Oliva Serie O Maduro

Purchased: Box of 20 Robusto
Store: CigarBid
Price: $70
Buy again? Are you kidding? Hell yes!

My love affair with Oliva continues with this cigar. I’ve had many of the blends (G, G Maduro, Master Blends 3, Flor de Oliva, V, V Maduro, V Melanio, V Melanio Maduro, O) and each brings something unique to the table. This O Maduro is no exception. And not surprisingly, it tastes nothing like the regular O. Where the O starts out gradually, with subtle baking spices and cedar, the O Maduro makes its presence known from the first draw.

This is not a beginner’s cigar. I can imagine someone not used to something this robust will turn green within the first half inch. The strength of the smoke combined with a nicotine kick pack a wallop from the get-go. Shit! I admit that I probably wouldn’t like it if I wasn’t used to smoking bold cigars. Truth be told, something as strong as this stick wouldn’t be my first choice normally. But it tastes so fucking good that I just want to gobble the damn thing up! I’m charging on!

In the first third, I get that great sweetness from the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Then suddenly, and quite suddenly, the cigar goes on attack, opening with a barrage of cinnamon, dark cocoa, and Turkish coffee, accompanied by a nicotine kick that, for the unprepared or uninitiated into robust cigars, could knock them on their ass. I got a serious buzz in the first inch. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the AJ Fallen Angel, but it was damn close.

Amazingly, by the second third, the nicotine all but goes away. Or maybe it’s because I’ve acclimated to it. But it definitely feels softer than the first third. The spice calms down as well, and a melba toast note arises, along with a butter-like creaminess. That gorgeous Connecticut Broadleaf sweetness remains, and the combination of toast and butter reminds me of eating sugared toast when I was a kid. But the finish is what I’m digging. It is amazingly medium length, but it’s earthy and has a hint of shiitake mushroom in it. The smoke coming off the foot has that classic Oliva teak wood aroma. Holy Mother of God! I’m digging this smoke!

Halfway through the stick, the spice comes back, but much more as a background element to the flavor profile. The finish lengthens slightly, and the earthiness becomes a bit more pronounced. The mushroom quality of the finish gives way to leather, with a slight astringent quality that isn’t at all unpleasant. Up to this point, the burn line has been straight as can be. No waves, no canoeing, with a stacked dime, pure white ash. This is a well-constructed cigar!

Finishing out the second third, here comes the milk chocolate. Unlike the Ave Maria Argentum, which is like smoking a Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa – which I love – this is more like a hot chocolate made with Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Hershey’s has a slightly sour note to it and that’s what’s coming on in the smoke now. And the smoke off the foot has become sweet, almost like the pipe tobacco that my grandpa used to smoke. It’s not cloying, but it’s sweet and very pleasing.

Into the final third and the cigar has come down to earth. Lush forest floor, and a hint of California Eucalyptus enter the picture. It imagine that I’m walking along a trail in the coastal hills of Northern California near where I live. The spicy notes pick up but they’re not peppery. It’s more akin to the mild, finishing spiciness of a pickled jalapeño.

Then suddenly, that earthiness disappears halfway through the last third. Hershey’s hot chocolate comes back! Fuckin’-A this stick has taken me on a wild ride! But it only lasts a couple of puffs. The hot chocolate moves to the background while the spice increases slightly. The smoke gets thicker but not hot at all as the inch-long ash helps temper the heat from the cherry.

Down to the nub, and the thick smoke gets creamy. The nicotine returns, but not as strong as the first third. Again, I may have become acclimated to it. But who cares! I’m in my happy place right now, sitting here writing this post with a dumb grin on my face from the pure enjoyment I’ve experienced with this cigar!