maduro is handcrafted at Tabacalera Oliva de Estelí, or TABOLISA for short, in Estelí, Nicaragua. The coffee-brown Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper is quite toothy with a few thin veins. Underneath the hearty wrapper is a blend of Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos all grown by the Oliva family. Pre-light aromas are faint, but I pick up hints of sweet chocolate, leather and plum. The cold draw offers up more noticeable notes of maple syrup, graham cracker, and cracked black pepper.
Upon firing up, initial notes of espresso, bell peppers and leather jump out. As the Nicaraguan tobaccos warm up, a spiciness slowly creeps in. About an inch into Serie O Maduro, the profile is full of dark chocolate notes. The retrohale is dominated by a nice balance of black coffee and spices.
The second half of the cigar kicks in like a double shot of espresso. Mild hints of maple syrup emerge through the nose while notes of charred oak and graham cracker settle on the palate. Notes of bell peppers, leather, and espresso linger for the majority of the last couple inches. The finish has a nice balance of sweet and savory impressions.
As is the case with every Oliva cigar I have ever smoked, the construction is amazing. I smoked the cigar down to the band before the ash fell off, a true testament to how well the cigar is made. The wrapper burned in a wavy pattern for the first couple of inches, but after a minor touch-up, I had no issues smoking the remainder of the cigar.
Oliva Serie O Maduro doesn’t appear strong at first, but the further into the cigar you get, the more the strength picks up. By the end, a solid medium to full-bodied profile delivers tremendous flavor with a big aftertaste. I recommend smoking this blend slowly so you can taste its swift flavor transitions. Do yourself the service of trying a hidden gem from Oliva with Serie O Maduro. Or better yet, grab a box when they’re on sale. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!
