Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Año 2023

Logos, packaging and even the names of cigars change all of the time in this industry: some creations are announced with one name or logo, but various factors sometimes come into play before the actual release—trademark issues are one of the largest culprits—that force the companies to come up with an alternative.

Two years ago, Oliva commissioned a special humidor from Elie Bleu—the famous French humidor maker—to mark what Oliva called “a tumultuous year around the world.” Bearing the somewhat appropriate name of the Oliva XXI Selection Humidor, the creation measured 17.875 inches x 11.4 x 8.28 and included a total of 95 cigars. Of those 95 cigars, 21 were a new 5 1/2 x 52 short figurado named Figuriño, which is a vitola that was created by Fred Vandermarliere, owner of Oliva.

At the time, the only way you could get the Figuriño vitola was by shelling out €21,000—Oliva clarified that the humidor would also be sold in the U.S. for $21,000—for one of the only 21 humidors that were released.

 

However, that changed this October when Oliva began shipping out 10-count boxes of the same vitola, but this time they were carrying the name Serie V Melanio Edición Año 2023. The new name indicates that the cigar was added to the company’s Edición Año line, which has historically been made up of exclusive limited edition sizes released to retailers outside of the U.S. While most of the original releases were made up of Serie V cigars, Oliva has used the Serie V Melanio blend for the seven additions to the line that have been released starting in 2017.

• Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Limitada 2017 (6 x 60) — 2017 — 1,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (15,000 Total Cigars)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Limitada 2018 (5 x 50) — 2018 — 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Limitada 2019 (6 3/4 x 48) — 2019 — 2,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Limitada 2020 (6 x 54) — 2020 — 3,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Limitada 2021 (4 x 60) — 2021 — 3,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (30,000 Total Cigars)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Año 2022 (6 1/2 x 44) — 2022 — 4,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (40,000 Total Cigars)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Año 2023 (5 1/2 x 52) — 2023 — 14,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (145,000 Total Cigars)

Even though the name of the cigar had changed, the blend is the same as every other Serie V Melanio release: specifically, an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper covering a binder and filler made up of tobaccos grown in Nicaragua. Priced at $20 each, the cigars have a production of 14,500 boxes—or 145,000 total cigars—and while normal Melanio releases have been box-pressed, the Melanio Edición Año 2023 is a round vitola.

• Cigar Reviewed: Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Año 2023
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera Oliva de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Figurado
• MSRP: $20 (Box of 10, $200)
• Release Date: October 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: 14,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (145,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Año 2023 is quite unique from a visual standpoint, with two pointed ends and three bands that combine to take up more than half of the exterior of the cigar. The wrappers are a milk chocolate color with an obvious reddish tint, and all three cigars feature numerous protruding veins. In addition, the wrappers are sandpaper rough to the touch, and while one cigar has more oil present than the other two, none of them are exactly dripping with sheen. Aromas from the wrappers include light woodiness, coffee beans, milk chocolate sweetness and earth, along with a slight barnyard note. Scenes from the feet are not much different due to the small openings, but I do pick up a bit more of the milk chocolate sweetness as well as a new cinnamon note. Finally, after straight cuts, the cold draws bring flavors of strong cocoa nibs, bitter espresso, aged cedar, peanuts, cinnamon, and vanilla bean sweetness.

Starting out, the first third of the Serie V Melanio Figuriño features a combination of earth, spice and black pepper. Main flavors of powdery cocoa nibs and peanuts quickly emerge to take over the top spots in the profile. Secondary flavors of brewed espresso, earth, cloves, cinnamon and lightly salted potato chips flit in and out at various points, while the retrohale features a noticeable amount of red pepper and slight milk chocolate sweetness, both of which seem to be getting stronger as the first third burns down. Flavor ends the first third at medium-plus while the body is at a point just under medium and the strength hits a solid medium. In terms of construction, the draws and smoke production for all three cigars were trouble-free, and while the burn lines ranged from razor-sharp to noticeably wavy, none of the cigars came close to needing corrections from my lighter.

The combination of peanuts and cocoa nibs continues to top the profile of the cigar during the second third, easily outpacing notes of sourdough bread, earth, cedar, leather, and cinnamon. However, there is a major change when it comes to the retrohale, as the amount of red pepper increases noticeably, and while the milk chocolate sweetness does not increase nearly as much, it is still strong enough to not be overwhelmed. Flavor bumps up to medium-full and the body increases to land at a solid medium, but the strength remains firmly in the medium range. Unfortunately, there is also a major change when it comes to the construction: while the draws and smoke production continue to give me no problems, two of the three cigars need a couple of corrections, each with my lighter to stave off larger issues.

A rich cocoa nibs flavor finally overtakes the profile during the final third of the Oliva, followed by notes of cedar, coffee beans, gritty earth, cinnamon and a small amount of citrus peel. The amount of red pepper has waned quite a bit compared to the second third, but it is still strong enough to make an impact on the profile, especially when combined with the milk chocolate sweetness that is still very much present. Flavor stays put at medium-full while the body and strength increase just enough to land at a point just slightly above the medium mark. Finally, the construction is a virtual carbon copy of what occurred during the second third: excellent draws, copious amounts of dense smoke, and the same two cigars needing two corrections each with my lighter before I put the nubs down with an inch remaining.

Final Notes

• The Serie V Melanio Edición Año 2023 marks the first time an Edición Año release has been sold in the U.S.
• There are too many bands on this cigar. The combination of all three bands takes up about 65 percent of the total real estate of the wrapper, meaning the burn line hit the bottom band about 14 minutes after I lit the foot.

• Along with the above, I was a bit surprised to see that the bottom red band on this cigar is large enough to actually go under the second band. In addition, when I pulled the second band off, I realized that there was a QR code printed on the red band, which, when scanned, takes you to an amazing video of Vandermarliere—the third-generation owner of J. Cortès Cigars N.V., which owns the Oliva brand—touring the city of Paris, asking questions like “What is beauty?” and showing off the Figurino box and eventually singing the theme song from “Married With Children.”
• I do not need to take more than a quarter inch off the cap when cutting these cigars; all three cigars had excellent draws after taking that small amount off.
• While the draws and smoke production were fairly consistent for all three cigars—i.e., none gave me any issues—the burn line was a different story altogether. My first cigar featured a virtually perfect burn line from the first puff to the last, my second cigar’s burn was problematic enough to need a couple of corrections during the last two thirds, and my last cigar needed corrections around the halfway mark and in the final third.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time averaged one hour and 23 minutes for all three samples.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Edición Año 2023 cigars, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., Famous Smoke Shop and LM Cigars all have them for sale on their respective websites.