Vitola: Diadema- 6.75” x 48 ring gauge
- Part of CRA Sampler
Background
The Oliva Serie V Melanio is produced regularly in 6 box-pressed vitolas. It uses Nicaraguan filler and binder, along with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper leaf and it has proven to be one of the most sought-after Oliva releases in the company’s history. I can remember when I worked at Burns in Chattanooga, we would wait for weeks or months sometimes for supplies to be refilled in the sizes of Melanio that we carried…and when they would come in, they would typically last 2 or 3 weeks before being sold out again. And it was quiet…we didn’t have to publicize the arrival of these sticks to sell out. Just put them in the humidor and let people find them. So, more of a sleeper hit, in some ways.
I was happy to find a Serie V Melanio in the CRA Freedom Sampler I picked up a couple months back. While not my favorite blend in the pack, it’s definitely one that I enjoy whenever I get my hands on one. This particular one is a round (not box-pressed) Diadema that is approximately the same length and ring gauge as a Churchill. I believe this size originally was produced as a limited edition for the European market and as such, this could be the first time it’s seen distribution in the U.S.
Notes
The wrapper leaf of the Melanio was a medium brown with tons of mottling, which I’ve found typical of Ecuadorian Sumatra through the years…think LFD’s Ligero and Double Ligero lines. The aroma I got from it was mostly cedar with a touch of hay. With the small Diadema foot, there was no notable aroma from the foot. Once I clipped the head of the cigar I got a good draw that had a pleasant mix off sweet hay, cedar, and earth with just a hint of the metallic coppery note that I get so often from Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf. I fired it up and got earth up front with dark chocolate, red pepper, and cedar flavors coming up behind. The retrohale was nutty and peppery.
I paired this cigar with some Knob Creek, one of the original “small batch” bourbons. I poured it before I started writing the intro above and the glass sat on my desk as I typed, filling my nose with amazing vanilla aroma. Despite being 100 proof, it’s not too strong to drink neat…with or without a cigar. If I were the type to make cocktails at home, I’m sure I’d find out that it would stand up very well to that kind of treatment, as well. As it is, it just goes to add proof to my reasoning developed over many cigars and many bourbons…”Almost any bourbon will pair well with almost any cigar.”
I can’t honestly say that the round version of the Melanio smoked significantly differently than the box-pressed versions I have had in the past. Maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t had one in a long time so the memory of them isn’t fresh in my mind…and therefore I might feel differently on the matter if I smoked them back to back. Regardless, the Serie V Melanio is still a great medium-to-full-bodied blend that was worth the time I spent smoking it and it paired well with the Bourbon.
