Initial Thoughts
Well if you haven’t heard about Oliva, and the fantastic cigars they make then you clearly haven’t been smoking cigars very long. The Serie G & V are two of my favorite blends available in the market place. They have all sorts of accolades, and have more top ratings than most cigars out there.
I was at an Oliva event a few months back, and I believe the offer was something like buy 3 get 1 free. Buy 5, and get a couple raffle tickets. So I bought 5 cigars, and this Oliva Serie G Figurado was one of them. I love any sort of figurado shaped cigar. It’s a nice change of scenery from the normal Parejo shaped cigars.
According to Oliva’s website the Serie G is:
A medium body blend made with authentic African-Cameroon wrapper. The unique flavor notes of this wrapper are complimented by the natural richness of Nicaraguan Habano fillers.
That’s not what intrigued me. As I said, I love the shape of this cigar. After talking to the sales rep, he convinced to me to try the Serie G in this size. I have had it before in the normal Parejo shape, but he was insistent that I try it in this figurado shape.
Looks
When I see a figurado shape cigar shape, it just jumps off the shelf, and into my hand. Some of you might think this is kinda dangerous. I mean cigars flying about the humidor and landing in my hand? Yeah it’s some pretty crazy shenanigans that go down. That’s why I usually try to enter the humidor when I’m by myself.
The Oliva Serie G Figurado was no different. I tried to resist the temptation, and I even warned the sales guy. I told him, this cigar will literally jump off the shelf into my hands you better wear a helmet. He decided against it. Luckily, no one was hurt this time.
Anyway, this cigar looks incredible. The box press on this cigar is beautiful and perfect. The foot of the cigar has a small nipple coming out of it, and then the barrel tapers to a point at the head of the stick. It’s quite impressive to look at this cigar and realize it was made by hand. I’m always amazed at how they fill cigars with tobacco, and form these crazy shapes.
The wrapper on the Oliva Serie G Figurado is a nice light brown. Darker than other Cameroon wrappers I’ve smoked. The wrapper doesn’t have any large veins which is fairly typical of Cameroon wrappers. They tend to be thinner, and a toothier than other wrappers.
Looking at the foot of this cigar I’m just in awe. It looks so intricate and beautiful. I try to find a seam to follow the edge of the wrapper, and it’s been applied so perfectly that I just get lost looking up an down the barrel admiring this great stick.
Function
I’m not sure if you have ever smoked a figurado with a nipple on the foot or not. If you haven’t let me just warn you, it’s really hard to test the cold draw! My pre-light ritual had to be altered just a bit for this Oliva Serie G Figurado. I did my typical rolling the cigar through my fingers, trying to find any soft spots. It’s kinda difficult with a box press though. I didn’t want to dent, or break the edges on this cigar, so I didn’t press too hard.
Like I said the cold draw is really tough. Trust me, I always try to see if I can pull any air through the barrel, even though there is a closed foot on this cigar. I’m not worried about the draw on this Oliva Serie G Figurado though. I’ve had quite a few Oliva’s, and never had a draw issue before.
Because this cigar has a tapered head on it, I can’t use my V cutter. I bust out the double guillotine and nip the tip. I’m ready to get this thing going.
One thing I will suggest about smoking this Oliva Serie G Figurado. Make sure to really toast the foot, you’re going to need a good lighter, because it took a couple of minutes to get the nipple to take to the flame. Because there isn’t an opening, you have to essentially set the foot on fire to get it to burn that outer wrapper. It’s kind of a pain in the ass, but it makes for a sweet looking ash (yeah I rhymed on purpose).
Smoking
Once I got past the initial lighting of the foot, on this Oliva Serie G Figurado this cigar was off to the races. Maybe the turtle races. The very first part of this cigar was a little tough to get through. Mainly, because I was trying to push through the foot, and get passed what I call the ‘ankle’ of the cigar. Once I got passed there, it smoked great. Not one hint of resistance.
The draw was absolutely effortless on this cigar. The smoke just flowed out of the barrel, and danced around in the air. It wasn’t a heavy blue smoke. It was a softer white smoke that didn’t loiter around. Once it was released, it did a little dance number in the air, and then was whisked away.
The smoke on this Oliva Serie G Figurado was very mild, and never got hot. It stayed cool, and smooth the whole way down the stick. After the first third, I became a little worried about the cigar. Some of the edges of the box press, started becoming soft and spongy. I hoped I wasn’t going to run into some soft spongy tobacco, and luckily, I didn’t. I’m pretty sure the heat expanded the cigar, which made these corners a little looser. If you know anything about Nascar, you know about some loose corners!… I actually have no idea what that means. I try not to drive over 70 mph, because my jeep starts to shake after that.
Flavor
This Oliva Serie G Figurado was definitely flavorful, but in a mild way. I was honestly relieved when I smoked this cigar, because I have been smoking a lot of heavier full bodied cigars lately, with a lot of spice. I wanted something that would be easy on my palate, and nothing too full in body. That’s exactly what I got with this cigar.
So I’ve been reading up on cigars, and what things affect the taste of them.Well turns out, there is a pH level with everything. Distilled water has a ph of 7 which is neutral, somethings are more acidic, and others are more alkaline. We know things that are acidic,like orange juice, etc. However, cigars are more alkaline. So to cleanse your palate, and get it back to a more neutral position; it is suggested that you drink or eat something slightly less alkaline before you smoke (doesn’t sound like it makes sense does it?). So I decided to drink some milk before smoking this Oliva Serie G Figurado. Hoping to cleanse my palate, and get it back to neutral. Well, I’m pretty sure it worked.
I picked up quite a few different flavors. The most common flavor I could pick up, was coffee. I would classify it as a lighter roast coffee bean, but it still had the hint of coffee in it. The most noticeable aroma I picked up, was that of cedar. I could smell it swirling around in the air, and when I wafted it towards my face it got slightly more intense.
The Oliva Serie G Figurado stayed the same all the way down to the final third, where it picked up some spice. Nothing overwhelming, but it was a slight change of pace from the flavor profile in the rest of the cigar.
Overall this stick was a very mild-medium bodied cigar, that was really easy to sit back and enjoy. I may have to take a break from the spicier heavier cigars, and go back and enjoy some more mild bodied cigars for awhile.
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely. At the price point of $6 this is a cigar your humidor shouldn’t be without.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Easily, super smooth and pleasurable. You could enjoy this cigar everyday with a cup of a coffee or even an afternoon smoke out on the golf course.
Would I Buy a Box?
For a $126 for 25 cigars this is a steal. You might want to buy some extra lighter fluid though if you’re going to be toasting all those nippled feet!
Conclusion
Not surprised one bit by how good this smoke was. It had been awhile since my last Serie G, and it was a welcomed change of pace from my typical full bodied – full spiced cigars. This mild-medium body, was exactly what I needed. Something easy to smoke that easy on my palate. Do yourself a favor, if you haven’t tried the Serie G go pick up a few from your local B&M. I bet you won’t be disappointed!
