Read the cigar reviews and cigar ratings for the Oliva Serie V Lancero.
| Oliva Serie V Lancero |
Average Rating: B- (See
Info on Ratings Here Opens in new window) |
Dimensions:
7x38 |
Made in:
Nicaragua |
Wrapper:
Habano Sun Grown |
Binder:
Nicaragua |
Filler:
Jalapa Valley Ligero |
| Reviewer 1:
Madmike Rating: B+ |
Construction
Comments:
Not extremely firm but acceptable with a good looking somewhat oily Habano
wrapper. |
Pre-light
Aroma and Flavor:
Earthy. Interesting to hold a Lancero in the hand. 7 inches with what I
would guess to be a 38 ring. |
Burn:
The burn was mostly even with a couple exceptions. No corrections
required. Firm light grey ash. |
Drink:
George Dickel |
Smoking Notes:
Started off with some spice giving way to earth and leather early on. The
cigar started to get a little spongy at the halfway mark but the burn
maintained a fairly good evenness. I experienced some cedar notes at
different times and the earthiness maintained throughout the smoke. As
expected, this smoke became much bolder toward the band but did not get
too hot. The stick produced plenty of smoke and it had a nice aroma to it. |
Overall Experience and Rating:
I tend to rush small band cigars and I paid attention this time. I was
rewarded with a well-mannered tasty Lancero. I have tried a couple of the
larger band sizes of the Oliva V Series and would have to say I enjoyed
this one the most. I give it a B+ |
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Reviewer 2:
Whitefish Rating: C |
Construction Comments:
The overall construction of this cigar was flawless. It was really
something to see the dark brown wrapper. It was a dry, rough (to the
touch) wrapper & made me salivate every time I looked at it. |
Pre-light Aroma and Flavor:
I cut the cap with a double-guillotine cutter right at the end of the cap.
The pre-lit draw was really good. It was earthy & made me look forward to
lighting this puppy up. |
Burn:
The burn was great at the start, but I had some issues later on, but I
will get to those in my smoking notes. |
Drink:
I went commando & opted for no drink. Actually it was too damn cold to
drink anything but hot chocolate, but that would have kind of defeated the
whole purpose of a taste test. |
Smoking Notes:
I was curious when I first saw this stick. (I did the tests “blind”) It
was very long, about 7 inches, & very narrow, probably a 38 ring gauge. I
typically smoke Robustos (5x50) or Toros (6x50) so this was different from
my regular smoke. I enjoyed lighting it up, as the small ring-guage made
it VERY easy to torch. The first puff produced a fair amount of peppery
smoke that made me wonder what I got myself into. The pepper faded fast &
the rest of the first quarter was a pleasure of nice & heavy woods &
earthy flavors. I was amazed at how much smoke this skinny guy produced.
During those first few puffs I began to wonder what the heck I was doing
smoking the fat boys instead of this size, I was enjoying it that much.
But, as I started the second quarter I started to see some problems come
to the surface. The flavor & smoke started to disappear & it was because
the damn thing kept going out. I realized that I had to smoke it a bit
faster than the fat boys, in order to keep it lit. It took me the whole
second quarter of the stick to get the thing nursed back into shape & thus
I started to not enjoy it. So here I was sucking on this thing like some
kind of crackhead trying to get a fix just to keep it lit properly, which
caused another set of problems. By smoking it like a madman, it became
harsh & that harshness dominated the rest of the smoke. I tried slowing
down, but everytime I did, sure enough the little bastard would go out on
me. The whole rest of the way was a blur of puffing like crazy, bad after
tastes, & checking to make sure it was lit. |
Overall Experience and Rating:
This cigar was right up my alley, flavor-wise (at the start). I just think
the small ring-gauge was what made this a bad experience. I have a hard
time giving it a high grade, as I did NOT enjoy the time I spent smoking
it. But, I think that if it were a bigger, fatter smoke I would have
enjoyed it much more. Taking all that into consideration, I give this guy
a C. |
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| Reviewer 3: Dayve
Rating: B |
Construction
Comments:
