Oliva Serie G

Country: Handmade in Esteli, Nicaragua
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: Belicoso 5 x 52
Price: Paid $3.45 minus 10% discount = $3.10 @ local smoke shop


Pre-Light:
A very nice looking box-pressed cigar all around. The cigar was not as firm as I normally like. It was more on the soft side. I have smoked a few of these and have noticed the same thing with all of them. Therefore, I am not going to make a big deal out of it. Upon smelling the cigar before I clip and light, I picked up a sweet smelling tobacco smell which was very pleasant. Looking at the cigar, had very minimal veins present which is always a plus. I clipped this cigar with my handy Xikar cutter that I always use. The pre-light draw was excellent where I picked up a nice tobacco taste. Before I start I will be complementing this cigar with a glass of Raspberry Lemonade. That's all I usually drink while I smoke a cigar, but sometimes I don't have anything and other times I have a glass of Port wine. Today, I will be having the Raspberry Lemonade.

1/3:
The first third of this cigar provided an excellent draw that produced a lot of creamy smoke. Flavor wise I was picking up notes of toast and almond. A medium finish that was pleasant. Ash wise as you can see from the pics was a light gray ash. I however had a "minor" burn issue. Nothing that I would consider bad though. I was hoping that it would self correct itself. Otherwise so far so good.

2/3:
I got about half way through this cigar and the construction is good. No problems besides the burn that started to re-correct itself. Still producing lots of smoke and the aroma is very nice. I did however start to pick up a creamy buttery flavor. That is best as I can describe it. I don't have a PhD in flavors so please bear with me. It was a good flavor and that is all that matters.

3/3:
Winding down toward the end of the cigar the burn problem was no more as you can see from the above picture. As I smoked this down all the way to my fingertips, it was still producing lots of smoke. I did not have any construction issues all throughout. The ash held on longer than I thought it would and that to me is a good constructed cigar. Another minor issue I had toward the end was it did happen to get a little hot on me. Maybe becuase I was puffing away at it too fast, but I take the blame for that.


Conclusion:
Overall this was a really decent smoke. This cigar is definitely medium bodied. I really enjoyed this cigar and I feel that you will too once you try it. It is a must try in my book. You can't beat the price point on this cigar at just a bit over $3 a stick. You may find them a little cheaper near you, and if you do, grab a few for your humidor as well.

Rating: B