Quick Smoke: Oliva Serie V Belicoso

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief take on a single cigar.

Olivas are highly regarded in the cigar community—and deservedly so—for their consistency, quality, and value. But something just wasn’t quite right about a five inch by 54 ring gauge Belicoso I recently bought and smoked at a Chicago B&M. The burn required constant touch-ups and, after the halfway mark, the full-bodied profile of leather and black coffee transitioned into a biting bitterness. Not nearly as pleasant as I had hoped.

Verdict = Sell.

-Patrick A