Oliva Serie S

[Mark]

Eric sent this cigar as a part of an Oliva Taste Test, thanks Eric.

The construction of this cigar was very nice, with no soft spots or flaws anywhere.  The wrapper was a nice med brown almost chocolate color.  I did have a problem with the wrapper unraveling when I clipped the head off, but it was my fault.  During the pre-light draw I didn't pick up and distinctive flavors, but when I lit the foot the was a nice spiciness to it.  The flavors didn't change much throughout the smoke, it was slightly spicy with a very nice tobacco flavor.  About half way through it moved from a mild/med bodied cigar into a full blown med almost full body.  The smoke was thick and abundant with every puff.  The ash was a white/grayish color that was a little flaky, but rock solid.  It held on for over 2" before I knocked it into the ashtray.  Overall this is a nice everyday cigar that will not put you on your ass and you can enjoy when preoccupied.  It will also keep your attention when you have time to really sit down with it.

[-PO-]

Great review Mark

[Parkster]

Sounds like a future buy Mark.

Nice review, straight to the point.

[Cigar Penguin]

Reminds me of the O bold but more refined and better constructed.My favorite next to the MB3.............I love sun growns but didnt experiance the same flavors you did mark.......thanks for the review.

[Tfire136]

Eric also sent me one of these to try. If I want to make this a simple review I would say smoke a Hemingway Short Story and then compare the two. To me the Serie S tasted just like a Short Story. The draw was a little tough initially but opened up very quick. I loved the Cameroon flavors that were present. The tobbacco tasted well refinined and never got harsh.I like the size for the winter months but feel that the full charater of the cigar could only be reached in the larger sizes of this line. Overall I liked it and they seem to be priced right

[Parkster]

If these are anything like the O Bold, then they are a great stick at a great price.

[Tonto]

Here's my review of the Special "S" torpedo.

I smoked it a couple of days ago (Sorry, for the delay in posting this), while watching my kids play in the backyard (I sat on the patio).

The construction was top notch. I cut it with my Xicar....the pre-light draw was a little tight & had a slightly sweet taste. After lighting, the flavors that I had were of cedar & tobacco & more cedar. They pretty much remained thoughout the entire cigar. The taste was smooth, but I was looking for some changes in the taste that never arrived. This flavor profile, to me, seemed to get boring & 1 dimensional, if that makes sense.

My main problems with this smoke was that the draw was so tight, I couldn't even tell if I had gotten any smoke in. This remained throughout the whole smoke. It was like a workout just trying to inhale. I tried recutting the end 2 more times, thinking that maybe I didn't cut the end large enough, but that had no effect. I tried gently massaging the cigar with my fingers, hoping to find that "spot" that as blocking the draw. Several time I thought I had succeeded, but after 1 good puff, it was tight again. The ash was solid & held on well, like the Special "G", for about 1.5" - 2" before I gently dropped it into the ashtray.

Another problem was the burn, I was constantly needing to touch it up. This & the draw problem made it seem like work, smoking this cigar, when you really wanted to relax and enjoy it.

After smoking this Special "S", and previously the Special "G", I've realized that I really liked the Special "G" & its' cameroon wrapper.

[Wookin Pa Nub]

Eric also sent me one of these to try. If I want to make this a simple review I would say smoke a Hemingway Short Story and then compare the two. To me the Serie S tasted just like a Short Story. The draw was a little tough initially but opened up very quick. I loved the Cameroon flavors that were present. The tobbacco tasted well refinined and never got harsh.I like the size for the winter months but feel that the full charater of the cigar could only be reached in the larger sizes of this line. Overall I liked it and they seem to be priced right

I could be wrong, but I Think you are confusing the Serie G (Special G size) Confused with the Special S....The Special S does not come in small figurados like th G does.

The Serie G is a very reasonably priced smoke, the Special S is more on the high end due to it's wrapper.

[Cigar Penguin]

G....S......never had a tight draw.......try letting go a bit while worrying about the kids playing.....ease up dad!