It’s no secret to our readers that I am a huge fan of the Oliva Serie V; so when I heard through nefarious sources that there would be a special release of these beauties with a maduro wrapper, I was understandably elated. Through clandestine and arcane means, my emissaries in the Brick and Mortar world delivered to me a box of my quarry with all the haste of the hounds of hell. Ecstatic and drunk with unbridled avarice, I tore into the first of these like a dessicated desert animal at an oasis. So, were they any good? You bet your sweet ass, son.

Appearance:The maduro incarnation of the Serie V is noticeably darker, but is more in keeping with the Padron natural-vs-maduro philosophy in it’s difference from the regular line. A satiny sheen on the still-rosado wrapper bore witness to increased oils brought forth by careful fermentation. In a word: beautiful.

Pre-light Draw: Earl gray tea notes that seem to indicate stronger tobacco were in evidence, carried as they were by the perfect draw of my 40 ring-gauge cut.

First Third:All of the spice of the original release Serie V was present in spades during the first puffs of this cigar. Some soft coffee flavors swirled at the periphery of this piquancy. The thick body of the smoke carried with it sea-salt nuances as a testament to the mineral richness of the soil in which this fine leaf was grown. Gentle notes of anise persisted on the finish.

Second Third: A leathery character began to develop in this middle portion, punctuated by a mildly bitter hazelnut quality. The nearly ineffable “warm” flavor that I so enjoy but struggle to describe carried me into the final stages of the cigar.

Final Third: Universally desired, but seldom seen; the ending puffs of the Serie V Maduro brought together all of the previous flavors in a curtain-call of epicurean proportions. This particular victim died slowly, impaled on the torch-bleeder of my Xikar MTX. Nub-o-licious.

Overall Impression: More than the sum of its parts, the Oliva Serie V Maduro Torpedo is a rare example of an improvement on a classic. Years of shade-tree mechanic-ism have taught me that if it ain’t broke, don’t break it; but here the Oliva family has joined the ranks of millions who have at one time or another, proved me wrong. Carefully cultivated and brilliantly constructed, the maduro revamp of the Serie V is a hands-down winner. Time to call in a favor and get a hold of some.

-Anejomofo

  In continuing with the philosophical bent of this blog, I’d like to discuss the practice of indefinitely saving a cigar for a “special occasion”. Fundamentally, there’s nothing wrong with hanging on to that Padron 80th Anniversary Perfecto until your wedding day (or your divorce is finalized, as the case may be). In this perfectly ordinary example, you’re deciding to reserve a very special cigar for a very special day. What I’m talking about is when we surrender our free-will and reason and let the cigar decide for us when it will be smoked. Sure, such solid-citizens of the walk-in as Opus, Padron 64s and 26s, and Anejos demand special attention along with their special price; but it’ll do you no good to horde them in the dark recesses of your humidor, Smeagol. All across the country theres a gentrification going on in the humidors, coolerdors, and tupperdors of cigardom. We continue to covet and horde high-end cigars, arranging them carefully for “aging” like Ebenezer Scrooge (or Scrooge McDuck, if you like) counting his money. Have you ever thought to yourself “I have nothing to smoke” as you looked at a neatly stacked humidor full of your favorite special occasion cigar? That’s a horrible feeling that no one needs to impose upon themselves. Break glass in case of emergency, my man! Get in there, and smoke those masterpieces of agriculture and craftsmanship. That proverbial bus may just be turning a fatal corner as you step out onto the street, arms stretched out wide, taking in the crisp morning air and maternally warming sunshine. “Today is the first day of the rest of my life!”, you giggle, teeth clenched gingerly around a “Name Brand” Factory Second Torpedo (the twenty-seventh of a bundle of fifty you won on Cbid twenty-seven days ago). You turn your collar up and cock your head against the direction of the jasmine-scented morning breeze. Left hand shielding the shaggy foot of your ninety-three cent “dog-walker”, right hand greedily clenching your source of fire like the first caveman running bare-assed from a lightning strike in the forest; and just as you “flick your bic” WHAMMMO!!! 80,000lbs of Greyhound bus changes the course of your day.

  Hyperbole, you say? Maybe so. But that does nothing to allay the unpredictable nature of life. On a more serious note; in places like Tel Aviv, where the unpredictability of daily life is a cold fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find many collectors of fine wine or cigars. There’s an immediacy that has become part of the culture of such places, and with it comes the wisdom to enjoy what you can, when you can. On a cool Tuesday morning seven years ago-today, a terrible tragedy occurred that brought this idea to the forefront of our collective consciousness as Americans. In the intervening time, we’ve hopefully learned how to appreciate what we have. So in the spirit of living life in the “now”, as you find it, I say fire up a cigar that you’ve been saving for some unknown event, and in doing so transform now into a special occasion.