Oliva Serie V Melanio Double Toro Review

Overview

The Oliva Serie V Melanio Double Toro is not merely a cigar; it is a declaration. Since its debut in 2013, this expression has served as the cornerstone of Oliva’s ascent into the upper echelons of premium cigar craftsmanship, a tribute to Melanio Oliva, the family patriarch who first cultivated tobacco in Pinar del Río, Cuba, in the 1880s. In this Double Toro vitola — a 6 x 60 ring gauge that some might dismiss as bluster — Oliva has engineered a paradox: a cigar of full, commanding strength that delivers its power with a grace and nuance typically reserved for far more slender formats. The 60-ring gauge is not a concession to trend; it is a deliberate architectural choice that allows the Nicaraguan long-filler blend, sourced from the Jalapa and Estelí valleys and aged a minimum of three to five years, to express its full range without constriction.

From the first light, the experience is unapologetically bold. A dark espresso and roasted cocoa nib surge forward, anchored by black pepper on the retrohale and a firm cedar-and-leather structure. Yet almost immediately, a raw cane sugar sweetness begins to temper the intensity — a hallmark of the Ecuadorian Sun-Grown Sumatra wrapper, a rich Colorado Maduro leaf the color of milk chocolate, silky and faintly oily with minimal veining. As the cigar progresses into the second third, the pepper recedes and a remarkable complexity emerges: dark cherry, dried fig, and toasted oak layer onto the chocolate and espresso core, while a creamy texture on the draw softens the full-bodied strength without diminishing its authority. The final third doubles down — espresso and dark chocolate intensify, joined by earth, leather, and a lingering woody spice. The wrapper’s sweetness fully integrates, yielding a finish that is long, satisfying, and notably free of the harshness that plagues lesser full-strength cigars.

Construction is characteristically excellent. The draw offers ideal resistance, the burn line remains remarkably even for a 60-ring gauge, and the ash holds in dense, pale grey columns for one and a half to two inches before releasing cleanly. This is a cigar that takes its time — a 90- to 100-minute session that rewards deliberate, unhurried attention. It punches well above its $18–$24 price point, rivaling offerings from makers charging two to three times as much. The Serie V Melanio Double Toro is the cigar that proved Oliva belongs in the conversation with the elite. If you dismiss it because it is not Cuban, you are leaving one of the finest Nicaraguan expressions on the table.