If I had to recommend one cigar to a friend looking to graduate from beginner-friendly smokes to something more interesting — and I had to do it without breaking their wallet — the Oliva Serie V Melanio would be at the top of the list. It’s not the most expensive cigar in Oliva’s lineup, and it’s not the boldest. What it is, consistently, is excellent.
The Serie V Melanio launched in 2012 as a tribute to Melanio Oliva, the family’s patriarch who began growing tobacco in Cuba in 1886 before the family eventually settled in Nicaragua. The line has earned a reputation as one of the great mid-premium cigars of the modern era, with the Toro vitola earning Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year honors in 2014.
I picked up this Robusto from a local tobacconist and let it rest in the humidor for about three weeks before lighting it up on a Tuesday evening. Sometimes the simple weeknight smoke is where the best cigars do their best work.
- Outstanding flavor complexity for the price point
- Sumatra wrapper provides a sweet, refined profile
- Excellent construction and even burn
- Available at retail without much hunting
- The Robusto vitola can feel cramped relative to the larger sizes
- Strength can creep up if smoked too quickly