Oliva Serie V Lancero (SMFRW)

[ayedfy]

I had a Serie V Belicoso about nine years ago and really enjoyed it. Haven’t had any since for no particular reason, but given my positive experience I’ve been looking forward to getting around to this lancero.

Game of two halves this one. Buckle up.

Oliva Serie V Lancero. Ecuador wrapper, Nicaragua binder/filler. 7x38.

Opening third: full bodied at first before dropping to medium-full, while holding rich flavour. Butterscotch sweetness, dried fruits (cranberries & figs). Dash of cayenne pepper; supporting the other flavours with a kick, rather than standing distinct. Delicious toasted bread note poking its head through every now and then, touches of creamy coffee and a mellow cedar woodiness. Draw is good, but burning very uneven.

Middle third: the opening was sweet, but this is really dials up the sweetness a notch (even sipping my ice water tastes like there’s honey in it). The butterscotch drives forward and becoming more syrupy caramel. Sticky date pudding all over the palate. Unexpected tropical juice flavour emerging around the halfway mark. Hard to pin down any specific leading fruits; just tastes like sipping from the punch bowl. Further development with a rich toasted nuttiness (hazelnuts) arriving, that complements the sweetness extremely well. Revival of the coffee and even some milk chocolate.

*record scratch*

Suddenly, a sharp and deeply unpleasant chemical/burnt rubber note. All the beauty has turned to dust. I try everything in the outside chance it’s user error: slower/shorter puffs), touch up the uneven wrapper, let it go out completely and settle before relighting. At best, these adjustments offer momentary reprieve from that flavour, but all the goodness is gone and it just tastes like slightly warm air. Whenever any favour does come back, it’s that awful one again.

Final third: n/a, couldn’t get there, binned it with maybe 2.5-3 inches still on it.

I know this brand makes good cigars, I know this particular lancero has a loyal following. In the first half I was ready to sign up to the fan club myself. But something went deeply wrong with this particular example I smoked tonight, in a way that I’ve experienced only mildly once before (with an AF Hemingway Short Story - and it was nowhere near as jarring and intensely off-putting as this).

First half score: 92/100

Second half score: 20/100

Final score: 56/100

[Chibearsv]

Nice review.  It sums up my general experience with NCs.  Some of them start with so much potential and promise and then either get boring or downright unpleasant. Either that, or they start boring and stay boring.

[Midas]

I picked up a 1/4 box of these at the beginning of summer after really enjoying everything else Oliva I’ve tried.

Had one mid summer and it was awful, hoping some time down does the rest some good.


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[BoliDan]

The problem with Nicaraguan ligero is that by the second half it coats my mouth to the point I can feel it. At which point I can't taste much. Any chocolate, cream, fruit or spice is completely gone. I keep trying Nicaraguans because of the hype, but I find I much prefer Dominican.

[HoyoFan]

I have the same general experience with Nicaraguans. I’ve found that Honduran tobacco is much closer to the flavor and strength profile I’m typically looking for.

Check out Aladino and Eiroa

[Edicion]

Nice review. This would not have happened with a CC, it would have been awful from the beginning to the end so at least you got partly a very good cigar. On the other hand, this is not uncommon with NC and I have had very similar experiences with Olivas, it's much more of a gamble with flavor consistency than any other NC brand I tried. Still , they are very good when they are on so it's easy to see why they are so popular

[ayedfy]

I picked up a 1/4 box of these at the beginning of summer after really enjoying everything else Oliva I’ve tried.

Had one mid summer and it was awful, hoping some time down does the rest some good.

You might benefit from this advice that was commented when I reposted this review on Reddit:

“Sounds like a tar issue. I find if you don’t have a good cut with this lancero about halfway this happens. This cigar has an open draw. When it does not, it has a problem. Any resistance in the draw, cut again and or use a draw enhancer. I find this cigar is the one cigar that is susceptible to this problem.”

Now I’d be loathe to purchase another (plenty of cigars don’t do this!!!) but since you’ve already got them in your humidor, might want to try the above and keep the Perfecdraw close by next time.

[jimjim]

Nice pics.

[Stoyan]

Sorry that you didn’t like it. In my opinion the Oliva V Lancero is one of the best (if not the best) NC lancero out there. I’ve never had a bad one. Very consistent and flavorful. 

[ayedfy]

5 hours ago, Stoyan said:

Sorry that you didn’t like it. In my opinion the Oliva V Lancero is one of the best (if not the best) NC lancero out there. I’ve never had a bad one. Very consistent and flavorful. 

If I could sort out the tar issue next time I can get on board. That first half was superb.

[KCCubano]

2 hours ago, ayedfy said:

If I could sort out the tar issue next time I can get on board. That first half was superb.

My sample size is small. Picked up a 5er. Smoked great so picked up another. Perfect draw on all of them. Liked them so much I bought a 36 ct box. 

[clickbangdoh]

16 hours ago, ayedfy said:

If I could sort out the tar issue next time I can get on board. That first half was superb.

Usually, tar issues are from smoking too fast, or not having an adequate cut, but in my experience, they it can be immediately solved by just cutting the head back a little bit to remove the build up, this usually instantly currects the issue, at least for me. Next time, if you start getting bitterness, inspect the head and if you see a dark, syrup-like substance, even just a tiny bit, cut the head back a little bit to remove it.

[HoyoFan]

Very curious to try the new melanio maduro lancero. The halfwheel review seemed great.

[BettyHumpder]

9 hours ago, clickbangdoh said:

Usually, tar issues are from smoking too fast, or not having an adequate cut, but in my experience, they it can be immediately solved by just cutting the head back a little bit to remove the build up, this usually instantly currects the issue, at least for me. Next time, if you start getting bitterness, inspect the head and if you see a dark, syrup-like substance, even just a tiny bit, cut the head back a little bit to remove it.

if you have fair skin, you can wipe the cigar head on the top of your hand. you’ll see tar clear as day if there is any. a little snip should help clear it up.

in my experience, tar usually comes from lanceros or torpedos. 

[NSXCIGAR]

On 12/11/2022 at 6:26 PM, Edicion said:

This would not have happened with a CC, it would have been awful from the beginning to the end

You're probably right--I can't recall ever having a CC that was great and turned totally south or vice versa. I'm sure it's happened but not to me and I've smoked probably 10,000 CCs. Almost always that first few mm of a CC is going to be a pretty good indication of what you're going to get. 

[BoliDan]

Wow. This the first review in years that sparked so much commotion. Love it

[Nevrknow]

18 hours ago, BoliDan said:

Wow. This the first review in years that sparked so much commotion. Love it

Made me seek out and find one at a B&M. First time that's ever happened.

 

Edit: mistake for me. Decent about the first 3rd then fell off a cliff. No one has ever said I have taste so take it for what it's worth.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Nevrknow

[MossybackR]

I had ordered a few 5-packs of these lanceros prior to reading this review and received it o today. I immediately pulled one out and completely agree with the first half review. Unfortunately, I have to leave for dinner before finishing but that *may not be a problem 😅

[clickbangdoh]

Well, could partly be because CC lanceros are basically unobtanium anymore, due to cost and availability.