Draped in a smooth, dark, shiny sun grown wrapper leaf and topped with a
triple cap, this is an absolutely gorgeous cigar to look at. |
Pre-light Aroma and
Flavor:
Snipped with a Palio, a few prelight draws reveal a nice, “wet hay”
flavor. The aroma is pleasing as well. One might expect a cigar of this
vitola to have a tight draw, but this is not the case with any Serie V
Lancero I’ve come across. |
Burn:
Lit with a torch flame, it didn’t take long for this cigar to be producing
large clouds of aromatic smoke. Right from the get-go, this is an absolute
powerhouse of rich flavor and body. The flavors start off woody with notes
of dark cocoa and spice, and stay that way for nearly the entire duration
of the smoke, which is fine with me. The real strength of this cigar can
creep up on you, so be sure to have a sizeable meal before smoking. The
flavors get a little bit harsh through the final 2 inches, but are easily
balanced with a sip of ice water. |
Drink:
Ice Water |
Smoking Notes:
Another surprising bit about this cigar is the burn. With such a thin ring
gauge, there isn’t much room at all for an off-kilter burn, but these have
no problem keeping a razor sharp line. The ash is flaky, and gray in
color, and does a good job at falling off every inch or so. There seem to
be tunnels from time to time which leave the draw a bit empty. This is
most likely due to the Ligero leaves in the filler, which, aside from
contributing a tremendous amount of flavor and strength to a cigar, can
also poke through other leaves causing small tunnels. Leaving the ash on
for as long as possible is a good trick to remedying an empty draw. |
Overall Experience and Rating:
All in all, the Oliva Serie V Lancero receives a respectable B. With an
awesome burn line, consistent flavors, and full bodied kick, it’s
definitely a cigar worth trying. |
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Reviewer 4:
CRider Rating: B- |
Construction Comments:
Smooth and long, looks like Hershey’s chocolate. No flaws that I can see. |
Pre-light Aroma and Flavor:
Very earthy, woodsy smell and flavor prior to lighting. |
Burn:
Easy one match light, very smooth draw. |
Drink:
Ice water |
Smoking Notes:
Initial tastes – Pretty light in body, mild earthy flavor with maybe a
hint of grass? Nice earthy/woodsy aroma with a good volume of smoke. It
started burning a little lopsided, I’m hoping a touchup will correct that.
Starting to get a slight leather flavor to it. About halfway through, it’s
definitely developing a stronger, but pleasant, earthy and leathery sort
of flavor. The smoke is definitely building towards being more medium in
body. |
Overall Experience and Rating:
Overall Experience and Rating – While not a smoke I would have picked out
based on my tastes, it wasn’t a bad smoke. It started off pretty mild but
very smooth and worked towards more of a medium in body. It wasn’t as
complex as the cigars I tend to pick for myself but I would likely pick it
up again. I’ll rate it a B-.
Touchups – 1 Relights - 1 |
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| Reviewer 5:
Slowburning Rating: B |
Construction
Comments:
Smooth chocolaty brown wrapper, feels nice in the hand. Firm construction. |
Pre-light Aroma and
Flavor:
Flower-like fragrant. |
Burn:
Easy and smooth draw. Average burn. |
Drink:
None |
Smoking Notes:
The pre-light was very aromatic, a flower-light fragrance. Its wrapper
looks very chocolaty, and shinny, like a long, thin Kit Kat bar. It had
very small vein. Its draw was easy and smooth. Due to its small ring
gauge, it was very spicy the first few puffs, with a hint of hazelnut
sweetness in the back of the tongue. It produced a good amount of smoke
after each puff. Usually, a small ring gauge cigar burned hot, but not
this one. Its burn was cool, very cool, but not even though. The
flower-like fragrant persist throughout the smoke, along with a hint of
caramel, leathery, and nutty flavors. It is creamy and smooth also. |
Overall Experience and Rating:
This is a B cigar for me. This is my very first lancero, second if you
count the Macanudo Portofino. Its appearance, construction, and draw
almost perfect. The reason I gave it a B is because of its small ring
gauge, it tunneled, and I need to keep puffing for it not to go off. I
have to re-light a few times in order to finish it.
Otherwise, this would have definitely be a B+ or A-. |
