Stogie Reviews: Oliva Serie G Cameroon Special
12 Jun 2007
If there’s anyone out there producing as many fine cigars at modest prices as Oliva, I’d love to hear about them. I’ve already sung the praises of the company’s Serie G Maduro in an April Quick Smoke.
Now let me wax poetic about the extremely tasty and tiny Oliva Serie G Special. Its shape resembles the pig-in-a-python style of the Punch Champion, though the Oliva has a more tapered end and at three and 3/4 inches it is a half inch shorter. The ring gauge is listed at 48.
I enjoyed one recently at a shop when I had already smoked something else and ended up with more time on my hands than I’d anticipated. At $2.75 per stick, it’s a bargain. For a box of 48, I’ve seen Internet prices listed at under $80. That is an absolute steal.
For what surely must be a difficult cigar to roll, it smokes magnificently. The burn, often a concern with delicate African Cameroon wrappers, was sharp, the solid ash remarkably white, and the smoke thick and plentiful.
The Cameroon wrapper generated what I think of as tobacco’s typical understated zest, and it seemed to float under the rich tobacco taste of the Nicaraguan Habano filler and the Cuban-Seen Habano binder. Not overly complex or multi-dimensional, but would you really expect that in a cigar under four inches?
I think this would be great for new cigar smokers. It’s smooth on the palate, there’s lots of smoke to play with, and it won’t last too long. Just make sure not to smoke too fast and create too much heat.
If you’re like me and find little appeal in cigars the size of cigarettes, the Oliva Special is a satisfying choice when you want a smoke but don’t have much time. Based on the taste and value, I give this special little cigar three and 1/2 out of five stogies.
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Tags: cigars
Patrick Ashby
Co-Founder & Editor in Chief
Patrick Semmens
Co-Founder & Publisher
George Edmonson
Tampa Bureau Chief
Thanks for the review. To me Oliva is very under-rated brand.
Agreed. It's about time you guys did a review of an Oliva. And the Serie G is my favorite — great shape, and just the right size.
George,
Great review, and I second your emotion. The whole Serie G line is perfect for new smokers as well as the vets out there. The Cameroon wrappers are espceically silky, too. Additionally, I think the Serie G is a great springboard for those who want to move up to the Serie O, which is wonderful in its own right. I also agree on the prices. The Olivas are one of the few, if not the only cigar making family who delivers such consistently good quality at a fair price.
The Oliva O, G, and V are all winners. I like that Oliva does not inundate the market with new blends or resort to gimmickry. Slow and steady—and reasonably priced!—wins the race.