Oliva Serie V Tabolisa Uno Edition Pays Tribute to Factory Renovation

Cigar companies have found all sorts of reasons to release limited edition cigars in honor of something, but Oliva’s newest release might be the first one paying tribute to a factory renovation.

The Oliva Serie V Double Robusto Special Tabolisa Uno Edition is a specially packaged version of its Serie V Double Robusto cigars. As the name and packaging imply, it pays tribute to the 2019 renovation of the Tabacalera Oliva de Nicaragua S.A. No. 1 factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, better known as TABOLISA 1 or TABOLISA Uno. While the cigars are the same as the regular 5 x 54 Serie V Double Robusto, the packaging is radically different than the normal cigar.

It’s designed to look like the factory, specifically the front fascia. Inside each box are 10 cigars, each packaged in a coffin. One side of each coffin displays the front fascia in the form of either a window, door or the TABOLISA logo.

The boxes have an MSRP of $170 and are limited to 1,000 boxes. The cigars included in the box are from the first 10,000 cigars produced at the renovated factory.

“We are so proud that we can offer this little piece of art to the market.”, comments Fred Vandermarliere. “We do it to honor the people who worked day and night to make this happen. But we dedicate it especially to one person: Wilman Cahvarria Galeano, the architect who not only designed ‘Tabolisa Uno,’ but also oversaw the project. A fantastic guy turned all our wishes into reality. Last year Wilman unfortunately passed away due to Covid-19 and we still miss him every day. As the entire project is in large part due to Wilman’s dedication and hard work we want to commemorate him with this first box 0001. It will be presented to his family in Wilman’s honor.”

The 2019 renovation to TABOLISA was extensive, more or less transforming every part of the existing structure inside and out. In addition to the new facade, Oliva added new outdoor areas for employees to eat, solar panels for energy production and planted gardens. Inside, an infirmary was added for employees and a lounge was added for guests. The rolling room has been expanded and made over, tobacco processing rooms now have tiled floors and walls, and cigar storage has been completely transformed. Perhaps one of the largest changes was the lighting, every room in the factory uses bright LED lights.