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 only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or 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 135th Anniversary Edición Limitada. This is a cigar blend previously assessed in January 2012 in the No. 4 size.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: TABOLISA
135th Anniversary Edición Limitada: 5 1/4 x 54

Oliva Cigar Company traces its heritage in the cigar industry back to 1886 when Melanio Oliva would cultivate his first tobacco crop. Today Oliva is a part of the Vandermarliere Cigar Family of cigar brands, but that didn’t stop the company from paying homage to the 135th Anniversary of the Oliva in 2021. A special version of Oliva’s highly acclaimed Serie V line was produced and called the Oliva Serie V 135th Anniversary Edición Limitada. This cigar would feature the Serie V blend in a figurado that featured a rounded cap and a tapered footer. The Oliva Serie V 135th Anniversary would make its debut at the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Earlier this year, Oliva announced the Serie V 135th Anniversary would become a semi-annual limited production release. Today we take a close look at this cigar.

Blend-wise, the Oliva Serie V 135th Anniversary Edición Limitada features the same tobaccos as found in the rest of the Serie V line. This includes an Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper over all-Nicaraguan tobaccos. The figurado shape measures 5 1/4 x 54. The cigars are presented in 12-count boxes. Production is handled at Oliva’s TABOLISA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

The Oliva Serie V 135th Anniversary opened up with an assortment of flavor notes including cocoa, earth, cedar, floral, nut, and white pepper. As the cigar moved through the first third, the cedar and earth took a slight edge. While these flavors wouldn’t normally excite me the cocoa, floral, nut, and pepper notes rounded out the profile nicely. The retro-hale produced additional layers of pepper and earth. During the second third, the earth took a slight edge over the cedar as the primary note. At the same time, there was a slight increase in pepper. The final third didn’t see much change as the earth notes continued to be rounded out by the other secondary notes that were present since the beginning.

The strength and body of the Oliva Serie V 135th Anniversary were medium to full from start to finish. There wasn’t much variance in the intensity levels of the strength and body. Both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other. The burn of the Oliva Serie V 135th Anniversary performed well requiring few touch-ups. The draw also performed quite well delivering a touch of resistance – which is something that is my sweet spot.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Oliva Serie V 135th Anniversary might not be a cigar that undergoes radical flavor transformations, but it is one that has plenty of flavor nuances as the smoke is rolling around your tongue. While I wouldn’t put the 135th Anniversary as my favorite Serie V vitola, this was still a fun and enjoyable smoke. This is a cigar I would steer toward a more experienced cigar enthusiast, but I wouldn’t discourage a novice from reaching for one. As for myself, this is a cigar I would buy and smoke again. Coming in at 90 points, the Oliva Serie V 135th Anniversary earns our Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Cedar, Cocoa, Nut, Floral, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Buy One
Score: 90
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence

References

Previous Assessment: Oliva Serie V No. 4
News: Oliva Serie V 135th Anniversary Edición Limitada to be Showcased at 2021 PCA
Price: $10.50
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Oliva

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop

There was no doubt that at the 2022 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, El Septimo Geneva President and CEO Zaya Younan wanted to make a big splash. Younan is looking to take El Septimo Geneva to the next level when it comes to ultra-premium cigars. Younan prides himself on the fact that El Septimo has a huge potpourri in terms of the number of brands and blends. This year he launched a new collection of cigars called the Emperor Collection – which consists of ten different blends. However it really was on the accessories side where El Septimo made headlines – highlighted by a set of $5.5M (yes million) dollar lighters.

It was in 2019 that Younan Company announced it was acquiring the assets of Septimo Concepts SA, a brand of cigars made in Costa Rica since 2005. Younan Company is a global private equity firm that specializes in acquisitions and management of various assets and companies in the luxury consumer space. The company’s strategy is to build a portfolio of luxury products and properties, lifestyle companies and services, and it is recognized as a global luxury brand with more than $1.2 billion in assets under management. The acquisition of Septimo Concepts allowed them to add premium cigars into the luxury space. Prior to the acquisition, Septimo was sold in select European markets. Since then the company has added several new collections to its portfolio and has now made a push into the U.S. market.

As mentioned, El Septimo delivered ten new blends with the Emperor Collection. This includes six cigars that are El Septimo Geneva’s first with a Connecticut wrapper.

The ten cigars of the Emperor Collection will pay homage to historical rulers including Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus, Napoleon, Yao, and King Sargon. The Alexander III and Augustus offerings will be exclusively Connecticut-wrapped offerings. King Sargon, Napoleon and Yao will be available in both Connecticut and Maduro.

King Sargon is actually a cigar that was released previously with the Gilgamesh Collection. This year King Sargon will be “crossing over” to the Emperor Collection with two special sizes Toro (7 1/4 x 50) and Robusto (4 1/4 x 54) in both a Connecticut and Maduro. The four cigars will only be available for purchase in a Gilgamesh Collection-themed humidor, which will be available in five other designs, or through purchasing a limited-edition large humidor that comes with all four cigars and a rare bottle of El Septimo Cognac.

Pricing for the Emperor Collection offerings range from $10.00 SRP to $32.00 SRP per cigar.

Then there are the 5.5 million dollar lighters. Each of these lighters were selling for more money than some retailer and cigar company’s value. There are three lighters – each paying homage to one of El Septum’s premium cigar collections. There is one for the Emperor Collection, Sacred Arts Collection, and Zaya Collection. These lighters are made of gold and contain many jewels on them. The number pieces that make up each lighter are astonishing.  The Emperor Collection lighter is made with 80 pieces, the Sacred Arts Collection lighter has 89 while the Zaya Collection contains 109 pieces.

Youman said he wasn’t sure if he would sell the lighters, and the worst case scenario was he would dissemble the parts that made up the units. During the trade show, the lighters literally had their own security units.

El Septimo Geneva introduced what it called a “one of a kind masterpiece cigar humidor.” The unit was designed by world-renowned French artist Michel Audiard. TA team of five craftsmen worked on making this Emperor Collection humidor that has been entirely gilded with 24-karat gold leaf by Christine Onillon, who has been working for 25 years in collaboration withl Audiard. Included with the humidor is the El Septimo pen which is designed with the Royal Salomon shape of the recently announced El Septimo Emperor Collection Napoleon and covered in 24-karat gold leaf. The humidor has been specifically fitted out and designed to present the Emperor Cigar Pen surrounded by El Septimo cigars.

Finally, if you can’t or don’t want to shell out millions for the tabletop lighters, there are some options that are more affordable. Shortly after the Trade Show,  El Septimo announced a series of ten luxury lighters and pens that will complement its Emperor and Sacred Arts Collection of cigars.  The lighters and pens were designed by MPA Studio de Creation, which is the design agency of La Maison Younan (El Septimo’s parent company) design agency in Paris. The lighters will offer both a soft and jet flame. They will be priced from $245.00 to $1,500.00. The pens will retail between $200.00 to $275.00.

KMA Talk Radio Interview with Zaya Youman, President & CEO El Septimo Geneva

Product Reports

El Septimo Geneva to Introduce the Emperor Collection
El Septimo Geneva Debuts $5.5M Lighters at 2022 PCA Trade Show
El Septimo to Showcase Emperor Collection Masterpiece Humidor at PCA 2022
El Septimo Geneva Expands Lighter and Pen Collections

Photo Credits: Erron Nielsen for Cigar Coop, except where noted

Originally posted on September 1, 2022 @ 2:18 pm