Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are primarily used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or in some cases giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Oliva Serie V Melanio 4 x 60 Box Pressed Edition. This is a cigar blend previously assessed back in January 2022 with the JR 50th Anniversary edition.Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Oliva de Nicaragua S.A. (TABOLISA)
Vitola: 4 x 60

Late in 2021, Oliva Cigar Company announced a limited edition line extension to its flagship Oliva Serie V Melanio line in the form of a 4 x 60 size. Melanio gets its name from Oliva family patriarch Melanio Oliva. Melanio Oliva was a tobacco grower in 19th-century Cuba. He is believed to be the first Oliva family member to grow tobacco. What is significant about this project is it actually brings two of Oliva’s flagship brands together – Melanio and Nub. Nub is a brand in the Oliva portfolio that pretty much put the 4 x 60 format on the map. Today we take a look at the Oliva Serie V Melanio in the 4 x 60 format.

The Oliva Serie V Melanio consists of an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. The 4 x 60 version were are talking about is a box-pressed version – which is consistent with the lion’s share of the Melanio line. The box-pressed 4 x 60 is presented in ten-count boxes. Production was limited, but there were 8,000 boxes produced.

Flavorwise the Melanio 4 x 60 opened up with notes of classic wood, cedar, citrus, earth, and some astringent notes. Early on the wood notes became primary. There was a combination of cedar and white pepper on the retro-hale. Some white pepper entered the equation late in the first third. By the second third, the earth notes joined the wood in the forefront. The pepper slowly increased while the citrus notes decreased. The final third was a little rough as there seemed to be more bitterness and spice present.

The Melanio 4 x 60 started medium to full-bodied and in the second third regressed down to medium-bodied. By the final third, the body moved back to medium to full. Strength-wise, the Melanio 4 x 60 was in the medium to full range and stayed constant. The strength and body balanced each other nicely – except for the second third when the body dialed back a bit.

The burn required touch-ups along the way to maintain a straight burn line and burn path. The draw was a little more open than I prefer. For a small cigar, it generated ample amounts of smoke.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

I am a firm believer that reviews should be vitola based. Not every vitola is going to perform at the same level. In the case of the Oliva Serie V Melanio 4 x 60, while it’s not a bad cigar, it definitely does not match up to some of the other sizes I’ve had in this line. The first third of this cigar was the best. The second third lacked a wow factor and the final third was slightly disappointing. While the MSRP is $13.00, I’ve seen this cigar priced lower. Taking price out of it, there are other sizes of the Oliva Serie V Melanio (such as the Petit Corona) that deliver more bang for the buck. My recommendation is if you want this size, grab a sample first.

Summary

Key Flavors: Wood, Cedar, Earth, Citrus, Pepper, Astringent Notes
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full (1st Third), Medium (2nd Third), Medium to Full (Final Third)
Finish: Very Good