Oliva Serie V Ligero Especial Belicoso (5x54)

I smoked this one on Friday night, in preparation of the wedding my wife and I would be shooting on
Saturday. I selected it before doing my final check on all my equipment. I had all the memory cards formatted and in a handy pocket case, all the batteries were charged, and all lenses had been cleaned. I received this cigar from @Cigar_G on twitter as one of his many giveaways (Thanks G!). I have had the serie G, which was pretty darn tasty, so how would this compare? Upon inspecting the wrapper I found no soft spots and it was rolled tightly. The Nicaraguan Habano Sun Grown wrapper housed a Nicaraguan binder and a blend of Nicaraguan tobaccos, including a specially fermented ligero from the Jalapa Valley. Veining was minimal and there was a slight toothiness to the oily wrapper. I clipped the cap with my trusty scissors and the draw was perfect and tasted of dark chocolate and rich tobacco. I toasted the foot and lit it up. The first puff carried an unexpected kick to seat of my pants, not overpowering but a tad more powerful than I was expecting. The first third opened with Notes of coffee, dark chocolate, and occasional hint of raisin.  It left a nice mild sweetness on the lips after each puff. The second third brought more of the coffee and dark chocolate and added a nice mild pepper to the finish as the raisin notes faded away. The finish took on a bit of peppery spice to the finish and on the retrohale. Nearing the half way point of the smoke the spiciness kicks up a notch but never becomes overwhelmingly powerful. As I entered the final third the ash was still holding tight. The coffee notes turn more to leather, with the dark chocolate still present in the final third. The raisin notes also make a bit of a comeback in the final third but are not as defines as in the initial third. The ash was still intact as I nubbed this cigar, I was thoroughly impressed with the construction of this sucker. I enjoyed this more than the serie G from Oliva. The subtle sweetness that was present throughout the burn was a nice compliment to the spice that came in toward the second half. It was a solid full body cigar but ultra smooth and chock full of flavor. The resting smoke seemed to have a woody aroma and burn required no corrections. Thanks again to @Cigar_G for the giveaway and giving me the chance to try this fantastic smoke on his dime. If you don't already follose him you can find him at www.twitter.com/Cigar_G. Retail price, from what I could find, is around $7.22 per stick for the Belicoso size reviewed here. You can find more information about Oliva and their blends at www.olivacigar.com

Wrapper: Habano Sun Grown Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Jalapa Valley Ligero Vitolas: 7 Natural

SERIE V Oliva Serie V - Ligero Especial  Serie V is a complex blend of Nicaraguan long filler tobaccos. Blended with specially fermented Jalapa Valley ligero, and finished with a high priming Habano Sun Grown Wrapper. Blending Notes: This cigar is blended to deliver full body taste while maintaining an unparalleled smoothness. This flavorful blend exhibits complex tobacco with rich coffee and dark chocolate tones. A subtle and well balanced spice is present throughout.