Oliva

Gilberto Oliva Reserva Blanc

Nice!!

I’m not especially loyal to any brand of cigar, but if I had to choose one manufacturer to smoke for the rest of my life, it’d probably be Oliva. As a fan of the Connecticut, Series G, V, and V Melanio, I was hoping this would join them and not go the way of the Serie O (in my opinion, the only Oliva I don’t care for). The initial presentation started things off great. The wrapper is neat, very few veins, and a small seam. The cap is deep, complex, and tidy. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. Unlit, it smelled of hay, coffee, and sweet tobacco from both the wrapper and the foot. The cap held up very nicely against my double guillotine straight cut, and that gave an almost perfect draw. The cold draw had flavor notes of wheat, coffee with cream, and a light raisin. Initial flavor notes after immediate lighting for me were toasted wheat, minerals, and a whisper of a dark dried fruit. The retrohale had black pepper, and just a touch of cocoa. I thought it would remind me of a Connecticut Reserve, and it does, but a bit more sophisticated. In the first third, the burn line was clean. Pepper was noticeable on the palate and the back of the throat, not just the retrohale. A creamy note joined, as did a baking spice like clove on the retro. I also got the standard cedar and cashew that’s in a lot of Connecticuts. Interestingly, as the first third started to move into the second, the fruit note went from dried plum or raisin to a citrus like orange. Ash was bright and not overly flaky, but had a little flake to it, and it held on until the end of third. In the second third, the pepper died down some and made room for the other shifting flavors to come out. The buttered toast was there, along with the cream, orange peel, cashew, and cedar. Even though the flavor notes were the same, they seemed to be shifting among themselves in strength and prominence, and the nutty note went from cashew to peanut. Mid way through the second third, some sweetness arrived like caramel. The band came off very easily and brought in the final third. The final act mellowed the shifting flavors and eventually the tobacco took over. A little pleasant anise came out, but it wasn’t a stand out flavor note. Those that retrohale in the final third will get pepper but also some graham cracker. The strength bumped up as well. I smoked this down until I couldn’t hold it (about a half inch) and really liked it. The burn got a little wonky in the last inch, but nothing dramatic like canoeing. Overall, the aroma was decent but not aromatic, and the strength went from mild plus to a solid medium at the end. The finish wasn’t as long as I wanted, but I wouldn’t call it short. It was definitely more complex than the Connecticut Reserve and stronger as well. Quite a good cigar especially given the price point.

Had to touch it up way too often

Love the aroma!

Light, smooth, and creamy cedar. The burn was pretty fast though at just over an hour for a Churchill. This would be a great cigar for that friend who's new to cigars or maybe doesn't smoke that often

Very light smoke. Cedar, leather. Easy and anyone would enjoy. Burned easy. Smoked in 1 hour while watching mandalorian and drinking scotch. Wife would not be opposed to the smell, very light, not overpowering.

Very smooth easy smoke

Decent taste. Nothing special but very classic and steady. The draw was very tight which made the experience a bit frustrating.