Oliva Serie O Torpedo Review

Cigar: Oliva Serie O
Size: Torpedo 6.5" x 52
Wrapper: Sun-grown Habano (Nicaragua)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: MSRP ~$6.50

Initial Impression/Prelight
The first thing I noticed about the Oliva Serie O torpedo was how heavy it felt. The cigar was rock-hard all the way up and down the length. The sun-grown Habano wrapper was dark brown and rustic in appearance. It had very minimal veins, but had a few rough patches and some mottling - nothing bad, just not beautiful. It had almost no oil, and the aroma from the wrapper was pretty spicy, like red pepper, and some tobacco sweetness.

I clipped the torpedo end, then I clipped again, then I clipped again. I got pretty deep before I could get even a half-way decent draw. It wasn't plugged, but it was rolled very tight - no surprise given the weight and firmness. The cold draw honestly gave more of the same pepper and sweet tobacco.

I've had this cigar in the humidor for 3 months at 65% rH, and enjoyed it this afternoon with a cold IBC root beer.

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1st Third
The cigar started off with a gentle dose of the promised red pepper, but in a very pleasant-and-not-overwhelming way. I also got a touch of sweetness, and some hints of dark chocolate around the edges. Retrohale got me a little peppery sting and not much else. Smoke production was about average, with the flaky white ash hanging on for about an inch at a time.

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2nd Third
Some of the spiciness continued in this section, still a pretty mild red pepper. I also started picking up some cedar and toastiness, but diminished sweetness. There were also a few puffs here and there where I got a nice creamy flavor. I marked it med+ flavor and medium strength so far.

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Final Third
The mellow spiciness kept on keeping on, as did the cedar. I felt like I got some earthy flavor towards the end, and unsweetened cocoa reappeared briefly too. The cigar did get a little bitter and hot towards the end despite a fairly slow smoking pace, and I let it go a little short of what I'd call "nubbing it". I needed one retouch in this section.

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Overall Impressions
One of my buddies smoked his first one of these a few weeks ago, and proclaimed it one of his new favorite cigars. I believe Cigar Aficionado had the churchill size in their Top 25 this year too. I've had this one resting for a couple months, and I was excited to try it based on both those reasons. I thought it was pretty good and consistent, but not earth-shattering.

• The pepper was really nice for me - not too much, but still always there. I'm not a pepper fiend, but I guess I'm getting to where I want some. I smoked my first Four Kicks last week, and for the first half I was thinking, "Gotta get some more of these!" but by the end I was wanting a little peppery kick that never came. Anyway, the consistently smooth pepper was my favorite part of this cigar.
• I wish that creaminess had hung around longer. Creaminess, you could have been my favorite.
• Burn was pretty great all the way until the last 1.5" or so, when it needed a retouch. And maybe I've been spoiled by a great run of smoke-producers, but this one seemed a little below average in that department, especially for a 52RG.
• Since I love bands and artwork, I would be remiss if I didn't note that I enjoy most of Oliva's bands. This is a nice one, with the gold text on a cream background, and gold, brown, and red trim. Simple, yet cool.
• This is a Nicaraguan puro. The Oliva site has the strangest comment in regards to that fact - "Puros should be aged at generous humidity levels (70-78%) to preserve the natural oil." Wat. I've never heard anything like that before, and I can't imagine what difference, say, a binder of a different origin country would make when determining rH for aging. I get that different leaves will take aging differently, but differentiating between puro and non-puro doesn't seem like the way to decide.
• Also, 78%? That goes against everything I've learned. Does anyone around here do that? Seems like an expensive way to grow mold in a cedar box. I think I'll stick with 65%.
• Final smoking time was about 1 hour 50 minutes.


I thought the cigar was pretty good and I'd smoke another one, but it didn't wow me. This is another stick I wouldn't be sad to get in a pass or trade kinda thing, but I probably won't buy any more myself. Still, it was pretty smooth even on the retro, and it did have some nice flavors to it. I'm waffling on the score now. But not really. This is one I could understand how some people would really enjoy, but it's just not perfect for me.

I'm a huge Oliva fan, but this is my least favorite from them so far. Try a single.

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