Oliva Series V Liga Especial Belicoso

[the MacDonald]

Pre-light—a 5x54 torpedo, the only thing I don’t love about these is they are short. I bought theses from someone on here a few years ago. I think it has at least 3 years of age on it now. This stick is stout, and feels like you could hammer a nail with it, then light it up and enjoy the afternoon.

Cold-draw—it’s a V! Coco, the high notes of espresso, leather, earthy and lush
Light/1st third—this is why I love cigars. Wafting smoke that carried the essence of the Jalapa Valley. It is dark earth lush—the moment a beautiful flamenco dancer locks eyes with you across a steamy bar in the bad part of town. Lush and dark is the alpha-omega of the V line.

2nd 3rd—As I said, this is not my favorite vitola. I enjoy cigars too much to be so close to the end so close from the beginning, but here is the alchemy missing from the Cain Lancero, coffee and meat morph into almost a Mexican mole sauce, spice, chocolate work on a meaty texture—a trip to the Mexican restaurant might be in order—green and red peppers, a hint of blue agave tequila sweet funk.

3rd 3rd—the end is nye…more tropical lusty lushness. The mole dish osculates with leather, hints of oak and dark earth. There’s so much going on here at the same time. I really prefer the Churchill vitola in these because there is room for the liga to stretch out and play properly, but at the same time these smoke so slowly they seem to bend time…ok, maybe some hyperbole here. I popped the band off and the wind grabbed it. I smoked this halfway down the cone shaped cap.

Conclusion—If it’s not obvious, I am an enthusiastic Oliva V fan. I really shouldn’t call this a review. It is more of a report on how much I love Oliva V’s. I can’t find a negative in them outside of not lasting eternally. They are spicy, meaty, and satisfying. I believe that some things just resonate with person chemistry, and these resonate, or even harmonize with mine. I am scowering the net for lancero and/or Churchill varieties to help me through the summer. If I come up against you in any of the cigar auction sites for these, well, I’m sorry.

This review, or it's lack of critical eye reminds me of a review I did in college of Casandra Wilson’s Traveling Miles. The professor’s notes read something like, “well, this would be a great press release…” Her song, Runs the Voodoo Down is a fair representative of the Oliva V line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHaavej9Kso