Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Lancero

In 2013, Oliva debuted a new incarnation of its Melanio, a line that was introduced the year before and named after Melanio Oliva, who first grew tobacco in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba in 1886. Dubbed Melanio Maduro, the new blend replaced the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper on the original line with a Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper, although the Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos stayed the same for both blends.

Although the Serie V Melanio Maduro was launched with a single vitola—a 6 1/2 x 52 Box-Pressed Torpedo—two more sizes were added to the line in April 2014, namely the 5 x 52 Robusto and the 7x 50 Churchill. Five years later in November 2019, Oliva announced the addition of a 6 1/2 x 52 double-tapered and box-pressed figurado that was to be produced at the newly remodeled TABOLISA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Then, three more sizes were added to the Melanio Maduro line last year: the 4 1/2 x 46 No. 4, the 6 x 52 Toro and the 6 x 60 Double Toro, all of which are packaged in 10-count boxes.

During the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show, Oliva showed off a new product named the Serie V Melanio Sampler. As the name indicates, each sampler is sold with six different Serie V Melanio cigars: three original Melanio and three Melanio Maduro. Included in each sampler is a single 7 x 38 Serie V Melanio Maduro Lancero, the first time that vitola has been released in the Melanio Maduro line.

As noted above, each of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Sampler includes six different cigars:

• Oliva Serie V Melanio Lancero (7 x 38)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Churchill (7 x 50)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado (6 1/2 x 52)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Figurado (6 1/2 x 52)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Churchill (7 x 50)
• Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Lancero (7 x 38)

The six-count Oliva Serie V Melanio Sampler has an MSRP of $66 and they started shipping to retailers in July.

• Cigar Reviewed: Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Lancero
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera Oliva de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 7 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 38
• Vitola: Lancero
• MSRP: $11 (Sampler of 6, $66)
• Release Date: July 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Long, thin and light when held in my hand, the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Lancero is covered in a dark, reddish-brown wrapper that feels quite a bit like parchment, although there is a touch of oil present as well. All three cigars are very spongy when squeezed and each includes some noticeable veins running up and down their length. Aromas from the wrappers are similar for all three cigars and include powdery cocoa nibs, generic nuts, wood, barnyard, earth and sweet hay. Creamy peanuts and chocolate dominate the scents emanating from the foot, followed by oak, leather tack, barnyard, hay, citrus peel and toasted bread. Finally, the cold draw includes flavors of strong cocoa nibs, leather tack, peanut shells, creamy oak, gritty earth and nutmeg, along with some noticeable black pepper and indeterminate sweetness.

The foot of the Oliva Serie V lights very quickly and I am immediately inundated with flavors of earth and leather combined with just a touch of black pepper. Both of those recede to the background fairly quickly and are replaced by the main flavor combination of powdery cocoa nibs and oak, followed by dank hay, coffee beans, nutmeg, peanuts and anise. In addition, there is a light but noticeable citrus peel flavor on the finish—although it seems to be fading as the first third burns down—while the retrohale features plenty of both black pepper and caramel sweetness. Flavor ends the first third at a solid medium while the body and strength are at a point just under medium. There is absolutely nothing to complain about when it comes to construction, as all three cigars feature virtually perfect burn lines, great resistance on draws after straight cuts and plenty of thick, gray smoke.

There are a couple of major changes in the profile during the second third of the cigar, with the most obvious being a change in the main flavors, from cocoa nibs and oak to a distinct anise note. Secondary flavors of dark chocolate, creamy oak, earth, nutmeg and hay show up at various points, while the citrus peel remains a player on the finish. In addition to black pepper, the caramel sweetness on the retrohale is showing no sign of letting up anytime soon. Flavor bumps up a bit to hit a point just over medium, body is just under medium and the strength increases enough to land firmly in the medium range. In terms of construction, both the draw and the smoke production continue to impress, but I do have to make a minor correction on the burn of one cigar.

The final third of the Melanio Maduro Lancero sees a return to what was present in the first third: a combination of oak and coca nibs easily outpaces the secondary flavors of earth, nutmeg, anise, coffee beans and citrus peel which has moved from the finish to the main profile. There is a bit less black pepper on the retrohale as well as slightly less caramel sweetness, but there is also a slight increase in the amount of spice on my tongue. The flavor has increased to land at medium-full and the body has increased to a solid medium while the strength takes a noticeable leap forward, landing at medium full. Construction-wise, the burn line has improved on the one sample that was having issues in the second third—but a different cigar needs one correction with my lighter—while the draw and smoke production are giving me no problems on all three cigars.

Final Notes

• The Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro No.4 took the sixth spot on halfwheel’s Top 25 for 2021.
• After leaving Cuba, Melanio Oliva was instrumental in helping the Oliva family find suitable ground in Nicaragua for growing tobacco after they moved to that country.
• Everything about this cigar screams “delicate” to me: from the unusually thin size/vitola to the box press to the slightly lighter-than-expected weight. Having said that, the wrapper gave me no issues whatsoever in terms of splitting or cracking.
• Due to the almost extreme box-press, the first time I saw this cigar it looked like it had a slightly smaller ring gauge—say, a 36 or so—than a lancero at 38 ring gauge.
• Be very careful when torching the foot of this cigar, as you can easily char it too much with your lighter if you are not careful. Slow and easy is the name of the game.

• The ash on my first cigar split right down the middle during the first third, which is not something I see very often. For what it is worth, it did not have any impact on the smoking experience as far as I could tell.
• Interestingly, Patrick Lagreid encountered a similar issue while smoking the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Torpedo in 2013.
• The cigars smoked for this review were the first time I officially used CigarMedic’s The Baller cutter as a test subject.
• Oliva Cigar Co. advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time averaged one hour and 29 minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro Lanceros, site sponsors Famous Smoke Shop and Gotham Cigars have the samplers for sale on their sites.