In 2008 Oliva expanded on its wildly popular Serie V Liga Especial. The Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial was born and it took Maduro Guys, such as myself, by storm. Cigars were only available in one size (A Torpedo at the time) and came in 10 Count Boxes. Production was limited and most shops in my area restricted them to two per customer.

Every year I get excited for the new batch of Serie V Maduros to begin hitting store shelves. With the exception of one year, every release has been excellent. Since I was already in cigar weasel mode, trying to get my hands on the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro, why not try for a couple 2013 Serie V Maduros as well?

It all worked out and Oliva provided me with review samples of the 2013 Serie V Maduro Especial. The vitola this year is a Double Robusto and the trend of the parejo shape continues (I’m not a fan of Oliva Torpedos, but I digress…)

Construction on this cigar was perfect. The draw was great and produced plenty of dense smoke. The burn line was thin and even while producing a strong light-gray ash. The finish was creamy and easy on the palate.

In the flavor department, I found the Serie V Maduro Especial to be a sort of crude version of the Serie V Melanio Maduro. Flavors were rough around the edges and a little aggressive, especially through the sinus.

The most notable flavor was a combination coffee / chocolate bitterness that lingered for an extended period of time. There wasn’t much in the way of flavor variation throughout but I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar, especially with coffee in the morning.

I might catch a little flack for this but… Given the choice between a 2013 Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial and a Serie V Melanio Maduro, I’m 99% sure I’d rather have the Maduro Especial. The flavor profile being a little rough and tumbled, the lingering bitterness, an the balance of power and flavor was a home run for me.